Sunday School: Psalm 119:89-104 Hebrew letters Lamedh and Mem
Forever. Steadfast. Everlasting. Infinite. Immutable.....the same yesterday, today, and forever.
God's Word is all of the above.
It sustains me. Without it, I would perish. It saves me........by giving me life.
How? It is in God's Word that we learn that we are sinful creatures. The Law teaches us of our sin, It demonstrates that we cannot keep the Law of God, but points to the means He established from before time began to redeem and save us.....the atoning work of Christ.
I cannot turn from your Word, for it is my only hope. Enemies surround me, but I will hold to Your Word, for it is limitless in it's perfection. "Every other perfection has limits" (NKJV study Bible note on v. 96).
I love Your Word! I think of it all the time.....and consider all I do in light of it.
I love it, therefore I meditate on it....then I love it more.
"Familiarity breeds affection, and affection breeds familiarity." (quote by Spurgeon??)
The understanding it gives me makes sense of life in the broader sense of seeing life through spiritual eyes. Those who do not love the Word of God, do not have this perspective, and lack understanding.
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Sermon: Psalm 128 Henry Beaulieu
>>Truthfully, I went into this sermon questioning the meaning for me. I read the text last night, though already familiar with it. It makes me sad, in that I am NOT the wife of a godly husband. I really sort of felt 'left out' of God's blessing , though knowing this isn't so. So......I asked the Lord to speak His truth to me, and went in with wide open ears to hear. <<<
This is one of the songs of ascent....sung by pilgrims on the way to the temple in Jerusalem in preparation for worship.
"What is the good life?" Per our society, going, doing, possessions, wealth, personal contacts, who you know and where you go.....all not necessarily bad in and of themselves, but if you trust these things for a 'good life' filled with God's blessing, at the end of the day, you'll come up empty, for they are useless.
v 1. Blessed is the one who fears Jehovah (KJV) This name of God would conjure up memories of all of God's mighty acts.
**the fear of God is a prominent theme in the Scriptures. It is an awe filled reverence of God that stems from a right knowledge of Him. It stems from knowing Him.
This is a virtue that is primarily lost in our society. The wicked do not fear Him, because they do not know Him, but at the last Day....when He comes and they see Him....they will mourn and wail because of a different fear......fear of judgement.
The righteous does not know that kind of fear. Our fear is not of judgement and wrath,
for we know that the full wrath of God was poured out on a substitute for us......His only Son. THIS in and of itself elicits the proper fear of God in us.
I John 4:18 : ......perfect love casts out fear..... is about fear of judgement and God's wrath being eradicated in us by God's love.
Also.....a proper fear comes through the discipline of the one who loves us.
Henry used the illustration of his much beloved aunt switching him for disobedience, but he knew she love him, and he loved her.
See Ps 130:3. If You, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? (fear....crippling fear.) But there is forgiveness with you, That You may be feared.
It is knowledge of His great love and forgiveness of our sin, undeserved and unmerited, that makes us fear Him properly.
Meditation from the bulletin: Psalm 130:4b "That Thou mayest be feared." This is the fruitful root of piety. None fear the Lord like those who have experienced his forgiving love. Gratitude for pardon produces far more fear and reverence of God than all the dread which is inspired by punishment. If the Lord were to execute justice upon all, there would be none left to fear him; if all were under apprehension of his deserved wrath, despair would harden them against fearing him; it is grace which leads the way to a holy regard of God, and a fear of grieving him."
Charles H. Spurgeon.
V2.....Blessed...productive and benefits from it. All things balanced....work, family life, worship, etc. The one who fears Jehovah is happy. It is well. Joy is in the Lord, not the circumstances of life.
V3....The man who fears God and walks in His ways will find a godly wife, typically, who makes the home a joyful and pleasant place. Children as olive shoots.....means a blessing. Olive trees were a sign of abundance and prosperity. They provided sustenance for the present and the future in that they spread and continued to grow. The one who fears Jehovah will see his children as a blessing.....a legacy and posterity.
>>>>>>>>>> as I thought on this, I lost the feeling of being left out somewhat. The one whose wife I was did not fear Jehovah. He didn't see me and/or the children as blessings, but as hindrances to the life he chose to live outside of God's laws. As much as I wish I had the opportunity to be a godly wife for a man who fears Jehovah, I am not left out of the blessing of God. He takes care of the widow, and has indeed blessed me much with wonderful friends and family, and a church body where I am honored and loved, and cared for. <<<<<<<<<<<<
V5....There is national blessing when it is full of those who fear Jehovah.
V6....Long life and peace for that one who fears Him.
The man who fails to fear the Lord will not have any of these things.
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Sunday evening: Matthew 27:62- 28:15
Those who chose not to believe will go to great lengths to perpetrate proof of their lies.
Even after evidence (the guard's report) that Jesus had risen, the Jewish leadership broke their own laws by bribing them to lie about it.
quick notes:
The Jewish didn't keep their own laws of keeping the Sabbath, however the women did.
They didn't believe Jesus claims, but were still afraid. Were they really afraid that perhaps His claims were true? Or was it simply as they said, that they feared the disciples would pull off a hoax?
The Roman guards, no doubt, had seen some pretty gruesome things in their day as soldiers in the world's mightiest army at that time. But this......An earthquake, an angel, Christ risen from the dead.....put them down like dead men.
How is it that these Roman legionnaires were so easily bribed? To fall asleep on the job was a serious thing. The love of money.......
Note: only some of the guard went to the priests. Surely the others told everyone they met what had happened!
In conjunction with this passage, we read Romans chapter 6.
We need a new 1: record, 2: life, 3: body. The story of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ is our assurance of salvation. Our record (sin deserving death) was put on Him so that He could bear God's wrath for us, while His record of sinlessness was accounted to us who believe. God was satisfied.....for He raised Him from the dead.
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