Union Church

Psalm 37:1-7 - Don’t Worry, Be Happy

Listen in as Bill Berve continues our series through the Psalms.

Notes//Quotes:

Psalm 37:1-7 - Larry and Jorgen

Do not fret because of evildoers,
Nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.
2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass,
And wither as the green herb. Psalm 37:1-2 

"When you're looking to the left or the right to see how you measure up to other people whether good or bad--you have an inability to see what God is doing for you. In the case of both envy and self-righteousness, the answer is found in looking to God-being thankful for what He has given you (including the opportunity for eternal life) and using Him as the standard for righteousness, which can only produce humility since we fall so woefully short." (excerpt from Comparison & Envy study)

Psalm 37:3-7 Trust in the Lord, and do good;
Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.
4 Delight yourself also in the Lord,
And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
5 Commit[a] your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him,
And He shall bring it to pass.
6 He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light,
And your justice as the noonday.
7 Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him;

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you , says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” Jer:  29:11 

“Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin. And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will.  Do not fear therefore you are of more value than many sparrow.” Matt; 10:29 

Psalm 37:4 says, "Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart." Taking delight in the Lord means that our hearts truly find peace and fulfillment in Him. If we truly find satisfaction and worth in Christ, Scripture says He will give us the longings of our hearts. Does that mean, if we go to church every Sunday, God will give us a new Rolls Royce? No. The idea behind this verse and others like it is that, when we truly rejoice or "delight" in the eternal things of God, our desires will begin to parallel His and we will never go unfulfilled. Matthew 6:33 says, "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things [the necessities of life] will be given to you as well.”   F.B. Meyer

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. 
Philippians 4:6-8

Psalm 67:1-7 - Let the Nations Be Glad

Listen along as we continue our series through the Psalms.

Notes//Quotes:

Psalm 67:1-7 - Kim

 

 

Slide 1

 

Big Idea

When it comes to God’s plan, 

it’s about us, but it’s about much MORE than us!

 

Slide 2

 

“‘The Lord bless you

    and keep you;

the Lord make his face to shine upon you

    and be gracious to you;

the Lord lift up his countenance upon you

    and give you peace.”

Number 6:24-26

 

Slide 3

… that your way may be known on earth,

    your saving power among all nations.

Let the peoples praise you, O God;

    let all the peoples praise you.

Let the nations be glad and sing for joy,

    for you judge the peoples with equity

    and guide the nations upon earth.

Let the peoples praise you, O God;

    let all the peoples praise you.

Palm 67:2-5

 

Slide 4

“The psalmist had a beautiful scope in mind: not just Jerusalem, not just Judea, not just all of Israel, not just all the Middle East, not just all the Mediterranean world, not just his continent or hemisphere, but all the earth. God wants us to have the same heart and the same vision – for all the earth.”

David Guzik

 

Slide 5

“These words are no vain repetition, but are a chorus worthy to be sung again and again. The great theme of the Psalm is the participation of the gentiles in the worship of Jehovah; the Psalmist is full of it, he hardly knows how to contain his joy.”

Charles Spurgeon

 

 

Slide 6

“The goal of missions is the gladness of the peoples in the greatness of God … All of history is moving toward one great goal, the white-hot worship of God and His son among all the people of the earth.”

John Piper

 

Slide 7

What is OUR part in the fulfillment of Psalm 67?

 

Slide 8

 

(This is a photograph of the Union Philippines team - see attached JPEG

 

Slide 9

What is YOUR part in the fulfillment of Psalm 67?

 

 

Slide 10

 

(This is a photo of a painting - see attached JPEG) 

 

Slide 11

“This painting is not literal. It’s symbolic. It’s not about the Last Supper. It’s about the NEXT supper. The one where all the tribes of the earth will be invited.”

 

Hyatt Moore

 

 

Psalm 35:1-10 - Asking God Crazy Things

Listen along as we do an overview of the imprecatory Psalms.

Notes//Quotes:

Psalm 35:1-10 

NGRAM Picture (attached)

Psalm 69:22-25 
Psalm 58:6-9
Psalm 137:8-9

“In the ancient Near East in general, life was dominated by the need to cope with the terrifying threat of curses and omens” New Dictionary of Biblical Theology

The Psalms explore the full gamut of human experience from rage to hope. Indeed, it would be very strange if such a robust spirituality lacked such a dimension of vengeance, for we would conclude that just at the crucial point, robustness had turned to cowardice and propriety” Walter Brueggemann, Praying the Psalms

“Imprecations are appeals to the Judge of the earth to play the part of Judge” Peter Leithart

We must not either try to explain them away or to yield for one moment to the idea that, because it comes in the Bible, all this vindictive hatred must somehow be good and pious. We must face both facts squarely. The hatred is there – festering, gloating, undisguised – and also we should be wicked if we in any way condoned or approved it. These prayers of the psalmists "are indeed devilish”- CS Lewis

1 Sam 24:12-15

“The New Testament appears not in the least embarrassed with the Old Testament imprecations; on the contrary, it quotes freely from them as authoritative statements with which to support an argument. The New Testament not only quotes passages which, though themselves not imprecations, are found in a Psalm with an imprecatory section; but also, and this is more remarkable, it quotes with approval the imprecations themselves” Harry Mennega

“To pray “Thy kingdom come” is to invoke divine judgment on all other kingdoms and all those who oppose the reign of God. "When we pray as Jesus taught us, we cry out to God for His blessings upon His church and for His curses upon the kingdom of the evil one" James Adams, War Psalms of the Prince of Peace

When you approach God in prayer, don’t think of a majestic, almighty old man in the clouds. Picture a man with scars of suffering, eyes that have wept, ears that have heard hate, a mouth that’s hungered, a heart that’s bled. There is no more sympathetic listener than Christ. - Chad Bird

Psalm 51:1-19 - The Gift of Repentance

Listen along as we continue our series in the Psalms.

Notes//Quotes:

Psalm 51:1-19 - Faith

Title: The Gift Of Repentance 

 

“Repentance is a grace of God’s Spirit whereby a sinner is inwardly humbled and visibly reformed.”

- Thomas Watson

 

“Making a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. Admitting to God, to ourselves, and to another human beings the exact nature of our wrongs. Being entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. And humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.”

- Alcoholics Anonymous 

 

“As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die, and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.” - 2 Sam. 12:5&6

 

 “Better is open rebuke than hidden love. Faithful are the wounds of a friend; profuse are the kisses of an enemy.” - Proverbs 27:5-6

 

 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?” 

- Jeremiah 17:9

 

“21 For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22 coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. 23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

- Mark 7:21-23

 

“…sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned…”

- Romans 5:12

 

“The appalling misery of the human race can only be explained as a punishment upon sin. How can God, who certainly is good and just, subject all humans from their conception on to sin and death if they are completely innocent? An original moral debt must rest upon all; there is no other way to understand the crushing yoke that weighs upon all the children of Adam.” 

- Herman Bavnik

 

“17 For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness  leads to justification and life for all men. 

- Romans 5:17&18

 

 “A broken heart cannot keep secrets. Now is all revealed, now its essence goes forth. Far too much of our praying, and of our worship, is like closed up boxes; you cannot tell what is in them. But it is not so with broken hearts; when broken hearts sing, they do sing. When broken hearts groan, they do groan. Broken hearts never play at repenting, nor play at believing…with broken hearts, the hymn is a real hymn, the prayer is a real prayer, the hearing of sermons is earnest work, and the preaching of them is the hardest work of all. Oh, what a mercy it would be if some of you were broken all to pieces! There are many flowers that will never yield their perfume till they are bruised.” —Charles Spurgeon

 

Question:

Am I being willfully blind? 

 

Quote:

“O dear children of God, scorn your sins, lament your sins, weep over your sins! Indulge that feeling, and God will accept it when it is mixed with faith in his dear Son; for “the sacrifices of God”-that is, all sorts of sacrifices put together, sin-offerings, burnt offerings, peace-offerings, scape-goats, and all together-” the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit.” One broken spirit is worth them all. “A broken and a contrite heart,”-though there be but one such,-“O God, thou wilt not despise.”  —Charles Spurgeon 

 

Prayer:

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart!
 Try me and know my thoughts!

24 

And see if there be any grievous way in me,
 and lead me in the way everlasting!

—Psalm 139:23&24

 

Psalm 142: How God Shows Up

Listen along as we continue to learn prayer from the Psalms.

Notes//Quotes:

Psalm 142:1-7

1 Sam 22:1

Abraham debated.
Moses protested.
Jeremiah worried.
And Elijah basically whined.

But Jonah? Jonah ran.

It's a reminder that arguing with God is not an obstacle to intimacy with God,
but a primary channel into it. - Sharen Hodde Miller

A portrait of the righteous in the Psalms tells the true story: they find their refuge in God and, as a result, receive a righteousness from him that increasingly characterizes their lives. They also anticipate the coming of the Righteous One, in whose mouth the psalmists’ words find their ultimate fulfillment. Christopher Ash

1 Sam 22:2-3

“Not only that, but all who were down on their luck came around—losers and vagrants and misfits of all sorts. David became their leader. There were about four hundred in all.” - Eugene Peterson  

2 Cor 4:6-12, 2 Cor 4:16-18

Psalm 19: How to Know God

Listen along as we continue our series through the Psalms.

Notes//Quotes:

Psalm 19:1-14 - Mike G

Earth’s Moon is about 1/ 400th the diameter of the Sun, but it is also 1/ 400th as far from us, making the Sun and the Moon the same size on the sky—a coincidence not shared by any other planet–moon combination in the solar system, allowing for uniquely photogenic total solar eclipses. - Neil DeGrasse Tyson

Romans 1:20

Romans 8:20-22

We know Him by two means: First, by the creation, preservation, and government of the universe; which is before our eyes as a most elegant book, wherein all creatures, great and small, are as so many characters leading us to see clearly the invisible things of God, even his everlasting power and divinity, as the apostle Paul says in Romans 1:20. All which things are sufficient to convince men and leave them without excuse. Secondly, He makes Himself more clearly and fully known to us by His holy and divine Word; that is to say, as far as is necessary for us to know in this life, to His glory and our salvation.
Belgic Confession of Faith (1561)

Forgetting the awesome and glorious One who made it all and holds it all together by the sheer power of his magnificent will, will always insert me into the center. This means that no story will be more important to me than my story. I will ask no bigger question than the question of how I am doing. I will have no bigger concern than my satisfaction and comfort. I will ask life to serve me, to submit to my interests, and to deliver whatever I demand. This viewpoint will guarantee me a life of huge disappointment. And not only that, it is also an insane way to live. I am not the center of all things. The world will not do my sovereign bidding. God will not offer his awesome throne to me. Awe of self, worship of self, underlies every form of self-destructive living. Paul Tripp

Hebrews 1:1-4 

Colossians 1:15-20

Psalm 6: Surviving Suffering

Listen along as Anthony walks us through Psalm 6.

Notes//Quotes:

Psalm 6:1-10 - Chris Fisher Reading

Title: Surviving Suffering

“Waiting is hard. ‘How long O Lord’ is the cry of someone who has walked with more pain and sickness than they thought they could ever bear.”
- Timothy Keller

 “The most precious use of the word hesed in the Old Testament is used as a description of what God does. Having entered a covenant relationship with His people, God bound Himself to act toward them in certain ways, and He is utterly faithful to His self-commitment…Psalm 136 explores what the Lord’s hesed means in its broadest possible terms, for each line concludes with the words: “his hesed endures forever.” Because of the Lord’s hesed, He created the universe, and He rules it daily through His providence (Ps. 136:5–9, 25)…In Psalm 23:6, the psalmist declares that the Lord’s goodness and hesed will pursue him all the days of his life. The word pursue normally describes the action of pillaging armies and covenant curse, but the psalmist is convinced that instead of the covenant curse he deserves, the Lord’s faithful love and goodness will hunt him down relentlessly instead.” 
- Ian Duguid

“Surely he has borne our griefs
    and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
 smitten by God, and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our transgressions;
    he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
    and with his wounds we are healed.” 
(Isaiah 53:4&5)

Psalm 1: Learning Prayer

Listen along as we begin a new sermon series in the Psalms.

Notes//Quotes:

Psalm 1:1-6 - Kim J

Book 1 - 1-41 - Distress//Confidence 
Book 2 - 42-72 - Lament//Hope 
Book 3 - 73-89 - Darkest of all (88) 
Book 4 - 90-106 - Doubts in Light of the Lord’s reign 
Book 5 - 107-150 - Declaration//Ascent//Ps119 - 176verses

“Psalms are companions - They are the closest friends, wisest advisors, and faithful discerners. They understand your heart and provide words when we don’t have any.” Anthony Garcia

“The term refers to a wide range of behaviors and thoughts, but, at root, it is when somebody presents, or imagines, themself as the lead in a sort of fictional version of their life (usually their own, although sometimes, disturbingly, somebody else’s), and presents that "life" through social media.” - Psychology Today
“Most people are like a shaving of wood which is curled round its central emptiness” - Theophan the Recluse
“The introduction to the Psalter is anything but an invitation to pedantry, legalism, or self-righteousness, on the contrary, it is an invitation to be open to God’s instruction and to the reality of God’s reign in the world.” - Clinton McCann

“I have been induced to embrace the opinion of some among the ancient interpreters (Augustine, Jerome, etc.), who conceive that the first Psalm is intended to be descriptive of the character and reward of the JUST ONE, i.e. the Lord Jesus.” John Fry, 1842

John 15:1-17.

“We want something from Him, not Him at all. Is that a relationship? Do we behave in that way with our friends? Do we aim at what friendship can give us or is it the friend whom we love? Is this true with regard to the Lord?” - Anthony Bloom, Beginning to Pray

Galatians 6:11-18 - True Rest

Listen along as we have family worship and wrap up our series through Galatians.

Notes//Quotes:

Galatians 6:11-18

Bear Video (attached)

Monkey video (attached)

“He who cannot rest, cannot work; he who cannot let go, cannot hold on; he who cannot find footing, cannot go forward.”
Harry Emerson Fosdick 

All that matters is that, through Christ crucified, we are made a “new creation” (v 15). The gospel changes my future, giving me a place in Christ’s perfected re-creation. And the gospel changes my present, giving me a whole new self-image and whole new way of relating to everyone - Tim Keller

“Discipleship is the process of becoming who Jesus would be if he were you.” - Dallas Willard 

1. Grace! 'Tis a charming sound,
        Harmonious to the ear;
        Heaven with the echo shall resound,
        And all the earth shall hear.

        2. Grace first contrived the way
        To save rebellious man,
        And all the steps that grace display
        Which drew the wondrous plan.

        3. Grace first inscribed my name
        In God's eternal book;
        'Twas grace that gave me to the Lamb,
        Who all my sorrows took.

        4. Grace led my wandering feet
        To tread the heavenly road;
        And new supplies each hour I meet
        While pressing on to God.

        5. Grace taught my soul to pray
        And made mine eyes o'erflow;
        'Twas grace that kept me to this day
        And will not let me go.

        6. Grace all the work shall crown
        Through everlasting days;
        It lays in heaven the topmost stone
        And well deserves the praise.

 

Galatians 6:1-10 - Life Together and the Long View

Listen along as we near the end of Galatians.

Notes//Quotes:

Galatians 6:1-10

“The person who loves their dream of community will destroy community, but the person who loves those around them will create community.” - Dietrich Bonhoeffer 

“Jesus was a revolutionary, who did not become an extremist, since he did not offer an ideology, but Himself." - Henri Nouwen

1 Cor 10:12

“There is one burden that we cannot share … and that is our responsibility to God on the day of judgment. On that day you cannot carry my pack and I cannot carry yours.”
John Stott, The Message of Galatians

“Jesus offers himself as God's doorway into the life that is truly life. Confidence in him leads us today, as in other times, to become his apprentices in eternal living. "Those who come through me will be safe," he said. "They will go in and out and find all they need. I have come into their world that they may have life, and life to the limit.” - Dallas Willard