Explore the Bible Lesson Preview July 30, 2017 His Faithfulness Background and Lesson: Psalm 146 Motivation: God is faithful forever! While our faithfulness to Him ebbs and flows, His faithfulness to us never wavers. For this, we thank Him, praise Him and serve Him. Our righteous acts stem from His righteousness in us. I. The Declaration Hallelujah! My soul, praise the Lord. I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing to my God as long as I live. (1-2) J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible, Vol. 2 p. 883) Psalms puts the emphasis upon two things: the fact that He is the Creator, and the fact that He is the Redeemer. God made this earth on which we live, as well as the universe. This lovely sunshine that you are enjoying is His. He is the Creator. There is not a thing at your fingertips today that He did not make. He is worthy of our worship because He is the Creator. He is also worthy of our worship because He is the Redeemer. He is the only Creator, and the only Redeemer. You see, God works in a field where He has no competition at all. He has a monopoly on the field of creation and on the field of redemption. Because of this, He claims from all of His creatures their worship, their adoration, and their praise He alone is to have our adoration; He alone is to have our praise. You will recall that John, on the Isle of Patmos, felt constrained to fall down and worship the angel who had been so helpful in bringing all of the visions before him, but the angel rebuked him and said, See thou do it not worship God (Rev. 22:9). He does not want even His angels worshiped; He does not want Mary worshiped; He wants none worshiped but Himself. He alone is worthy 1 / 8
of worship. And Scriptures say there is coming a day when everything that has breath will praise the Lord. He has created everything that it might praise Him. (Col. 1:17; Isa 46:9-10; Rev. 5:12) II. The Warning Do not trust in nobles, in man, who cannot save. 4 When his breath leaves him, he returns to the ground; on that day his plans die. (3-4) As important and powerful as earthly rulers may appear, they are temporal while God is eternal. HCSB: p. 1017 : 146:3 Nobles were the best of men generous, giving freely (the willing in Ex 35:5, 22). Such a person would help immensely in this life but could not bestow eternal life (Ps 118:9; cp. ruler in Pr 19:6). III. The Worthy One Happy is the one whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, 6 the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea and everything in them. He remains faithful forever, 7 executing justice for the exploited and giving food to the hungry. The Lord frees prisoners. 8 The Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord raises up those who are oppressed. The Lord loves the righteous. 9 The Lord protects foreigners and helps the fatherless and the widow, but He frustrates the ways of the wicked. (5-9) A. Happy-Google reports that a phrase that increasingly is entered into its search engine is How to be happy. True happiness must result from an eternal relationship with our Creator. B. Help- God is more than our helper, He is our provider, sustainer and source of every good gift (James 1:17) 2 / 8
C. Hope- Notice that hope is a noun not a verb. We have a hope in Him so we don t have to hope that everything will turn our OK. D. Heaven- God s creative power once again is given as a reason to praise Him. J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible volume 2, p. 884 God created the universe that it might glorify Him. It was not brought into existence for you and me. In the ages past how far back we do not know Job said: When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy (Job 38:7). They were praising God. And the psalmist said: For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the Lord made the heavens (Ps. 96:5). He made the heavens that they might be a musical instrument to sing forth His praises throughout the eternal ages of the future. Although man was created for that high purpose, he got out of harmony, he got out of tune with God. He got out of fellowship with God. Perhaps Shakespeare expressed it when he gave to one of his characters in The Merchant of Venice these lines: There s not the smallest orb which thou behold st But in his motion like an angel sings, Still quiring to the young-eyed cherubims; Such harmony is in immortal souls; But whilst this muddy vesture of decay Doth grossly close it in, we cannot hear it. (Act V, Scene 1) 3 / 8
E. Holy He remains faithful forever God is the thrice Holy God (Isaiah 6:3, Revelation 4:8) F. Heart As we worship God, we should have a heart for those things front and center in His heart. HCSB: p.1017: 146:7-9 The psalmist emphasized God s faithful provision and His role as deliverer (68:6; 82:3-4; Is 42:7). He defends the cause of Israel s most vulnerable citizens. This practice is based in cultic law that was established early in Israel s history (Ex 22:21-22; Dt 24:17). 1. Justice for the exploited - Unfortunately, Houston is regarded as a primary center for human trafficking. HFBC is active in defending victims of exploitation. 2. Food to the hungry - Our Food Pantry was recognized in a recent year as the most effective in the Houston area, a tribute to our many volunteers and to the leadership of Scotty Sanders. 3. Frees prisoners -Our church supports many efforts to minister to prisoners, such as CHARM ministries and Prison EE. 4. Opens the eyes of the blind - Jesus listed this as one of the signs of the Messiah (Luke 4:18). As we share the gospel, we re joining His work in opening the eyes of the spiritually blind. (2 Corinthians 4:4) 5. Raises up those who are oppressed - People throughout our city are oppressed in many ways physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Various ministries including the Counseling Center, Thru the Roof and the Fitness and Recreation Center seek to relieve oppression. 4 / 8
6. Loves the righteous - Our only righteousness is His imputed righteousness. However, God loves to see the fruit through our actions. 7. Protects foreigners - Pastor Gregg has stated that we don t set immigration policy but we minister to foreigners who come to our city, As the most ethnically diverse city in the US, Houston offers major opportunities to minister through programs like English as a Second Language, the Houston Project, and many children s ministries. We ve also agreed to a six month partnership with the Christian non-profit Houston Welcomes Refugees. 8. Helps the fatherless and widow - HFBC has developed major efforts to assist widows such as Men Serve, Chapter 2, and the Deacons Ministry. In addition, through the 685 Legacy Ministry, we ve assisted in over 150 adoptions from 20 different countries. 9. Frustrates the ways of the wicked - While God loves the righteous, He frustrates the ways of the wicked. While there may be pleasures in sin for a season (Hebrews 11:25) the end result is death. (Romans 6:23) IV. The Reality The Lord reigns forever; Zion, your God reigns for all generations. Hallelujah! (10) We often have difficulty focusing on worship. The early church leader Chrysostom said The angels glorify; men scrutinize; Angels raise their voices in praise; men in disputation; They conceal their faces with their wings; but man with a presumptuous gaze would look into thine unspeakable glory. The Israelites found it helpful in worship to focus on His mighty acts, i.e. the deliverance at the Red Sea, the giving of the Law, the defeat of Israel s enemies. Perhaps it would be helpful to us to focus on what God has done (quotations from NIV) God brings us together Accept one another, then, just as Christ has accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. (Romans 15:7) 5 / 8
God brings comfort and compassion Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort. (2 Cor. 1:3) God changes lives Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. (2 Cor. 9:13) God provides blessings Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us in the heavenly realm with every spiritual blessing in Christ. (Eph. 1:3) God gives grace to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the One He Loves. (Eph. 1:6) God redeemed us And you also were included in Christ when you heard the Word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God s possession to the praise of His glory. (Eph. 1:13-14) God gives righteousness filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God. (Phil. 1:11) God raised Jesus and provides new birth Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. (I Pet. 1:3) 6 / 8
Application: 1. God s faithfulness demands our praise and service. 2. His heart should be reflected in our ministry. 3. God is eternal while everything else that seems so important is temporal. Leader Pack item 8 Poster: God in the Psalms No Illustrator Article Notes: **You may now access David s Lesson Preview in MP3 format at: www.hfbcbiblestud y.org ; also, the Highpoint Bible Study (Downtown) is available on MP3 at the HFBC site under the Highpoint link/downloads. Dates: 7/21-27 RUSHWEEK 2017; 7/23 - SPF Birthday Bash; 8/2 RUSH Celebration; 8/2 0 Back to School Sunday; 8/23 Midlink/Milestones Preview Night; 8/27 SPF Birthday Bash; 8/30 11/15 Midlink on Wednesdays; 9/4 Labor Day Church offices closed; 9/8 - Marriage Matters; 9/8-10 SPF Family Camp; 7 / 8
9/10 MIYCO; 9/10 Dr. Jeremiah Johnston @ Loop; 9/10-17 Museum of the Bible Exhibit; 9/16 Men:Serve; 9/17 Dr. Peter Williams @ Loop; 9/24 SPF Birthday Bash; 9/24 LBS Fall Luncheon; 10/14 Summit Hoedown; 10/15 First Camp Preschool. 10/20-21 Men s Retreat; 10/22 - Parent Commitment. 8 / 8