Making a Differencewith Pastor Phil Erickson

Jun 29th David’s Prayer in a Seemingly Hopeless Situation

Today’s Reading – Psalms 69 – 72 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Revelation 13 – 16; Psalms 141 – 145; Proverbs 29)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – 1 John 3:1

Read the “0629 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Read a another post from this morning’s reading passage – “Who Are You Magnifying?”

Psalm 69

“Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto [my] soul. 2 I sink in deep mire, where [there is] no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me. 3 I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God.” (Psalm 69:1 – 3)

This psalm is quoted more in the New Testament than any other save Psalm 22 and Psalm 119.

Notice in the introductory material that this psalm is a psalm of David, and it is upon Shoshannim. We have seen this word once before in the introduction to Psalm 45. The word means “Lily”. It is translated “Lily” in 13 other places in the Old Testament, 8 of which are in the Song of Solomon:

“I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.” (Song of Songs 2:1)

This psalm is messianic in that it speaks of Christ (vs. 4, 21), and it is imprecatory, in that it calls for judgment upon David’s enemies.

I          David’s Problem (vs. 1 – 12)

The historical context of this psalm is not revealed.

In v. 1, David cries out to God to save him. 

David uses the metaphor of a drowning man, which he has done before in Psalm 18:4 – 6, and in other places:

“The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid. The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me. In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.” (Psalms 18:4-6)

Sometimes the problems of life overwhelm us and suffocate us. The language used here vividly describes David’s hopelessness as well as his despair (v. 3). 

Notice in v. 4 that David was hated “without a cause”, but in vs. 7 & 9 David reveals that their hatred of him was due to his love for God.

People that hate God will hate God’s children:

“Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” (2 Timothy 3:12 KJV)

David’s problems lead him to pray. 

II         David’s Petition (v. 6; vs. 13 – 28)

            David prays for his own deliverance. (vs. 13 – 21)

            David prays for his enemies’ demise. (vs. 22 – 28)

Our Lord told us to love our enemies; to pray for our enemies; and to even do good to them:

“Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (Matthew 5:43-48)

Our petition should lead us to praise.

III       David’s Praise (vs. 29 – 36)

This is a familiar pattern in the Psalms. David praises God before the deliverance came, because he knew that deliverance would come. He trusted that God would ultimately deliver him, no matter how bad the situation looked.

Jun 28th The Saturday Morning Post – One Nation Under God

Today’s Reading – Psalms 65 – 68 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – Revelation 10 – 12; Psalms 136 – 140;  Proverbs 28)

Read the “0628 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon

“To the chief Musician on Neginoth, A Psalm or Song. God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah. That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations. Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth. Selah. Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. Then shall the earth yield her increase; and God, even our own God, shall bless us. God shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth shall fear him.” (Psalm 67)

Good morning. July 4th is almost upon us. We will be 249 years old. Will we make it to 250 years? The only way is by relying on the Lord Jesus Christ. When we become self-sufficient, we have no need for God. That’s the attitude of some in America today. God even warned Israel about this…

“And it shall be, when the LORD thy God shall have brought thee into the land which he sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give thee great and goodly cities, which thou buildedst not, And houses full of all good things, which thou filledst not, and wells digged, which thou diggedst not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedst not; when thou shalt have eaten and be full; Then beware lest thou forget the LORD, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.” (Deuteronomy 6:10-12)

They’ve taken the Bible out of the schools. They’ve taken God’s commandments out of our courtrooms. They’ve tried to remove God from everything that is America. They’ve even tried to remove “In God we trust.” from our money. God continues the warning…

“Ye shall not go after other gods, of the gods of the people which are round about you; (For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth.” (Deuteronomy 6:14-15)

George Washington, our first president of the United States, had a dream. This is the last part of the dream…

“Then once more I beheld the villages, towns, and cities springing up where I had seen them before, while the bright angel, planting the azure standard he had brought in the midst of them, cried with a loud voice, ‘While the stars remain, and the heavens send down dew upon the earth, so long shall the Union last.’ And taking from his brow the crown on which was blazoned the word “Union,” he placed it upon the Standard, while the people, kneeling down, said, ‘Amen.'”The scene instantly began to fade and dissolve, and I at last saw nothing but the rising, curling vapor I at first beheld. This also disappearing, I found myself once more gazing upon the mysterious visitor, who, in the same voice I had heard before, said, ‘Son of the Republic, what you have seen is thus interpreted: Three great perils will come upon the Republic. The most fearful is the third, passing which the whole world united shall not prevail against her. Let every child of the Republic learn to live for his God, his land, and the Union.’ With these words the vision vanished, and I started from my seat, and felt that I had seen a vision wherein had been shown me the birth, progress, and destiny of the United States.”

“Such, my friends,” Anthony Sherman concluded, “were the words I heard from General Washington’s own lips, and America will do well to profit by them.”

I found this interesting: from 1861 through 1865; 625,000 were killed on American soil in the Civil War.

From 1918 through 1919; 675,000 were killed on American soil by the Flu Pandemic; an estimated 30 to 50 million were killed world wide.

Were these the first two perils our nation would face? I don’t know: I’m not a prophet nor an interpreter of dreams. If it is a true vision by George Washington, then there is a third peril on the horizon that is coming. Will another 600,000 + Americans die on American soil? I’m not one for visions of angels or dreams, but this I know…

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” (2Chronicles 7:14)

America is in trouble, and only turning back to God can heal our once great nation.

Peace.

Jun 23rd Fret Not Thyself

Today’s Reading – Psalms 36 – 39 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – 1 John 1 – 5; Psalms 111 – 115; Proverbs 23)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Matthew 6:33

Read the “0623 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon

“(3) Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. (4) Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. (5) Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass. (6) And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday. (7) Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.” (Psalm 37:3-7)

Psalm 37 is a beautiful psalm, filled with promises and encouragement for all believers. This psalm is an acrostic psalm, and was written in David’s later years (verse 25). It begins with a warning for us not to be envious against those in the lost world who seem to be prospering greatly. It is a common frustration that is felt by God’s people regarding the prosperity of lost people, and the seeming lack of judgment leveled by God against the wicked. Why do bad people not get what’s coming? God reminds us here through the psalmist that the success and wealth experienced here on this earth by the lost is only temporary. The word “wicked” is found fourteen times in this psalm.

Similar verses:

“Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long. For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off.” (Proverbs 23:17-18)

“Fret not thyself because of evil men, neither be thou envious at the wicked; For there shall be no reward to the evil man; the candle of the wicked shall be put out.” (Proverbs 24:19-20)

See also Psalm 73

Jeremiah asked God the same thing:

“Righteous art thou, O LORD, when I plead with thee: yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments: Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously?” (Jeremiah 12:1)

The people of God in the Old Testament were looking for earthly, material blessings as a sign of the blessing of God. Today, we do not look for those things, We are looking for spiritual, and eternal blessings – we live by faith in what will be. The Israelites were expecting their reward in the earth. They are still looking forward to an earthly kingdom, which we know as the Millennial Kingdom, where God will bless them abundantly.

It seemed completely inconsistent with what they knew about God to witness the unrighteous seemingly receiving the blessings that were reserved for God’s people. God’s great reminder to these folks in David’s day, and to us today as well, is to just wait. God will take care of it in His time. God will reward the righteous, and also condemn the wicked on His timetable, not ours. The prosperity of the wicked can only be seen in the short term, because in the long run it can be seen that they do not prosper at all.

The phrase “fret not thyself” is found 3 times in this psalm. The phrase means don’t get angry, or stressed out about something. It literally means to not get agitated, or heated. God is telling His people to “chill out”. This phrase is found in only one other passage in the Bible, which was in the passage that we just read in Proverbs 24.

I          Fret Not Thyself Because of Evildoers (v. 1)

“Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.” (Psalms 37:1)

Notice that fretting, or getting angry with the bad people is associated here with envy. (see also Proverbs 24:19 above)

“Be not thou envious against evil men, neither desire to be with them. For their heart studieth destruction, and their lips talk of mischief.” (Proverbs 24:1-2)

We shouldn’t envy them because their time is short. Their happiness is only temporary; ours is eternal. God says five times in this psalm that the wicked will be “cut off” (vs. 9, 22, 28, 34, 38)

“Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted: But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away. For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.” (James 1:9-11)

Notice instead what we are commanded to do:

            A         Trust (v. 3)

            B         Delight (v. 4)

            C         Commit (vs. 5 – 6)

            D         Rest (v. 7)

 II         Fret Not Thyself Because of the Prosperity of the Wicked (v. 7)

The prosperity of the wicked can only, at best, last through this life; and even though they may be prospering materially, they are probably not prospering in other areas: they may be very miserable people.

III       Fret Not Thyself To Do Evil (v. 8)

Sometimes our anger at and envy of wicked people can cause us to decide to join them. God says, “don’t do it!”

The remainder of the psalm contains many comparisons between the godly and the wicked; and it also foretells of the consequences that face the ungodly. It may seem like they are on top of the world now, but just wait a while. There are also many promises given here to the godly.

The great encouragement to the people of God in this passage is found in v. 34:

“Wait on the LORD, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off, thou shalt see it.” (Psalms 37:34)

“Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” (Psalms 27:14)

“Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the LORD, and he shall save thee.” (Proverbs 20:22)

“But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)

Jun 22nd Blessed

Today’s Reading – Psalms 32 – 35 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – 2 Peter 1 – 3; Psalms 106 – 110; Proverbs 22)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Micah 6:8

Read the “0622 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Read a previous post from this passage – “Forgiven”

“1 A Psalm of David, Maschil. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile. 3 When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. 4 For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah. 5 I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah. 6 For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him. 7 Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah. 8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. 9 Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee. 10 Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about. 11 Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.” (Psalm 32:1-11)

This is the first psalm that has been designated as a “Maschil”. There are a dozen more psalms that will have this designation. It is defined as a poem or song of contemplation. It comes from a root word that means to ponder or consider. Some have said that these Psalms are particularly intended to give instruction, which makes sense when you consider verse eight:

“I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.”(Psalms 32:8)

This is second of six penitential psalms. The first was Psalm 6, and the most famous is Psalm 51. The penitential psalms are psalms of confession. In them David confesses and expresses his remorse over his sin with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah the Hittite (See 2 Samuel 11 – 12).

Vs. 1 – 2 from this psalm were quoted by the Apostle Paul in Romans 4:7 & 8, and are used in that context to teach that salvation is by grace through faith alone apart from any human works.

I          The Blessing of Repentance (vs. 1 – 2)

“Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.” (Psalms 32:1-2 KJV)

This psalm is the second psalm containing a beatitude. The first is Psalm 1:

“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.” (Psalms 1:1)

There are six more “blessed is the man” phrases in the Psalms. Perhaps the most famous beatitudes are found in Matthew 5:1 – 12.

Notice the word, “covered.” David, like Adam, tried to cover his sins to no avail, but when God covers sins, they are gone forever.

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” (1 John 1:7-10)

“And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (Jeremiah 31:34)

“I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.” (Isaiah 43:25)

Now notice the word, “impute.” It is actually a business term, which means to count or to calculate, or to apply to one’s account

The word, “guile,” means deceit. David at one time had guile or deceit in his heart. You may recall that David did not come clean with God initially. God had to confront him. You have to be completely open and honest with God.

II         The Foolishness of Resistance (vs. 3 – 4)

“When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer. Selah.” (Psalms 32:3-4)

Notice the agony that David experienced in his soul, as well as physically, as long as he was trying to hide from God. According to Jay Adams, un-confessed sin can manifest itself in both physical and mental illness symptoms. 

David experienced the chastening hand of God while he was hiding. 

“Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.” (Psalms 51:8)

“For thine arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand presseth me sore.” (Psalms 38:2)

“Remove thy stroke away from me: I am consumed by the blow of thine hand.” (Psalms 39:10)

Charles Spurgeon said, “God does not permit His children to sin successfully.” John Donne wrote, “Sin is a serpent, and he that covers sin does but keep it warm, that it may sting the more fiercely, and disperse the venom and malignity thereof the more effectually.”^[1]

III       The Promise of Deliverance (vs. 5 – 7)

“I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah. For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him. Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah.” (Psalms 32:5-7)

Notice the phrase, “when thou mayest be found” – Don’t wait until its too late. See Proverbs 1:24 – 33.

David waited until God confronted him and he suffered the whole time that he delayed, but once he confessed, he was forgiven. 

This doesn’t mean that David didn’t suffer because of the consequences of his sins. God in His grace forgives us, but God in His government He says, “You shall reap what you have sown.” Bathsheba conceived and gave birth to a son but the baby died. David’s son Amnon raped his half-sister Tamar (2 Samuel 13) and was slain by David’s son Absalom. Then Absalom tried to seize the throne and was slain by Joab (2 Samuel 14–18). While David was dying his son Adonijah tried to take the scepter from Solomon (1 Kings 1), and Adonijah was slain. However, David faced these calamities with God’s help and lived to assemble what was needed for the temple so that Solomon (Bathsheba’s second son) could build it.^[2]

IV       The Joy Received from Obedience (vs. 8 – 11)

“I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee. Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about. Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.” (Psalms 32:8-11)

Verses 8 – 9 record what God said to David.

Verses 10 – 11 are David’s encouragement to God’s people. He is speaking from experience, when he tells the people to trust God and confess their sin to Him. He is merciful, and that is something that we can rejoice about.

“He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.” (Proverbs 28:13)

David was a man who was greatly blessed of God. He certainly was not perfect and he sinned like everyone else on the planet does. But he was trusting God both with his eternal salvation and his deliverance from the temporal consequences of his sins. David did experience some of the pain and suffering that comes as a result of his own rebellion, as well as the rebellion of others. But, David kept coming back to God; he kept trusting in God, and when He blew it and God chastised him, he confessed and repented and resubmitted himself to the will of the Lord. In the end, David could look back on his life and see the blessing of God everywhere.

^[1] Wiersbe, W. W. (2004). Be Worshipful. “Be” Commentary Series (1st ed., p. 124). Colorado Springs, CO: Cook Communications Ministries.

^[2] Ibid, p. 126.

Jun 21st The Saturday Morning Post – A Eulogy For Uncle Frankie

Today’s Reading – Psalm 26 – 31 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)

(Second Milers also read – 1 Peter 1 – 5; Psalms 101 – 105; Proverbs 21)

Read the “0621 Evening and Morning” devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness. Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me. For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me. Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me: for thou art my strength. Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.” (Psalm 31:1-5)

We buried my Uncle, Franklyn Lyons, 12 years ago, yesterday. I think that these five verses from Psalm 31 will give you a glimpse of how Uncle Frankie was. In my eyes, He was a man of God. And there are three facts that Uncle Frankie would want you to know about his life and death.

The first is that Uncle Frankie is not laying in the coffin.

His soul (who Uncle Frankie is) is safely in the hands of Jesus. The Apostle Paul wrote in his second epistle to the Corinthian church…

“We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.” (2Corinthians 5:8)

And Jesus had told one of the two thieves who was hanging on the cross next to Him, “…To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.”

What you see in the coffin is the aches and pains of old age. What you see in the coffin is the gangrene and cancer. What you see in the coffin is the diabetes. But Uncle Frankie wants you to know that is not him. On . Sunday, 12 years ago, around 5:00 pm, He entered Paradise: he is in Heaven with the Lord Jesus Christ.

The second fact that Uncle Frankie would like you to know is that he is in Heaven because of God’s grace, and nothing else.

Uncle Frankie dropped out of school after 8th Grade to help support his family. He served his country during World War 2, in the Army Air Corp, stationed in England. He took care of his mother till she died. Uncle Frankie would take me, Grandma, and my mother to church at the Assembly of God, in Toms River every week. He would build balsa wood planes and give them to his nieces and nephews. When he retired, Uncle Frankie would read his Bible through, cover to cover, several times a year. And Uncle Frankie knew that all those things would not get him into heaven, only God’s grace…

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

He needed Jesus. As a child, or young man, someone told him about Jesus, and he asked Jesus to save him. And Uncle Frankie wants you to know that he is in Heaven by God’s grace.

The third fact that Uncle Frankie wants you to know is that life on earth is not forever.

Heaven and Hell are forever, and he would like to see you again one day in Heaven. Jesus said, “…I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

And the Bible tells us how. Realize you are a sinner.

“As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one…” (Romans 3:10)

AND

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God…” (Romans 3:23)

And because we are sinners, we need a Saviour: we cannot save ourselves.

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

Jesus shed is precious blood to pay the price for our sins…

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 6:23)

He took the hard part and gave us the easy part…

“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13)

If you are saved, if you have received Jesus as your personal Saviour, then one day you will see Uncle Frankie again, or meet him for the first time. Jesus said…

“…I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live…” (John 11:25)

Peace!