Psalms (Program #27) – The Suffering Christ and the Reigning Christ

The Psalms are wonderful portion of God’s word.  They are treasured by countless lovers of God and His Holy Word.  In this collection of poetry, praises and hymns is found a wide range of expressions.   We might turn to our favorite Psalms during times of trial or suffering and seek comforting words.  And surely many of the Psalms do convey such comfort and solace.  But at their height or peak are those Psalms that clearly and definitely reveal Christ in much detail and richness.  For those Psalms preceded the incarnation of the God-Man Jesus by many centuries.  The eternal Son is clearly found in the Psalms, if we know where to look and how to recognize it.

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Psalms (Program #26) –  Christ as the Center of God’s Move on the Earth

Did you know that the book of Psalms actually contains 150 different Psalms in all?  So many poetic and prophetic utterances.  Of course, as we have seen, some of these Psalms have a very high and profound content expressing the divine thought revealing Christ in brilliant detail.  Others are not so high.  In fact some are very low in the thought that they convey.  Bit by bit as we read and study this book, we can learn to cultivate a taste for the high peaks contain in the Psalms.  Perhaps the highest peak of all in the divine revelation of Christ in the book of Psalms is found in Psalms 68.  This oft quoted Psalm actually begins with a quotation of its own.  David the Psalmist quotes Moses from Numbers chapter 10 “as he sets out with the completed tabernacle to lead the children of Israel away from Sinai and ultimately into the good land of Canaan with the ultimate destination being Zion in the midst of Jerusalem and the cloud of Jehovah was over them by day when they set out from the camp”,  Moses writes in Numbers 10.  “And when the Ark set out, Moses said, Rise up, O Jehovah, and let Your enemies be scattered; And let those who hate You flee before You.”

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Psalms (Program #25) – The Pious Expressions of the Psalmists Uttered Out of Their Complex Sentiments While Enjoying God in His House

It’s always remarkable isn’t it, how an expert gemologist is able to exam what may to the untrained eyes appear to be just an ordinary stone or rock.  But to his trained eye, is the realization that he is holding something of great value.  The ability to distinguish the rare gem from the ordinary is primary a matter of training and experience.  Knowing what to look for is the key and having a master to point the way is indispensable.   In many ways, this our life study of the Psalms.  150 poems, psalms and praises many of which are full of gems.  Many others are full of ordinary and more common expressions.  But the question is, can you tell the difference?  How we thank the Lord for those experienced masters that have gone before and who have left us with so much help to learn how to spot the gems.

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Psalms (Program #24) – Three Categories of Persons Regarding the Enjoyment of God in Christ

To study the Psalms it’s helpful to know their arrangement, many of the Psalms are grouped for us in order to help our understanding.  Psalms 49, 50 and 51 form such a group and show us three categories of persons in their experience and enjoyment of God.  Those depicted in Psalms 49 actually do not have God as their enjoyment but rather are those who put their trust in riches, in their wealth.  Such one missed the real experience and enjoyment of God.  Psalms 50 show us ones who call on the Lord according to His covenant.  This is to call on the Lord Jesus Christ as our mediator between us and God and surely result in deep enjoyment.  Finally Psalms 51 shows us a person in the full realization of his sin.  Repenting, confessing even begging God’s cleansing, forgiveness and washing.  This Psalms give us a real pattern of genuine repentance and will lead us into a richer and deeper experience and enjoyment of God.

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Psalms (Program #23) – The Psalmist’s Intensified Enjoyment of God in His House and City Through the Suffering, Exalted, and Reigning Christ (4)

Psalms 48:1-2 says ” Great is Jehovah, And much to be praised In the city of our God, In His holy mountain. Beautiful in elevation, The joy of the whole earth, Is Mount Zion, the sides of the north, The city of the great King.”

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Psalms (Program #22) – The Psalmist’s Intensified Enjoyment of God in His House and City Through the Suffering, Exalted, and Reigning Christ (3)

The Bible contains many symbols and types.  We regard these symbols and types as pictures or photographs.  The reason for the photographs in the Bible is that Bible unveils many heavenly spiritual things and the photographs help us understand these invisible and mysterious things.  Today’s life study from Psalms 45 is a glorious picture that you will want to stay with us for.  It’s very special today.

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Psalms (Program #21) – The Psalmist’s Intensified Enjoyment of God in His House and City Through the Suffering, Exalted, and Reigning Christ (2)

Psalms 45 is a marvelous Psalms and it starts with verse 1 saying “My heart overflows with a good matter. I speak what I have composed concerning the King. My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.” Today in our life study of Psalms we come to the highest and greatest of all the Psalms; Psalm 45. Stay with us for the next half hour as we turn our attention to the fairest among ten thousands.

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Psalms (Program #20) – The Psalmist’s Intensified Enjoyment of God in His House and City Through the Suffering, Exalted, and Reigning Christ (1)

The Old Testament book of Psalms includes 150 individual Psalm. Well, majority of these were written by David, others contributed to this wonderful portion of the Scripture.  Bible scholars throughout the centuries have realized that by virtue of how the Psalms are arranged, they are broken into five distinctive groups or books.  Book one of the Psalms for example include Psalms 1 through Psalms 41.   The second book begin with Psalms 42.  But what is critical to realize in this divine arrangement is that each successive book takes us to a higher spiritual plain than the previous one.  So that at the end of Psalms we are brought to the highest peak in the experience and enjoyment of God.

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Psalms (Program #19) – The Mixed Expressions of the Psalmist’s Sentiment in His Enjoyment of God in God’s House (6)

The Psalms are beloved by Bible readers universally. In part, maybe because for the mot part, the Psalms seems easy to understand and identify with. For example, when David or the other Psalmists were suffering, they would cry out to God for comfort, deliverance and help. We can readily identified with these. But actually some of the Psalms are mysterious to the uttermost. Consider Psalm 40, in this Psalm, on of the highest prophecy concerning the coming Christ, David appears to say to Jehovah “You do not delight in sacrifice in offering. You do not require burnt offering and sin offering.” Well, the question that must be asked is “how must the Old Testament scholars have understood such a verse?” or even more importantly how do we, as God’s New Testament believers understand such a verse?

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Psalms (Program #18) – The Mixed Expressions of the Psalmist’s Sentiment in His Enjoyment of God in God’s House (4 & 5)

The Bible is The Book.  It is one book yet it is made up of 66 books.  All of God’s people love this book and yet to one person it may be a book of laws, to another a book of ethics and morality, to others it is just a book of stories and metaphors.  Actually, the kind of book it is to us depends mainly on what kind of person we are as we read it.  May we be those who have come to the end of keeping the law, the end of human ethics and story-telling.  May we be those who had been brought to the end of ourselves and have discovered that we truly have been crucified with Christ and that it is no longer I that live but Christ who lives in me.

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