TOPIC: BlessingsTITLE: THE SECRET THAT IS NO SECRETFOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What must we do to be blessed by God?I. Delight in His Word! (His delight is in the law of the Lord)
II. Meditate in His Word! (in the law of the Lord he meditates)
III. Abide in His Word! (day and night)
Psalm 1:3*
FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What characterizes a blessed [Godly] man?I. Vitality! (“a tree”) [life, vigorous – “capacity to live”]
II. Security! (“firmly planted”) [safety, defense, free of risk, confident]
III. Capacity! (“by canals of water”) [potential, capability – “ability to receive”]
IV. Fertility! (“which yields its fruit”) [virility, productivity (better)]
V. Propriety! (“in its season”) [appropriateness, suitability – quality of being proper]
VI. Perpetuity! (“its foliage does not wither”) [continuity, constancy, durability, endurance – time without a defined end]
VII. Prosperity! (“all that he does prospers”) [affluence, well-being][*From W. Graham Scroggie’s volume THE PSALMS, Pickering & Inglis Ltd. London, 1965, p. 49]
Psalm 2:1-12
TOPIC: Protection, Provision
TITLE: THE ULTIMATE REFUGEFOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What progression of prophetic events has God provided for man’s benefit?I. MAN'S INSURRECTION! (1-3)
II. DIVINE INDIGNATION! (4-6)A. God’s contempt [v. 4 – laughs, scoffs]
B. God’s wrath [v. 5 – His anger, fury]
C. God’s revelation [v. 6 – but … I have …]III. MARVELOUS DECLARATION! (7-9)
A. Relationship [v. 7 – My Son]
1. Headship [v. 8 – nations, earth … as Thy possession]
2. Lordship [v. 9 – rule them, scepter or staff, shatter them]IV. DIVINE ADMONITION! (10-12)
A. Words of warning! [v. 10 – show and take]
B. Worship and fear! [v. 11 – worship/serve, reverence/fear, rejoice/tremble]
C. Choose … [v. 12]1. Love or Perish! [homage/kiss or]
2. Wrath of Refuge! [perish/wrath][Adapted from W. Graham Scroggie’s volume THE PSALMS, Pickering & Inglis Ltd. London, 1965, pp. 53, 54]
TOPIC: Prayer
TITLE: TRIUMPH OVER TROUBLE – A prayer
FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: How should we pray when things get rough?I. The appeal in time of trouble! (1-5)
II. The agony in time of torment! (6-7)
III. The anticipation of time of triumph! (8-10)
TOPIC: Calamity, Faith, Security, Wicked & Righteous, Traditions, Trials
TITLE: THE LORD IS OUR REFUGE!
FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: If the foundations are destroyed what can the righteous do?I. Know that God is above it all! (v.4)
II. Know that God discerns the difference between ... (v.5)A. The righteous!
B. The wicked!III. Know that God is faithful to ...
A. Punish the wicked! (v.6)
B. Smile on the righteous! (v.7)
Psalm 11:1-7
TOPIC: God's foundations
TITLE: THE SIX FOUNDATIONS OF GOD
FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What happens if the foundations are destroyed?
I. Our God Reigns From Heaven (4)
II. Our God Governs the World (4)
III. Our God Knows the Real Man (4)
IV. Our God Tests All Men (5)
V. Our God Wins the War (6)
VI. Our God Awaits Our Homecoming (7)
Who have said, "With our tongue we will prevail; our lips are our own; who is lord over us?"
TOPIC: Wicked men; arrogance, lordship, sovereignty]
TITLE: TO ERR IS HUMAN!FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What are the most common and arrogant errors of the wicked?
I. That man himself determines life's outcomes! (4a)
II. That man himself controls his words! (4b)
III. That man himself serves only himself! (4c)
TOPIC: Prayer (in times of oppression); oppression, petitions, supplications
TITLE: IN THE SHADOW OF HIS WINGS!
FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What three requests may we make to God in times of oppression?[Notice the three inferior petitions in each of David's requests, each of these might be brought as a message by themselves.]
I. Judge me, O Lord! [1-2]
A. Listen to me, Lord! (1)
B. Tell it like it is, Lord! (2a)
C. Be just, Lord! (2b)II. Protect me, O Lord! [7-9]
A. Show me lovingkindness, Lord! (7)
B. Keeep me special, Lord! (8a)
C. Hide me in Your presence, Lord! (8b-9)III. Avenge me, O Lord! [13]
A. Get up and confront in indignation, Lord!
B. Humble my enemies, Lord!
C. Deliver my soul (a.k.a. "life"), Lord!
TOPIC: Provision (of God)
TITLE: WAIT ON THE LORD - He hasn't forgotten you or your needs!
FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What four things does David tell us are needed for a right relationship with our God?I. His Grace Is Always Needed! [v.7]Application/Challenge: I said there were four things David told us we needed to have but only listed three ... so what is the fourth? Verses 13 & 14 tell us Our Patience Is Always Needed!
II. His Presence Is Always Needed! [v. 9]
III. His Instruction Is Always Needed! [v. 11]
TOPIC: Fearlessness; faith
TITLE: The Lord Is My Everything!
FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What should God be to you?I. He should be the illumination of your life!Application/Challenge: If indeed He is all of these things ... who or what should you fear?
II. He should be the deliverance of your life!
III. He should be the defense of your life!
Psalm 27:13-14TOPIC: Hope
TITLE: What Would You Ask of the Lord if You Could?
FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What three Kingdom things from the Lord did David consider top priority?I. To Dwell in the House of the Lord Forever!
II. To Behold the Beauty of the Lord Forever!
III. To Inquire In the Temple of the Lord Forever!
TOPIC: Despair
TITLE: An Anecdote for Despair!
FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: How does David suggest we respond to despair?I. David tells us to "Wait for the Lord"!
II. David Tells Us to "Be Strong"!
III. David Tells to "Take Courage"!
TOPIC: God; Judgment, Justice, Nature, Sufficiency
TITLE: I AM YOUR GOD – God’s All Sufficient Essence
TEXT: Psalms 50:7“Hear, O My people, and I will speak … I am God, your God.”CONTEXT: The author is Asaph, a Levite; the patriarch of a bloodline of poets and singers ... also Psalms 73-83.Psalm 50 is where we get “God owns … … the cattle on a thousand hills.” [10b]
Asaph was a leader in King David’s choir.Here is judgment coming, judgment explained, judgment promised; here legalistic hypocrites are revealed ... they dot the “I” and cross the “t” of religion, yet they fail to see who God really is.FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What three attitudes (expectations) interfere with God’s amazing grace?I. THE EXPECTATION OF COMPLETE SANCTIFICATION
II. THE EXPECTATION OF IMMEDIATE SATISFACTION
III. THE EXPECTATION OF ABSOLUTE CERTAINTYAPPLICATION/CHALLENGE: So you want to rob the bank and keep the money when you are caught? Your satisfaction in life is all that matters to you … and you want it now! Simple satisfaction is not enough; you had that long ago.And you will believe in God for sure … if He will just make an appointment with you at a convenient time … that’ll do it.Asaph pleads on behalf of God, that disobedient men repent of their ritualistic religion and return to true worship … surrendering to God with a broken and contrite spirit.
TOPIC: Fear (of God), Trust (in God)
TITLE: HOW TO DEAL WITH ENEMIES!
FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What should we do when others speak badly of us?I. Do Not Speak Well of Their Behavior [vv. 1-5]
II. Do Understand the Difference Between the Righteous and the Wicked [vv. 6-8]
III. Do Tell God You Will Look [v. 9]A. Behind and Praise Him
B. Forward and Wait on Him
TOPIC: Tribulation
TITLE: HOPE & TRUST IN GODFOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: Without tribulations in life and attacks from enemies, what kinds of victories would we have in life and would we still feel a need for a Savior?I. FAITH IN A COMING SAVIOR [Vv. 1-5]1. David seeking grace.II. FAITH IN A COMING JUSTICE [Vv. 6-11]2. An earnest plea "to God the Most High" (Elohim elyon ... a powerful and exalted name of God. The literal translation is "to God who performs for me").3. The coming Messiah.
4. Words are powerful weapons.
5. Praise to God most high; repeated in verse 11.6. The trapper becomes the quarry.
7. A profession of faith in song.
8. A noisy profession.
9. And publicly.
10. God's attributes.
11. Praise to God most high; verse five repeated.Scroggie said - " his fear of the one is more than counteracted by his faith in the Other." [p.42]
A Psalm of prayer by David. I think it's marvelous the way David put his prayers to music.
TOPIC: Prayer
TITLE: CONFIDENCE IN GOD TRUMPS COMPLAINTS ABOUT OTHERS
FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: How should we deal with the tribulations of life?I. MAKE CLEAR YOUR COMPLAINT [1-6]A. David Describes Sinners Generally [1, 2]B. David Describes Sinners Specifically1. The king wants to heard by the King of kings, he wants his complaint to have be considered. His request? He asks God to "preserve" his life from "the dread of" not from a dreaded enemy.2. As we've seen David's life is constantly pestered by "evildoers" and "those who do iniquity." It's not that he wants God to stop their "secret counsel" but rather that he wants their fruit ("the tumult") to fall of him. In other words, his complaint is that it takes up too much of his time.3. Tongue, bitter speech: "like a sword," like an "arrow." What imagery.
4. The don't fear God and the strike the blameless "from" a hidden place and by surprise ("suddenly").
5. They conspire to do their evil; they hide traps in the innocents' path.
6. Their hearts are wicked and they devise "a well-conceived plot."II. MAKE FIRM YOUR CONFIDENCE [7-10]A. God is the Source of Confidence: Trust Him [7, 8]7. But God has arrows of His own, and a blade too! And He can strike "suddenly" as well.
8. I think this should say "So He will make them stumble." Their sword, their tongue will strike them ... people will be amazed. Scroggie: "So they shall make their own tongue to fall upon themselves."B. God is the Source of Justice: Fear Him [9,10]9. Because David has confidence that God is just and Protector of the innocent. Men will fear ... "all" of them. Men will proclaim God's great deeds in protecting the "blameless" and men will study them.
10. By faith "the righteous" and "the upright" live "in the LORD." AMEN.It is a better thing to be slandered than to be one who slanders; it is a better thing to be an evil sufferer than to be an evildoer.
TOPIC: Worship
TITLE: O COME! LET US CELEBRATE!*
FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: How should we come to worship?I. O Come! We Come In Joy! [1-5]
II. O Come! We Come In Reverence! [6-7c]
III. O Come! We Come In Faith! [7d]
IV. O Come! And So Let Us Come! [John 4:23, 24][By Dr. Ronald Barcley Allen, Western Conservative Seminary (Portland, OR) 1981]
Psalm 126 (Cf. Matthew 5:1-12)
TOPIC: Encouragement, Evangelism, Prophetic Promise
TITLE: MOUTHS FILLED WITH LAUGHTER
FOUNDATIONAL INQUIRY: What is the conclusion of the captives’ song? [2]I. They Will Be Sowing In Tears! [5a]
II. They Will Be Reaping In Joy! [5b]
III. They Will Be Bringing In Sheaves! [6]
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