Something Greater

Psalm 3: Arise, O Lord! A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son. O Lord, how many are my foes! Many are rising against me; Many are saying of my soul, "There is no salvation for him in God." Selah But you, O Lord, are a shield about me, My glory, and the lifter of my head. I cried aloud to the Lord, And he answered me from his holy hill. Selah I lay down and slept; I woke again, for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of many thousands of people Who have set themselves against me all around. Arise, O Lord! Save me, O my God! For you strike all my enemies on the cheek; You break the teeth of the wicked. Salvation belongs to the Lord; Your blessing be on your people! Selah Psalms 3:1-8 (ESV) WHAT DO YOU THINK? What range of emotions does David describe in this psalm? Is there a progression, or do David's feelings seem random? David was a warrior...he had bravely faced many situations, some even more threatening ...

Why Do The Nations Rage? Psalm 2 Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed, saying, "Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us." He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them in derision. Then he will speak to them in his wrath, and terrify them in his fury, saying, "As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill." I will tell of the decree: The Lord said to me, "You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession. You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel." Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in th...

Legalistic Duty or Delightful Devotion? Psalm 1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. Psalms 1:1-6 (ESV) What do you think? God, through this psalm of David, promises blessed prosperity ("happy pushing forward") for all who delight ("find pleasure or value") in His law. Why do the wicked reject this happiness? What is the difference between legalistic duty...

Pugnacious Smiter 1 Timothy 3:2 What has gone before... Drunkenness destroys a person's marriage, blinds them to reality, exposes them to injury and disease, brings scorn from the community, alienates them from friendship and confuses their ability to teach and learn. Drunkenness can lead to violence, the second destructive behavior listed by Paul. Moving on... "An overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent..." 1 Timothy 3:2-3 (ESV) NOT VIOLENT: me plektes "may PLAKE-tace" (qualified negation, smiter, pugnacious or quarrelsome); from plesso (to pound, as if flattening out; to inflict with calamity); from plasso (to mould, shape or fabricate) Violent people, smiters, find it a pleasure to pound flat into the ground anyone who might challenge their personal privileges of superiority . "Violent" occurs only twice in the Bib...

The Destruction of Nobility 1 Timothy 3:1 What has gone before... Following seven character qualities that demonstrate a person's aspiration and desire to serve as a leader, Paul presented a list of six examples of behavior: three negative and three positive. A comparison of two versions of the list showed that the ESV combined two of these behaviors into one, while KJV reflected more accurately the six distinct behaviors. Moving on... "If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task. Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money." 1 Timothy 3:1-3 (ESV) Here, Paul lists three negative patterns of behavior which can destroy any one or all of the seven qualities of a "noble task". Drunkenness (staying near wine) Violence (smiter, pugnacious) Sordidness ...

Suffering Servant Acts 9:15 What has gone before... Saul seemed near to death. Struck down with blindness, confronted by a man he'd thought long dead by crucifixion, his Jewish life of rigid righteousness and violent religious rule seemed gone in an instant. All he could do was pray. Meanwhile, God was preparing Ananias to go to Saul, to heal his blindness and commission him to be a witness for Jesus. And to suffer. Moving on... "The Lord said to him, - Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name." Acts 9:15-16 (ESV) SUFFER: pascho "PAS-kho" (to experience a sensation or impression, usually painful) Much of the Book of Acts is an account of how Saul suffered as a Christian. Jews plotted to kill him early in his ministry (9:23). Fellow Christians suspected him of being a spy (9:26). He was persecuted a...

Saved to Serve Acts 9:8 What has gone before... Saul, "breathing threats and murder", traveled to Damascus to rout Jewish Christians. His mind and heart were engorged with lust for violent, crushing punishment of people he regarded as traitors to Judaism, idolaters of a false god. The writer of the Book of Acts described Christians as ones "belonging to the Way", reminding all of us to see our life as a road, with many changes in terrain and direction, but leading to a greatly desired destination. Midway on his chosen road of retribution, Saul was brought to his knees with physical blindness and spiritual clarity. The Jesus he had sought to grind into forgotten history was suddenly very real, and very persuasive. Moving on... Blind, perhaps confused, probably frightened and emotionally spent, Saul seemed near death: "Saul rose from the ground, and although his eyes were opened, he saw nothing. So they led him by the hand and brought him into ...