PSALM 10
AUTHOR: David
The Story Behind the Psalm
The tenth Psalm is a continuation of the ninth Psalm. Some have suggested they should be combined into one, but that is not important. It does, however, deal with the same subject and was written perhaps at the same time under the same circumstances.
The Way It Was Used by God's People
This also was a Psalm used in times of bereavement. Through the years when I have been bereaved, I have taken refuge in Psalms 9 and 10. On December 13, 1950, at 3:00 in the afternoon on Mother's Day, I stood at the casket of my father. My heart was broken for many reasons, when suddenly I felt a hand on my arm. It was holding me tightly. I thought perhaps some friend had grasped my arm in an effort to comfort me and give me strength. I turned to see who the friend was and could see no one. Then suddenly it dawned upon me that the Friend of friends had touched me with His hand. I could feel it not only in my heart, but I could feel it on my arm.
A mother had been taken from a home. After the funeral service the grief-stricken father and son returned for their first night at home without their wife and mother. During the night the little boy began to whimper. His dad asked him if he could help, whereupon the little boy replied through the darkness, "Daddy, is your face turned toward me?"
The father reached his big hand out and held the son's and said, "Yes, son, my face is turned toward
You." When we are bereaved we may look to our Heavenly Father and ask, "Father, is Your face turned toward me?" The answer is always in the affirmative. His face IS truly turned toward us, especially in hours of bereavement.
Thankful for the Fulfillment of the Law Tuesday, November 17, 2009 by Dr. Paul Chappell "Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD. Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways. Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently. O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes! Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments. I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments. I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly." Psalm 119:1-8Christ freed us from the law, not so we could live without it, but so we could voluntarily live by it. Living in an imperfect world is evidenced by the lawlessness of many people around us. But perhaps a more unusual example of ridiculous imperfection would be some of the laws different cities have enacted over the history of our nation. Consider the following laws and former laws as an example: In Los Angeles, it is illegal to bathe two babies in the same bathtub. In Carmel, NY, it is illegal to walk outside with pants and a jacket that do not match. In Lexington, KY, an ordinance states that it is illegal for someone to walk around with an ice cream cone in his pocket. In Kansas, an old law prohibits the consumption of snakes on Sunday. In Hartford, CT, it is illegal for someone to cross the street while walking on their hands. In Baltimore, MD, it is illegal for someone to take a lion to the movies. In New Jersey, a person can be arrested for slurping soup in a public restaurant. In Oklahoma, it is illegal for someone to take a bite of another person's hamburger. In Lynn, MA, it is illegal to give coffee to a baby. In Lehigh, NE, it is illegal for donut holes to be sold. While many of these laws seem ludicrous, there was probably a reason behind each of them. These laws might not mean much to us, but God's laws should be known to all of us. As early as Moses' time, God gave a set of laws He desired for His people to follow. These laws are the guidelines by which the Israelites, and us today, should abide. When looking at the Ten Commandments, it can be easy to become frustrated. Laws such as not bearing false witness (lying) or not coveting have been broken by us all. But God's laws weren't meant to be kept (it is impossible for us to be perfect); they were meant to point out our need for a Saviour. Christ's death on the Cross fulfilled the law. Israel no longer needed to offer sacrifices for their sin; the ultimate Sacrifice had been offered, and the debt had been paid. Praise God that Christ fulfilled the law for us! We are justified through His blood and made perfect before God. Does this mean we should neglect the law and its commands? Not at all. As our verses show today, living by God's law brings blessing. Living a righteous life is not necessary for salvation, but something done out of love for God. Thank God today that obeying the law does not save you. Thank Him that He fulfilled the law, a list of commands none of us could keep. Christ's death on the Cross has saved and justified us before the Heavenly Father. While salvation is not a result of living by the law, remember that God still desires for you to live righteously. Make sure your actions today would please God, not because they will merit you salvation, but because of your thankfulness for the sacrifice Christ made on Calvary.
Tuesday, November 17 The Key to Fruitfulness “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.” -- John 15:16It is clearly God’s purpose for every Christian to bring forth fruit, and to have that fruit remain. But what is the key to producing fruit, the key to fruitfulness? Dr. Paul Chappell writes how many years ago Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote a little booklet entitled “How to Live in Christ.” In this book, she wrote the following: “How does the branch bear fruit? Not by incessant effort for sunshine and air; not by vain struggles—it simply abides in the vine, in silent and undisturbed union, and blossoms and fruit appear as of spontaneous growth.” This is known as abiding in Christ! Dwelling in Him, being vitally connected to Him! Letting His power flow into us as we are all the while being conformed to His image, “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” ( Romans 8:29) The key to fruitfulness is abiding in Christ. It is that simple: nothing more, nothing less. When you are His branch connected to the root, which is Christ Himself, it is only natural that you will bear spiritual fruit! Am I being fruitful – truly reaching the potential that God wants for me in the area of fruit-bearing? Am I letting Christ’s power, grace, and mercy flow through me, energizing and empowering me to bear more fruit?
Speak Openly John 18:20“Jesus answered him, I spake openly to the world; I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort; and in secret have I said nothing.” When Jesus was being tried by the religious leaders of His day, one of the questions they asked Him was about His doctrine. Jesus responded to their question in the verse above by reminding them that they heard Him speak. Jesus continued by telling them that when He taught, He spoke “...openly to the world...” Jesus drove the nail in deeper by saying that when He spoke He never spoke in secret. In other words, what Jesus was telling these men was that He never said one thing in public and another in private. Everything that He spoke was the same whether it was in public or private. He wanted them to understand that He said what He meant. This mentality seems to be lacking in our society. When you look at our political leaders, they are always trying to explain away something they said off the cuff or years ago. What happened is they said something that was not politically correct and later on, for the sake of appearing politically correct, they try to change what they said. We need to be careful that we don't become like the politicians who say one thing to one crowd and another thing to another crowd in order to make everyone happy. In order to be like our Saviour, we should learn to speak openly all the time. One of the benefits of speaking openly is you never have to second-guess what you said. If you mean what you say all the time then you never have to remember what you said. If we are going to live this way where we speak openly all the time then we better be careful what we say. Before you jump out and say something, you better think about what you are going to say realizing that later on it could come back to bite you. Remember, everything that we say will eventually be held against us. This is why parents need to be careful what they tell their children. Children keep a mental record of all that we say and will use it against us if we start double speaking. Even followers will do the same to their leaders. People expect us to follow through with what we say. I encourage you to be open when you speak. Don't speak with subliminal messages; speak openly. Know what you believe, and if you are careful when you speak, then you will find yourself not having to explain away what you really said. We normally speak what our heart believes, so if you know what you believe and don't change, then you will have no problem speaking openly. If you speak openly all the time then you will have fewer questions to answer for people will know what you believe.
PSALM 9
AUTHOR: David
The Story Behind the Psalm
In the sixth Psalm we found David penitent and saddened because of the fatal illness of his infant son. Now in Psalm 9 that son has passed away and David is reflecting upon the abbreviated life of the little one and his sin that caused it. Ah, 'tis sad that such tragedy has to come in our lives to make us aware of the importance of our staying in the will of God.
Years ago when I was pastoring in Garland, Texas, a young man came down the aisle in response to the message during the invitation time. He said that God had called him to preach but he could not do it. He could not afford to do it because he had a good job and his wife was opposed to his entering the ministry. He simply could not preach, he said. It wasn't long until a beautiful baby left their home for Heaven. Could I ever forget the day when I stood beside a little casket at the Williams Funeral Home in Garland, Texas! Friends and family had passed by to view the body and then with trembling hands, a broken heart and moistened eyes came the young parents. The father reached down into the casket and lifted the little baby's body into his arms and shouted through tears, "I can preach now! I can preach now! I can preach now!"
The Way It Was Used by God's People
It is not difficult to discern the use of this Psalm by the people of God. It was used in times of bereavement at the loss of a loved one. Has someone very dear to you passed away? Then take refuge under the wings of Psalm 9.
Covered by Sand Monday, November 16, 2009 by Dr. Paul Chappell "And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren. And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand. And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow? And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known." Exodus 2:11-14The consequences of confessing sin immediately are far less than the consequences of hiding sin. Daniel and the Hebrew children had remained faithful, even in the midst of temptation. But what if they hadn't made the right choice? What if they had given into their flesh and followed the world's path? Notice another well-known Bible character today who did give in to his flesh, and made a wrong choice. We have all heard the stories of Moses and the plagues, the miracle at the Red Sea, and the Ten Commandments. But our verses show a story that is often overlooked in Moses' life, a story that shows us the humanity of Moses. Through God's providence, Moses was saved from a slaughter of all the male Jewish children by the pharaoh of Egypt. He was taken to the palace and grew up as the son of the pharaoh's daughter. Living a lavish lifestyle while his fellow Hebrews suffered enslavement must have convicted Moses. He knew he wasn't like the Egyptian royalty, yet he also wasn't like the Hebrews who worked tirelessly for their cruel taskmasters. No doubt Moses spent time thinking of this. One day as he was out walking around the city, he happened upon an Egyptian beating one of his Hebrew countrymen. After looking to see if anyone was watching, the Hebrew prince of Egypt killed the taskmaster and buried him. Thinking his sin was hid, he went on with his life until the next day when two Hebrew men confronted him with his actions. Fearing the consequences of the news reaching the palace, Moses fled into the desert to hide. Moses thought what he was doing was a just thing at the time; I'm sure he thought he was helping the Hebrew slave, yet he found that the sin he thought he had hid by burying the man had come back to haunt him. The Hebrews feared him and the Egyptians hated him. His sin had been found out. Many times we can run into the same situation. Have you ever made a bad decision in private, only to have it be found out? Moses found that no amount of sand could hide his sin. Covering sin or lying about it never makes it go away. Sin has a way of coming back to hurt the sinner when it is hidden. Think of this warning. "But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out" ( Numbers 32:23). It's a tough lesson to learn the hard way, but sin will always be found out. Perhaps you can cover it for a week, a month, or even a year; but sin will come back to hurt you. One of the worst things you can do when you sin is seek to hide it. God knows of your actions, even if no one else knows. The consequences of confessing sin immediately are far less than the consequences of hiding sin. Moses spent the next forty years running from his sin. Don't allow the devil to trick you into thinking sin is less harmful hidden. Only confession and repentance can help put the sin behind you. Do you have any hidden sin in your life? Have you tried covering it? Don't let the fear of immediate consequences keep you from confessing your sin. God wants to forgive you and help you overcome the sin, but you must first admit your sin and confess it before Him.
Do You?
As I read John 11:21-26 below, I consider the statement Martha made to Jesus: “(John 11:21) …Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.”
How many times do we as believers pose this question to Jesus? The inevitable problem is generally, had we been with Jesus, maybe the problem would have never existed. It seems you and I have the problem of not including Jesus in our “real” lives, just our “religious” lives.
However, what was Martha saying? We know Lazarus was a believer. He died to give Jesus a sign that He is what He said He is. The question that Jesus poses is the question in which a lot of folks struggle. “Am I a true believer, am I saved?” The only person on earth that can answer that question is you.
The problem you may have is a lack of knowledge concerning Jesus. God tells in His written Word that if we Believe, salvation and eternal Life with Jesus and His Father is ours in heaven.
(John 3:16) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Here Jesus tells us that regardless of who, or what you are, you can be saved simply by believing. The next obvious question would be, “what am I to believe?” Paul gives us insight to that answer.
(Romans 10:9) That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Paul tells us two things we need to do. The first is that we “shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus,” We need to “confess” in our heart that we are sincere in our belief, then confess Jesus to others. “What are we to confess?” That we believe in our heart (sincerely) that God has raised Jesus from the grave.
(Hebrews 10:22) Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
This is a simple but powerful belief. However, you must state this with a true (sincere) heart with the faith that God is true and not a liar. If you believe as we have discussed, then God’s Salvation is given to you through God. “…thou shalt be saved.”
So my question to you is, “Do You?
Bro John R. E Chastain
(John 11:21-26 KJB) Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. 22 But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee23 Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. 24 Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. 25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: 26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
Our Sins
Read our scripture below, and do understand this was written to the Jews. However, Paul tells us in:
(Hebrews 8:12 KJB) For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.
So we, those of us who have accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour, can know our sins will not be remembered by God no more.
Some have told me, that to be forgiven is the equivalent of Salvation. Jesus died on the cross, for you and I. He died so that we might have Salvation and that we might have the opportunity to be saved from Hell. We are told in:
(Romans 10:9 KJB) That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
In other words that if I will believe that God raised Jesus from the grave, and confess Jesus to others, that He would save me. There is no other requirement, nothing else to do. Once we have accepted Jesus, and we know He is our Lord, and then we need to come to Him with a sincere heart and ask Him to help you identify your sins and help you remove them from your life.
(Hebrews 10:22 KJB) Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
When we go to God it must be with a sincere, true heart, then we need to clear our heart from all evil thoughts, grudges and hate. We need to be as spiritually clean as we can get.
So the question remains, have you gone to the Lord recently asking for His forgiveness of your current sins? In some of us it might need to be a daily thing, but regardless it ought to be done with a sincere repentant heart. Knowing you have sinned against God. What are you going to do?
Bro. John R. E Chastain
(Ephesians 2:12-14 KJB) That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. 14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
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