Partakers Christian Podcasts

Psalm 72 - Psalm on Demand

Psalm 72

For the Chief Musician. A song. A Psalm. By Solomon.

72:1 God, give the king your justice;
your righteousness to the royal son
72:2 He will judge your people with righteousness, and your poor with justice
72:3 The mountains shall bring prosperity to the people.
The hills bring the fruit of righteousness
72:4 He will judge the poor of the people.
He will save the children of the needy, and will break the oppressor in pieces.

72:5 They shall fear you while the sun endures;
and as long as the moon, throughout all generations
72:6 He will come down like rain on the mown grass, as showers that water the earth
72:7 In his days, the righteous shall flourish, and abundance of peace, until the moon is no more
72:8 He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, from the River to the ends of the earth.

72:9 Those who dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him.
His enemies shall lick the dust
72:10 The kings of Tarshish and of the islands will bring tribute.
The kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts
72:11 Yes, all kings shall fall down before him.
All nations shall serve him
72:12 For he will deliver the needy when he cries;
the poor, who has no helper.

72:13 He will have pity on the poor and needy.
He will save the souls of the needy
72:14 He will redeem their soul from oppression and violence.
Their blood will be precious in his sight
72:15 They shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba.
Men shall pray for him continually.
They shall bless him all day long
72:16 Abundance of grain shall be throughout the land.
Its fruit sways like Lebanon.
Let it flourish, thriving like the grass of the field.

72:17 His name endures forever.
His name continues as long as the sun.
Men shall be blessed by him.
All nations will call him blessed
72:18 Praise be to Yahweh God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds
72:19 Blessed be his glorious name forever! Let the whole earth be filled with his glory! Amen and amen
72:20 This ends the prayers by David, the son of Jesse.

Psalm 91 - Psalm On Demand

Psalm 91

 

91:1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

91:2 I will say of Yahweh, "He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust."

91:3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler, and from the deadly pestilence.

91:4 He will cover you with his feathers. Under his wings you will take refuge. His faithfulness is your shield and rampart.

~

91:5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day;

91:6 nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that wastes at noonday.

91:7 A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it will not come near you.

91:8 You will only look with your eyes, and see the recompense of the wicked.

~

91:9 Because you have made Yahweh your refuge, and the Most High your dwelling place,

91:10 no evil shall happen to you, neither shall any plague come near your dwelling.

91:11 For he will put his angels in charge of you, to guard you in all your ways.

91:12 They will bear you up in their hands, so that you won't dash your foot against a stone.

~

91:13 You will tread on the lion and cobra. You will trample the young lion and the serpent underfoot.

91:14 "Because he has set his love on me, therefore I will deliver him. I will set him on high, because he has known my name.

91:15 He will call on me, and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him, and honor him.

91:16 I will satisfy him with long life, and show him my salvation."

Right mouse click or tap here to save/download this Psalm as a MP3 file

 

1 Chronicles 29 - King David’s Final Prayer - Bible Thought

David's Final Prayer

1 Chronicles 29:10-20

Introduction

Welcome as we look into this great, and perhaps last, public prayer of the great King David! It is a fabulous piece of Scripture, I am sure you agree, that tells us a lot about God we as Christians claim to know and love, as well as how we are to respond to Him. Originally 1 & 2 Chronicles were one book. It was the final book of the Jewish Canon, probably written by Ezra and was also known as the "the events of the days", "the things omitted" which would suggest that Chronicles were to be regarded as additional to the books of Kings and Samuel. It's a book which was written for those from the nation of Israel who are now in exile, to remind them of their spiritual heritage - the journey & history of Israel as a nation. For us though, not least I, it issues certain challenges to us all.

Right mouse click or tap here to download this sermon

Here is the great king David!

What has happened so far?

1. WOW factor of God! (v10-13)

2. David - its all God (v14-20)

3. So what?

Firstly, we saw the wow factor of God: a God who exudes greatness, power, glory, victory and majesty. Then we saw David's utter adoration and dependence upon the God that he knows intimately. So, finally, what does all this have to do with us? How often do we receive from our God, but not thank Him for it? We are to be thankful for every good gift that is given to us. We offer praises and thanks to Him, for who He is and for His generosity and grace towards us. Tonight's bible passage was a superb piece of thanksgiving.

When was the last time you thanked God for all the things He has given you? How can we put this thanks and praise into action? Lets see quickly! Firstly, I am convinced there are enough wealthy Christians sitting in churches in the West, who could make significant donations and virtually eradicate a lot of the poverty in the developing world and indeed their own countries. This would be active Christian giving on a radical scale. In biblical stories, such as this from 1 Chronicles 29, its always those who had the most, gave the most as an example to others of God's generosity. After all, God owns it all anyway and it's only given as a loan from God and not a transference of ownership.

As Christians, we are to desire to mature spiritually - growing in adoration, obedience and commitment to God. Perhaps the greatest indicator of today, concerns our giving. Giving is to be done whole-heartedly and cheerfully. It is also not so much about how much is given, but how much is left after giving and the attitude behind it. God looks beyond that which is given to the motive and attitude behind it. All our money and possessions belong to Him anyway, as we have seen, so giving is to be in response to this. Our money and possessions are a leasehold agreement not a freehold one. Giving done willingly is also not done to boost our own egos or for the feel-good factor, but rather to bring glory and honour to God as a thankful response to His giving all things to us.

Many prayers seemingly go unanswered because God is waiting on people to be obedient to Him, in order to answer the unanswered prayers of others. . We are to be generous with everything we have, not just in the area of money but with our very lives. We all have time, information, knowledge imagination, gifts and talents. All these too are to be given back to God . That may well take radical action to do, but radical giving is what we are called to do. God has given everything so that you and I may live and have life, so by caring and giving, we will reflect that. Let's be radical church together and encourage others to be likewise.

But, as we have seen, it's not only about giving money and resources. Giving is also to include skills, information, imagination and knowledge. Remember, the priests and craftsmen were waiting to give in the building of and service within the Temple. Churches, particularly these days, need to capture the imagination of those looking for a church home, and get them involved. Involvement in such a way that it builds up commitment to God and a growing adoration of Him. If people are involved, they will stay. It means training them up, to be fit for service within the church. If training for service doesn't occur, then commitment and dedication to God is likely to be diminished. If the same people do the same thing year after year, that local church will eventually die out. Each local church is only one generation away from closing its doors permanently. Giving, as we saw in tonight's passage, is also a community affair. This Church is to be a community, both within the church and outside of it, where the strongest members support the weakest members - including their time, possessions, money, knowledge and wisdom.

But, as we also saw tonight, it is not just for leaders to give! Giving is to be for everyone! Every church has a fantastic array of knowledge, wisdom, possessions and imagination. Let us share that with people outside the church. Who knows what our caring and giving will do for them as it reflects the glory of God! Too often, we are found turning a blind eye to the suffering of others where the necessities of life are in sparse existence. Too often we neglect to give up our personal space, time, imagination, information and money generously to help the poor and needy in our local, national and global communities. By doing this giving collectively, we will show our faith to be real and practical. There are people out there in our local community just waiting for somebody to give generously to them. We need to be seen to be radically giving to all - of our money, our possessions, and also our time, imagination, knowledge, practical help, care and love. Let us show our relevance to our local community, particularly at this time of Corona Virus Pandemic. So if I could summarise all this up in one sentence, it would be something like this

"Ask not only what your God can give to you,

but what great things you can do and give to your God."

Right mouse click or tap here to download this sermon

Poem - Jesus of the Scars

Jesus of the Scars

Edward Shillito (1872-1948),

Free Church minister in England during World War I:

Right mouse click or tap here to download this as an audio mp3

If we have never sought, we seek You now;

Your eyes burn through the dark, our only stars;

We must have sight of thorn-pricks on your brow,

We must have You, O Jesus of the Scars.

The heavens frighten us; they are too calm;

In all the universe we have no place.

Our wounds are hurting us; where is the balm?

Lord Jesus, by Your Scars, we claim Your grace.

If, when the doors are shut, You draw near,

Only reveal those hands, that side of Yours;

We know to-day what wounds are, have no fear,

Show us Your Scars, we know the countersign.

The other gods were strong; but You were weak;

They rode, but You did stumble to a throne;

But to our wounds only God's wounds can speak,

And not a god has wounds, but You alone.

Right mouse click or tap here to download this as an audio mp3

Bible Thought - A Story of Two Women

A Story of Two Women!

 

Today is International Women's Day! So let's look together at two women from the Bible!

2 Chronicles 22:10-12 - When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to destroy the whole royal family of the house of Judah. But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram, took Joash son of Ahaziah and stole him away from among the royal princes who were about to be murdered and put him and his nurse in a bedroom. Because Jehosheba, the daughter of King Jehoram and wife of the priest Jehoiada, was Ahaziah's sister, she hid the child from Athaliah so that she could not kill him. He remained hidden with them at the temple of God for six years while Athaliah ruled the land.

2 Chronicles 23:11-15 - Jehoiada and his sons brought out the king's son and put the crown on him; they presented him with a copy of the covenant and proclaimed him king. They anointed him and shouted, 'Long live the king!' When Athaliah heard the noise of the people running and cheering the king, she went to them at the temple of the Lord. She looked, and there was the king, standing by his pillar at the entrance. The officers and the trumpeters were beside the king, and all the people of the land were rejoicing and blowing trumpets, and musicians with their instruments were leading the praises. Then Athaliah tore her robes and shouted, 'Treason! Treason!' Jehoiada the priest sent out the commanders of units of a hundred, who were in charge of the troops, and said to them: 'Bring her out between the ranks and put to the sword anyone who follows her.' For the priest had said, 'Do not put her to death at the temple of the Lord.' So they seized her as she reached the entrance of the Horse Gate on the palace grounds, and there they put her to death. Jehoiada then made a covenant that he, the people and the king would be the Lord's people. All the people went to the temple of Baal and tore it down. They smashed the altars and idols and killed Mattan the priest of Baal in front of the altars.

The two main characters which we will look at today are Athaliah and Jehosheba. This story has all the makings of a Hollywood blockbuster! I can see Angelina Jolie playing the role of Athaliah and Julie Andrews as Jehosheba! What do you think? As hard as it is to believe, our two characters tonight are related! Come and listen to find out more! 

Right Mouse click or Tap here to save this as an audio mp3 file

Psalm On Demand - Psalm 68

Psalm 68 

 

For the choir director: A song. A psalm of David.

1 Rise up, O God, and scatter your enemies. Let those who hate God run for their lives.
2 Blow them away like smoke. Melt them like wax in a fire. Let the wicked perish in the presence of God.
3 But let the godly rejoice. Let them be glad in God's presence. Let them be filled with joy.
4 Sing praises to God and to his name! Sing loud praises to him who rides the clouds. His name is the Lord- rejoice in his presence!
5 Father to the fatherless, defender of widows- this is God, whose dwelling is holy.

6 God places the lonely in families; he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy. But he makes the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.
7 O God, when you led your people out from Egypt, when you marched through the dry wasteland,
8 the earth trembled, and the heavens poured down rain before you, the God of Sinai, before God, the God of Israel.
9 You sent abundant rain, O God, to refresh the weary land.
10 There your people finally settled, and with a bountiful harvest, O God, you provided for your needy people.

11 The Lord gives the word, and a great army brings the good news.
12 Enemy kings and their armies flee, while the women of Israel divide the plunder.
13 Even those who lived among the sheepfolds found treasures- doves with wings of silver and feathers of gold.
14 The Almighty scattered the enemy kings like a blowing snowstorm on Mount Zalmon.
15 The mountains of Bashan are majestic, with many peaks stretching high into the sky.

16 Why do you look with envy, O rugged mountains, at Mount Zion, where God has chosen to live, where the Lord himself will live forever?
17 Surrounded by unnumbered thousands of chariots, the Lord came from Mount Sinai into his sanctuary.
18 When you ascended to the heights, you led a crowd of captives. You received gifts from the people, even from those who rebelled against you. Now the Lord God will live among us there.
19 Praise the Lord; praise God our saviour! For each day he carries us in his arms.
20 Our God is a God who saves! The Sovereign Lord rescues us from death.

21 But God will smash the heads of his enemies, crushing the skulls of those who love their guilty ways.
22 The Lord says, "I will bring my enemies down from Bashan; I will bring them up from the depths of the sea.
23 You, my people, will wash your feet in their blood, and even your dogs will get their share!"
24 Your procession has come into view, O God- the procession of my God and King as he goes into the sanctuary.
25 Singers are in front, musicians behind; between them are young women playing tambourines.

26 Praise God, all you people of Israel; praise the Lord, the source of Israel's life.
27 Look, the little tribe of Benjamin leads the way. Then comes a great throng of rulers from Judah and all the rulers of Zebulun and Naphtali.
28 Summon your might, O God. Display your power, O God, as you have in the past.
29 The kings of the earth are bringing tribute to your Temple in Jerusalem.
30 Rebuke these enemy nations- these wild animals lurking in the reeds, this herd of bulls among the weaker calves. Make them bring bars of silver in humble tribute. Scatter the nations that delight in war.

31 Let Egypt come with gifts of precious metals; let Ethiopia bow in submission to God.
32 Sing to God, you kingdoms of the earth. Sing praises to the Lord.
33 Sing to the one who rides across the ancient heavens, his mighty voice thundering from the sky.
34 Tell everyone about God's power. His majesty shines down on Israel; his strength is mighty in the heavens.
35 God is awesome in his sanctuary. The God of Israel gives power and strength to his people. Praise be to God!

 

Click or Tap here to listen to or save this as an audio mp3 file

Psalm On Demand - Psalm 2

Psalm 2

1 Why do the nations rage, and the peoples plot a vain thing?

2 The kings of the earth take a stand, and the rulers take counsel together,

against Yahweh, and against his Anointed, saying,

3 “Let’s break their bonds apart, and cast their cords from us.”

4 He who sits in the heavens will laugh.

The Lord will have them in derision.

5 Then he will speak to them in his anger, and terrify them in his wrath:

6 “Yet I have set my King on my holy hill of Zion.”

7 I will tell of the decree. Yahweh said to me,

“You are my son. Today I have become your father.

8 Ask of me, and I will give the nations for your inheritance,

the uttermost parts of the earth for your possession.

9 You shall break them with a rod of iron.

You shall dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.”

10 Now therefore be wise, you kings.

Be instructed, you judges of the earth.

11 Serve Yahweh with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

12 Give sincere homage to the Son, lest he be angry,

and you perish in the way, for his wrath will soon be kindled.

Blessed are all those who take refuge in him.

 

Right mouse click to save/download this Psalm as a MP3 file

You can now purchase our Partakers books! Please do click or tap here to visit our Amazon site!

Psalm On Demand - Psalm 69

Psalm 69

 

 

 

¹ Save me, O God!

For the waters have come up to my neck.

² I sink in deep mire,

Where there is no standing;

I have come into deep waters,

Where the floods overflow me.

Right mouse click to save/download this Psalm as a MP3 file

³ I am weary with my crying;

My throat is dry;

My eyes fail while I wait for my God.

⁴ Those who hate me without a cause

Are more than the hairs of my head;

They are mighty who would destroy me,

Being my enemies wrongfully;

Though I have stolen nothing,

I still must restore it.

⁵ O God, You know my foolishness;

And my sins are not hidden from You.

Read the rest of this entry »

Psalm On Demand - Psalm 41

Psalm 41

For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David.

1 Blessed is he who considers the poor.
Yahweh will deliver him in the day of evil.
2 Yahweh will preserve him, and keep him alive.
He shall be blessed on the earth,
and he will not surrender him to the will of his enemies.
3 Yahweh will sustain him on his sickbed,
and restore him from his bed of illness.
4 I said, "Yahweh, have mercy on me!
Heal me, for I have sinned against you."

5 My enemies speak evil against me:
"When will he die, and his name perish?"
6 If he comes to see me, he speaks falsehood.
His heart gathers iniquity to itself.
When he goes abroad, he tells it.
7 All who hate me whisper together against me.
They imagine the worst for me.
8 "An evil disease," they say, "has afflicted him.
Now that he lies he shall rise up no more."

9 Yes, my own familiar friend, in whom I trusted,
who ate bread with me,
has lifted up his heel against me.
10 But you, Yahweh, have mercy on me,
and raise me up, that I may repay them.
11 By this I know that you delight in me,
because my enemy doesn't triumph over me.
12 As for me, you uphold me in my integrity,
and set me in your presence forever.
13 Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Israel,
from everlasting and to everlasting!

Amen and amen.

Click or Tap here to listen to or save this as an audio mp3 file

Psalm On Demand - Psalm 18

Psalm 18

For the Chief Musician. By David the servant of Yahweh, who spoke to Yahweh the words of this song in the day that Yahweh delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. He said,

18:1 I love you, Yahweh, my strength.

18:2 Yahweh is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer;

my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge;

my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower.

18:3 I call on Yahweh, who is worthy to be praised;

and I am saved from my enemies.

18:4 The cords of death surrounded me.

The floods of ungodliness made me afraid.

18:5 The cords of Sheol were around me.

The snares of death came on me.

18:6 In my distress I called on Yahweh,

and cried to my God.

He heard my voice out of his temple.

My cry before him came into his ears.

18:7 Then the earth shook and trembled.

The foundations also of the mountains quaked and were shaken,

because he was angry.

18:8 Smoke went out of his nostrils.

Consuming fire came out of his mouth.

Coals were kindled by it.

18:9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down.

Thick darkness was under his feet.

18:10 He rode on a cherub, and flew.

Yes, he soared on the wings of the wind.

18:11 He made darkness his hiding place, his pavilion around him,

darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.

18:12 At the brightness before him his thick clouds passed,

hailstones and coals of fire.

18:13 Yahweh also thundered in the sky.

The Most High uttered his voice:

hailstones and coals of fire.

18:14 He sent out his arrows, and scattered them;

Yes, great lightning bolts, and routed them.

18:15 Then the channels of waters appeared.

The foundations of the world were laid bare at your rebuke, Yahweh,

at the blast of the breath of your nostrils.

18:16 He sent from on high.

He took me.

He drew me out of many waters.

18:17 He delivered me from my strong enemy,

from those who hated me; for they were too mighty for me.

18:18 They came on me in the day of my calamity,

but Yahweh was my support.

18:19 He brought me forth also into a large place.

He delivered me, because he delighted in me.

18:20 Yahweh has rewarded me according to my righteousness.

According to the cleanness of my hands has he recompensed me.

18:21 For I have kept the ways of Yahweh,

and have not wickedly departed from my God.

18:22 For all his ordinances were before me.

I didn’t put away his statutes from me.

18:23 I was also blameless with him.

I kept myself from my iniquity.

18:24 Therefore Yahweh has rewarded me according to my righteousness,

according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.

18:25 With the merciful you will show yourself merciful.

With the perfect man, you will show yourself perfect.

18:26 With the pure, you will show yourself pure.

With the crooked you will show yourself shrewd.

18:27 For you will save the afflicted people,

but the haughty eyes you will bring down.

18:28 For you will light my lamp, Yahweh.

My God will light up my darkness.

18:29 For by you, I advance through a troop.

By my God, I leap over a wall.

18:30 As for God, his way is perfect.

The word of Yahweh is tried.

He is a shield to all those who take refuge in him.

18:31 For who is God, except Yahweh?

Who is a rock, besides our God,

18:32 the God who arms me with strength, and makes my way perfect?

18:33 He makes my feet like deer’s feet,

and sets me on my high places.

18:34 He teaches my hands to war,

so that my arms bend a bow of bronze.

18:35 You have also given me the shield of your salvation.

Your right hand sustains me.

Your gentleness has made me great.

18:36 You have enlarged my steps under me,

My feet have not slipped.

18:37 I will pursue my enemies, and overtake them.

Neither will I turn again until they are consumed.

18:38 I will strike them through, so that they will not be able to rise.

They shall fall under my feet.

18:39 For you have armed me with strength to the battle.

You have subdued under me those who rose up against me.

18:40 You have also made my enemies turn their backs to me,

that I might cut off those who hate me.

 

18:41 They cried, but there was none to save;

even to Yahweh, but he didn’t answer them.

18:42 Then I beat them small as the dust before the wind.

I cast them out as the mire of the streets.

18:43 You have delivered me from the strivings of the people.

You have made me the head of the nations.

A people whom I have not known shall serve me.

18:44 As soon as they hear of me they shall obey me.

The foreigners shall submit themselves to me.

18:45 The foreigners shall fade away,

and shall come trembling out of their close places.

18:46 Yahweh lives; and blessed be my rock.

Exalted be the God of my salvation,

18:47 even the God who executes vengeance for me,

and subdues peoples under me.

18:48 He rescues me from my enemies.

Yes, you lift me up above those who rise up against me.

You deliver me from the violent man.

18:49 Therefore I will give thanks to you, Yahweh, among the nations,

and will sing praises to your name.

18:50 He gives great deliverance to his king,

and shows loving kindness to his anointed,

to David and to his seed, forevermore.

 

Click or Tap here to listen to or save this as an audio mp3 file

d~ dddd

You can now purchase our Partakers books! Please do click or tap here to visit our Amazon site!