Partakers Christian Podcasts

Psalm 142

A psalm of David, regarding his experience in the cave. A prayer.

¹ I cry out to the Lord; I plead for the Lord's mercy.

² I pour out my complaints before him and tell him all my troubles.

³ When I am overwhelmed, you alone know the way I should turn.

Wherever I go, my enemies have set traps for me.

⁴ I look for someone to come and help me,

but no one gives me a passing thought!

No one will help me; no one cares a bit what happens to me.

⁵ Then I pray to you, O Lord. I say,

"You are my place of refuge. You are all I really want in life.

⁶ Hear my cry, for I am very low.

Rescue me from my persecutors, for they are too strong for me.

⁷ Bring me out of prison so I can thank you.

The godly will crowd around me, for you are good to me."

 

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Romans 12: Living Life

Study 21: Bless and pray

v14 Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them.

Paul here seems to have had some teaching about what Jesus taught for here he echoes Jesus, who is now His master. (Matthew 5:43-44 and Luke 6:27-28.)


To bless means to show kindness and love. Do you have enemies – people who don’t like you or loathe you because you are a Christian or for some other reason? I know some people who have been totally disowned by their own families because they became Christians. How are we to react? Paul here, echoes Jesus, commands that we are to show kindness and love. That is what bless means here - seeking the welfare of those that would cause us harm. It is a challenge to us because our natural reaction is usually to fight back or to ignore - that is curse. But we are challenged to pray for those who would wish us harm. Praying for their welfare is showing love for those who wish us harm. How can this be done? It can only be done using the power and strength of the Holy Spirit within us rather than attempting to do it in our own strength.


Paul here is a good example. Just a few years ago, Paul was going around persecuting the church. The first Christian Martyr was Stephen, as told to us in Acts 7:59-60. “While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ Then he fell on his knees and cried out, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’ When he had said this, he fell asleep.”


Saul was standing there watching. Saul who we know now became Paul – our writer! Shortly after this event, Saul was arrested by Jesus whom He was persecuting. Paul has changed! His motto now is “bless those who persecute you.” Whereas his motto before was “Love your neighbour but hate your enemy!” What a change under the power of the Holy Spirit!


This is of course a picture of the Gospel. God showed love for His enemies, by sending His Son Jesus to die, so that all of humanity could change from being enemies of God to being friends of God.


Go! Bless others who are against you. Go and also pray for the persecuted church around the world – for they are your Christian family.

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Psalm 70

For the Chief Musician. By David. A reminder.

70:1 Hurry, God, to deliver me. Come quickly to help me, Yahweh.

70:2 Let them be disappointed and confounded who seek my soul.

Let those who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace.

70:3 Let them be turned because of their shame Who say, “Aha! Aha!”

70:4 Let all those who seek you rejoice and be glad in you.

Let those who love your salvation continually say, “Let God be exalted!”

70:5 But I am poor and needy. Come to me quickly, God.

You are my help and my deliverer. Yahweh, don’t delay.

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Romans 12: Living Life

Study 20:

Romans 12v13 When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.

Here in verse 13, Paul is referring to helping other Christians in need, as and when we can. Note I said need and not want. By helping other needy people in the Church, such love reflects God’s love. As well as evangelism, the Church also has a social mission – to help cover the needs of those outside the Church.
Part of that need would be giving hospitality to people. We should be looking to pursue opportunities to give hospitality and not just when we want to. If I came to your door, cold, hungry and thirsty, would you feed me, give me a drink and put me near the heater? Jesus taught in the parable of the sheep and the goats from Matthew 25 that any act of love and mercy we do for others, was also an act of love and mercy toward Him.
When we provide the needs of others and practise hospitality we are reaching out to others – just as God reaches out to humanity with a free offer of salvation. Perhaps one of the great sins of our generation is the neglect to do good to others – doing good by supplying needs and practising hospitality. For you see, sin is not just doing bad things, it is also not doing good when we have the opportunity.
Over the last 2 months, my wife and I have been in need. Almost every day of those 2 months, somebody we know has helped us out in helping alleviate that need. We may well be in need for a little while longer, but it is a comfort to know that people care and will help us out at our point of need. Praise God for them!
We Christians show that we love God, by practically loving others. Helping the needy and doing hospitality, not as a means of salvation (for that is by grace alone) but as a means to show our salvation to those in need of embracing Jesus’ love for them. Go and help those in need and practise hospitality. Not just to your friends but also those you don’t know.

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Psalm 80

For the Chief Musician. To the tune of “The Lilies of the Covenant.” A Psalm by Asaph.

80:1 Hear us, Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock, you who sit above the cherubim, shine forth.

80:2 Before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh, stir up your might! Come to save us!

80:3 Turn us again, God. Cause your face to shine, and we will be saved.

80:4 Yahweh God of Armies, How long will you be angry against the prayer of your people?

80:5 You have fed them with the bread of tears, and given them tears to drink in large measure.

80:6 You make us a source of contention to our neighbors. Our enemies laugh among themselves.

80:7 Turn us again, God of Armies. Cause your face to shine, and we will be saved.

80:8 You brought a vine out of Egypt. You drove out the nations, and planted it.

80:9 You cleared the ground for it. It took deep root, and filled the land.

80:10 The mountains were covered with its shadow. Its boughs were like God’s cedars.

80:11 It sent out its branches to the sea, Its shoots to the River.

80:12 Why have you broken down its walls, so that all those who pass by the way pluck it?

80:13 The boar out of the wood ravages it. The wild animals of the field feed on it.

80:14 Turn again, we beg you, God of Armies. Look down from heaven, and see, and visit this vine,

80:15 the stock which your right hand planted, the branch that you made strong for yourself.

80:16 It’s burned with fire. It’s cut down. They perish at your rebuke.

80:17 Let your hand be on the man of your right hand, on the son of man whom you made strong for yourself.

80:18 So we will not turn away from you. Revive us, and we will call on your name.

80:19 Turn us again, Yahweh God of Armies. Cause your face to shine, and we will be saved.

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Romans 12: Living Life

Study 19: Persevere and Pray

v12 Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.

 

As part of our having a confident hope, Paul now commands these Roman Christians to be patient during trouble and to keep on praying. Because we have this great hope in the return of Jesus Christ and the fullness of our salvation, we can be patient in trouble and persevere. That doesn’t mean we won’t have trouble in this life, but it does mean that whatever we face, God is with us. Remember God is a personal God and if you are a Christian, then His Holy Spirit lives within you! WOW! God Himself helps you to persevere as He sustains, carries and empowers you! Whatever trials and troubles we are going through, we are not alone – God is with you! Don’t listen to anybody who tells you differently – including satan who will tell you lies in order for you to give up on God.

Another reason we can be patient and persevere is God perseveres with us! He does this through the continuous work of the Holy Spirit in your life if you are a believer. As a Christian, you will never perish, and nobody or nothing can snatch you out of His hand. Nothing can separate you from God’s love for you as you are shielded by God’s all mighty power. That is part of your confident hope, which is why you and I can persevere with patience through all types of trials and troubles.
Another part of our hope is that God’s whole purpose for you is to transform you into the image of His Son, Jesus Christ. God may well use some form of temporal suffering in order to achieve it, but in the light of eternity, it will not be for long!

So we keep on praying to God earnestly! It is one way the Spirit empowers us! As we pray, Jesus also prays for us! WOW! Prayer is to have a high priority in our life – and not just half hour in the morning. Maintain a prayerful attitude throughout the day. As the conflicts and troubles come upon us, we can persevere in prayer because God perseveres with us. We are engaged in spiritual warfare. Satan will use all means to bring you down. Go and persevere with patience and prayer – for you will receive the fulfilment of your hope - the reward of your salvation.

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Psalm 58

For the director of music. To the tune of "Do Not Destroy."

Of David. A miktam .

¹ Do you rulers indeed speak justly?
Do you judge uprightly among men?
² No, in your heart you devise injustice,
and your hands mete out violence on the earth.
³ Even from birth the wicked go astray;
from the womb they are wayward and speak lies.
⁴ Their venom is like the venom of a snake,
like that of a cobra that has stopped its ears,
⁵ that will not heed the tune of the charmer,
however skillful the enchanter may be.

⁶ Break the teeth in their mouths, O God;
tear out, O LORD, the fangs of the lions!
⁷ Let them vanish like water that flows away;
when they draw the bow, let their arrows be blunted.
⁸ Like a slug melting away as it moves along,
like a stillborn child, may they not see the sun.
⁹ Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns-
whether they be green or dry-the wicked will be swept away.
¹⁰ The righteous will be glad when they are avenged,
when they bathe their feet in the blood of the wicked.
¹¹ Then men will say,
"Surely the righteous still are rewarded;
surely there is a God who judges the earth."

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Romans 12: Living Life

Study 18: Rejoice!

v12 Rejoice in our confident hope.

Why can we serve the Lord with zeal and enthusiasm in all things we do, as we looked at last time? Because we have an assured and confident hope which should be a fantastic cause for joy and celebration! What is the assured hope for the Christian? Here it is! Peace with God takes care of the past - He no longer holds our sins against us. Access to God takes care of the present - we can come to Him whenever we desire. A glorious hope takes care of our future - which is the expectation of the return of Jesus Christ. When Jesus comes again, there will be an amazing time of glory to follow. An amazing time of glory to come, when Jesus, the Son of God, comes back for His people. Hope is the glory of salvation for all those who call Jesus Christ their Lord and Saviour! Our hope is in Him who is the object of our faith and life! WOW!

We rejoice by filling our minds with the hope of the glory to come! But as we looked at previously, don’t be so heavenly minded that you are of no earthly use! You are called to be growing and maturing in a process that is called discipleship. This will inevitable lead to your being asked the reason for which you have your hope in Jesus Christ. This hope is an unending hope, which will enable you to endure to the end and run the race marked out for you. How can you run this race? By having your focus set on Jesus Christ. Keep him in focus each day, by living each day for Him and let Him get all the glory and honour in all things you do!

Rejoicing doesn’t necessarily mean going around with a big silly grin on your face! Rejoicing is also have a quiet confident and sincere hope. Why can we be confident of this great hope? Because God is faithful and He is always true to His word! Just as Jesus Christ was raised from the dead with a new body 3 days after his death, so will all those who are Christian have new bodies! WOW! Go forward in this great hope you have with confident rejoicing! Thank you.

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Psalm 67

For the Chief Musician. With stringed instruments. A Psalm. A song.

67:1 May God be merciful to us, bless us, and cause his face to shine on us.

Selah.

67:2 That your way may be known on earth, and your salvation among all nations,

67:3 let the peoples praise you, God. Let all the peoples praise you.

67:4 Oh let the nations be glad and sing for joy,

for you will judge the peoples with equity,

and govern the nations on earth.

Selah.

67:5 Let the peoples praise you, God. Let all the peoples praise you.

67:6 The earth has yielded its increase. God, even our own God, will bless us.

67:7 God will bless us. All the ends of the earth shall fear him.

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Romans 12: Living Life

Study 17: Enthusiastic Zeal

v11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.

Paul here commands Christians not to be lazy but to work hard! Is Paul talking about work outside the church or is he referring to work for the church? Quite possibly he means both! Remember those gifts we looked at earlier in the series? How are you doing with them? Are you being lazy and neither developing or using them as you ought? Get up and use them and develop them – work hard at them ensuring your service of God is with great zeal and delight! Perhaps Paul had heard that some of them were just sitting around waiting for Jesus to come back again and were neglecting their care and duty to work - and therefore their families!. So Paul has had to command them to get about their work with due diligence and attitude.

We are also to work hard at loving others and particularly loving those other believers that we know – as they are our family because of Jesus Christ! That is the immediate context. We are to work on our Christian lives utilising the power of the Holy Spirit as He changes us into the image of Jesus Christ! Yes that can be hard work too, but don’t give up! It will be worth it! You and I will be held accountable by God for the use and development of the gifts He has given us! Were you aware of that?
I wonder why you do, what you do and when you do it? In everything we do, we are to do it with zeal as we serve our God – regardless of what we do!

We are to do all things as if pleasing to our God. Have you been doing the same job or role for a while now and feeling a bit underwhelmed with it all? Let the Holy Spirit excite you, invigorate and enliven your attitudes and behaviour. Perhaps you are unemployed and looking for work? Do all you can to find a job and ensure that your conscience remains clear! Serve enthusiastically the Lord well in what ever you do – whether for the church or for you and your family! Let the world who is watching you know you are a Christian by the way you do things!

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