The Song of Psalms Sermon Series

I just realized that I never posted the Psalm sermon series we did almost two years ago called The Song of Psalms. We highlighted a number of the genres within the Psalms. But better late than never.


Sermons

October 16, 2011 | Psalm 23 - The Lord is My Shepherd: Peace in the Shepherd's Arms
October 23, 2011 | Psalm 99 - The Lord is My King
October 30, 2011 | Psalm 8 - The Lord is My Lord
November 6, 2011 | Psalm 1: The Lord is My Delight
November 13, 2011 | Psalm 51:  The Lord is My Salvation
November 20, 2011 | Psalm 136: The Lord is My God
November 27, 2011 | Psalm 22: The Lord is My Deliverer
December 18, 2011 | Psalm 137 - The Lord is My Refuge



Previous Sermons

November 20, 2011 | Psalm 23:1 - The Peace of Contentment
August 2, 2009 - Psalm 23:2: Peace of Rest
August 9, 2009 - Psalm 23:3: The Peace of Restoration (notes only)
August 16, 2009 - Psalm 23:4: "The Peace of Comfort"
August 23, 2009 - Psalm 23:5: The Peace of the Shepherd's Sovereignty
August 30, 2009 - Psalm 23:6: The Peace of the Shepherd's Providence 


Other Links

Everything is Awesome But Nobody is Happy: A Late Night Sermon on Psalm 1
Spurgeon on Psalm 137
Repost | Justice and the Implications of Atheism: Doug Wilson Hits the Nail on Its Head
Weekly Recommendation - "A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23"
Weekly Recommendation: "Traveling Light"
Weekly Recommendation - "Restore My Soul" 
Weekly Recommendation - "Finding Peace"


Other Series

The Sermon on the Mount Series
Matthew 1-18 | The King Has Come: The Gospel According to Matthew Series
The Last Week of Jesus: From Triumphal Entry to Triumphal Grave Series
The Tempter and the Tempted: Overcoming Temptation With the Gospel of Christ Sermon Series
Jonah: Salvation is From the Lord Sermon Series
Faith in the Midst of God-Ordained Storms Sermon Series
Ruth: Where Providence and Grace Kiss Sermon Series
Haggai: Consider Your Ways Sermon Series
God: Proper Theology Proper Sermon Series
Fruitie-Tales: Living By the Fruit of the Spirit
Basic Christianity Series
Revelation Study

November 27, 2011 | Psalm 22: The Lord is My Deliverer

Last Sunday we looked at another Psalm of David.  This one is both a Psalm of Lament and a Messianic Psalm.  Next to Isaiah 53, no other text in the Old Testament offer us such vivid and accurate descriptions of the cross than this.  Yet in all of it, we not only see Christ hanging on the cross for our sins, but we hear the cries of a desperate man pleading for help trusting his God will deliver him.





Audio
Notes


For more:

December 18, 2011 | Psalm 137 - The Lord is My Refuge

This past Sunday we concluded our series looking at the various genres of Psalms called The Songs of Psalms.  I hope it has been helpful to you as it has been to me.  Each week I had the joy to dive deeply into these great writers and their songs and was encouraged, challenged, and exhorted each week.  Preaching and studying the Psalms isn't always easy, but it is always worth the work.  Here is the last sermon in our series from the Imprecatory Psalm, 137.





Audio
Notes


For more:
GBC - Spurgeon on Psalm 137
GBC - Repost | Justice and the Implications of Atheism: Doug Wilson Hits the Nail on Its Head
Sermon - October 16, 2011 | Psalm 23 - The Lord is My Shepherd: Peace in the Shepherd's Arms
Sermon - October 23, 2011 | Psalm 99 - The Lord is My King
Sermon - October 30, 2011 | Psalm 8 - The Lord is My Lord
Sermon - November 6, 2011 | Psalm 1: The Lord is My Delight
Sermon - November 13, 2011 | Psalm 51:  The Lord is My Salvation
Sermon - November 20, 2011 | Psalm 136: The Lord is My God

Spurgeon on Psalm 137

The mother of all Imprecatory Psalms, 137, is a real challenge especially verse 9 which calls for the infaticide of the children of Babylon in violent language:  How blessed will be the one who seizes and dashes your little ones Against the rock. The apparent barbarism of this verse is immediately apparent and how do we reconcile a verse like this (and others could be used here) with the message of Scripture of grace, forgiveness, and mercy?

Well, the Prince of Preachers, Charles H. Spurgeon, warned us of viewing this in the wrong light.  He writes:

Let those find fault with it who have never seen their temple burned, their city ruined, their wives ravished, and after children slain; they might not, perhaps, be quite so velvet mouthed if they had suffered after this fashion. It is one thing to talk of the bitter feeling which moved captive Israelites in Babylon, and quite another thing to be captives ourselves under a savage and remorseless power, which knew not how to show mercy, but delighted in barbarities to the defenceless. -Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Psalm 137.

Spurgeon, as always, is right.  It is easy for us to judge the Psalmist for his strong language, but just listen to the voice of the mother who pleads for the death penalty against the man who murdered her child. Is it barbarism or a cry for justice and vengeance?  This Psalm is echoed in the voice of the angry father who’s daughter was raped. This Psalm is echoed in the voice of the child who watches his parents destroy each other in anger and abuse.  This Psalm is echoed in the voice of a nation who at the rubble of two buildings scream, “Go get them George!” Who then replies, “I hear you, the whole world hears you, and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon!”

Before we speak in outrage over this text, let us realize that we have uttered similar things and it is right to beg God to defend the righteous and to judge the wicked.


For more:
Sermon - October 16, 2011 | Psalm 23 - The Lord is My Shepherd: Peace in the Shepherd's Arms
Sermon - October 23, 2011 | Psalm 99 - The Lord is My King
Sermon - October 30, 2011 | Psalm 8 - The Lord is My Lord
Sermon - November 6, 2011 | Psalm 1: The Lord is My Delight
Sermon - November 13, 2011 | Psalm 51:  The Lord is My Salvation
Sermon - November 20, 2011 | Psalm 136: The Lord is My God

Repost | Justice and the Implications of Atheism: Doug Wilson Hits the Nail on Its Head

Sunday we will be discussing Psalm 137 - the mother of all Imprecatory Psalms.  As I sit here and prepare, I can't help but think about how the dangerous implications of the church's effort to wussify God.  By watering down what it means to love and defining God as love with that weak definition can lead to only 2 logical conclusions about God and evil:

If wrongs will not be made right, if judgment will not reign down, if wickedness will not be destroyed either (1) God is either Wicked or a Wimp or (2) Wickedness & evil are relative & illusions.

I came across this realization from a brief quote from Douglas Wilson.  Consider the following:

The following quote was just published by Doug Wilson at his blog Blog and Mablog regarding the difference between Christianity and atheism regarding justice and the problem of theodicy.  It is simply too good to not to pass along.  The quote is taken from Wilson's book Letter From a Christian Citizen:  A Response to "Letter to a Christian Nation" by Sam Harris.

If the two of us [an atheist and Christian] were looking at a new report of the latest atrocity, I would say that at some point in the future, in some fundamental way, that will be put right. You want to say, as an atheist, that it will not ever be put right. But you refuse, for some reason, to take the next logical step and admit that there is therefore nothing wrong with it now. (54).

I can't think of a better way of confronting the issue of theodicy with an atheist then that.  Great post from Wilson.


HT:  Doug Wilson 


For more:
Blogizomai - Collision:  An Important Documentary About Faith and Atheism  
Blogizomai - Atheism and Moral Relativistic Parenting: Touchstone Takes on Harris
Blogizomai - Harris on the Science of Morality:  Nice Try But No Cigar  
Blogizomai - Natural Morality:  The Disconnect Between Darwinism and Morality
Blogizomai -Freud's Wish Fulfillment: Why Atheism Can't Explain Atheism
Blogizomai -The Atheist Debates
Blogizomai -Atheism Is Not Great - The D'Souza and Hitchens Debate
Blogizomai -John Lennox: The New Atheism and the Gospel  Blogizomai -D'Souza: Are Atheists Cultural Christians
Blogizomai -Survival of the Moral: Can Man Be Moral Without God?
Blogizomai - Re: Survival of the Moral: Can Man Be Moral Without God?
Review -"Atheism Remix" by Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr.
Review -"The Delusion of Disbelief" by David Aikman
Review -"The End of Reason" by Ravi Zacharias
Review -What's So Great About Christianity? by Dinesh D'Souza

Review - "Life After Death" by Dinesh D'Souza 

Reviews -D'Souza - Letters To A Young Conservative 

Reviews -  D'Souza - Ronald Reagan 

Reviews - Mohler:  An Argument Against Atheists - Dinesh D'Souza on Christianity

November 20, 2011 | Psalm 136: The Lord is My God

The Sunday before Thanksgiving we studied Psalm 136; a great congregational Psalm that calls on us to affirm the everlasting love of our God.  A great text.  A great Psalm.





Audio
Notes


For more:
GBC - FLAME - Power [with Rap-Along lyrics]
GBC - The Most Terrifying Truth of God: He is Good
Sermon - October 16, 2011 | Psalm 23 - The Lord is My Shepherd: Peace in the Shepherd's Arms
Sermon - October 23, 2011 | Psalm 99 - The Lord is My King
Sermon - October 30, 2011 | Psalm 8 - The Lord is My Lord
Sermon - November 6, 2011 | Psalm 1: The Lord is My Delight
Sermon - November 13, 2011 | Psalm 51:  The Lord is My Salvation

November 20, 2011 | Psalm 23:1 - The Peace of Contentment

A few weeks ago, I had the wonderful opportunity to preach at Friendship Baptist Church just north of Hardinsburg.  I preached an old sermon from our series on Psalm 23 and the Fruit of the Spirit.  Below is the audio and notes from that night.





Audio
Notes

November 13, 2011 | Psalm 51: The Lord is My Salvation

I had some computer problems and am finally back up and running.  Here is the audio and the notes from the sermon from November 13 from Psalm 51 written after David was confronted by Nathan the Prophet regarding his sexual sin with Bathsheba and his act of murder against her husband Uriah.





Audio
Notes


For more:

Sermon - October 16, 2011 | Psalm 23 - The Lord is My Shepherd: Peace in the Shepherd's Arms
Sermon - October 23, 2011 | Psalm 99 - The Lord is My King
Sermon - October 30, 2011 | Psalm 8 - The Lord is My Lord
Sermon - November 6, 2011 | Psalm 1: The Lord is My Delight

November 6, 2011 | Psalm 1: The Lord is My Delight

Here is Sunday's message.  So far in our series on the Psalms, we have discovered the the Lord is my Shepherd, my King, my Lord, and now, my Delight.


Audio
Notes 





For more:
GBC - Everything is Awesome But Nobody is Happy: A Late Night Sermon on Psalm 1
Sermon - October 16, 2011 | Psalm 23 - The Lord is My Shepherd: Peace in the Shepherd's Arms
Sermon - October 23, 2011 | Psalm 99 - The Lord is My King
Sermon - October 30, 2011 | Psalm 8 - The Lord is My Lord
Sermon - January 17, 2010 - Matthew 5:1-12: If Your Joyful and You Know It . . .
Sermon - Matthew 5:1-4 - The Joy of Spiritual Humility - Audio
Sermon - Matthew 5:5 - Starving? Why Wait? - Audio
Sermon - Matthew 5:6-9 - The Joy of Holiness - Audio
Sermon - Matthew 5:10-12 - The Joy of Being Hated - Audio

Everything is Awesome But Nobody is Happy: A Late Night Sermon on Psalm 1

Sunday we'll be looking at the Wisdom psalm found in Psalm 1.  The Psalm begins with How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked . . .  The word blessed carries the idea of joy and happiness and as I continue to prepare for worship Sunday, the following video keeps coming to my mind.  I know nothing of the comedian in the video (I know a little about Conan O'Brien), but even the secular world hits the nail on the head.

Everything is awesome, but nobody is happy.  So true.  This out to be a reminder of our tail-chasing ways.  We keep looking for lasting joy and happiness but few of us ever find it.  But as Psalm 1;1-2 suggests, How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.





For more:
Sermon - October 16, 2011 | Psalm 23 - The Lord is My Shepherd: Peace in the Shepherd's Arms  
Sermon - October 23, 2011 | Psalm 99 - The Lord is My King
Sermon - October 30, 2011 | Psalm 8 - The Lord is My Lord 
Sermon - August 2, 2009 - Psalm 23:2: Peace of Rest
Sermon - August 9, 2009 - Psalm 23:3: The Peace of Restoration (notes only)
Sermon - August 16, 2009 - Psalm 23:4: "The Peace of Comfort"
Sermon - August 23, 2009 - Psalm 23:5: The Peace of the Shepherd's Sovereignty
Sermon - August 30, 2009 - Psalm 23:6: The Peace of the Shepherd's Providence 
GBC - Weekly Recommendation - "A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23"
GBC - Weekly Recommendation: "Traveling Light"
GBC - Weekly Recommendation - "Restore My Soul" 
GBC - In More Detail: Repost of the Beatitudes
GBC - Bonhoeffer: The Meaning of Poor In Spirit and the Joy of Being Spiritual Bankrupt  

October 30, 2011 | Psalm 8 - The Lord is My Lord

The third sermon in our series entitled, "The Songs of Psalms" looks at the great Hymn Psalm 8 which extols God as Creator who is majestic. The Psalm opens and concludes with the simple truth that Yahweh is our Lord. Psalm 8 is one of the more popular Psalm and rightfully so. God is majestic and even in the expanse of the cosmos, He knows our names.





Audio
Notes


For more:

October 23, 2011 | Psalm 99 - The Lord is My King

The second sermon in our series, "The Song of Psalms" is an Enthronement Psalm that glorifies our God as King. Psalm 99 is a great Psalm though it is oftentimes overlooked. God's Sovereignty - His rule as King - is an important doctrine with very practical truths.





Audio
Notes


For more:
Sermon - October 10, 2010 - God is Sovereign
GBC - MacDonald on Divine Sovereignty
GBC - Charles Hodge on Sovereignty
GBC - God's Sovereignty Defined: A. W. Pink on The Doctrine of Divine Sovereignty
Sermon - April 18, 2010 - Haggai 2:1-9: And the Lord Said, "Get-r-Done"
Sermon - August 23, 2009 - Psalm 23:5: The Peace of the Shepherd's Sovereignty
Sermon - Sunday Night - "The Agony of Job and the Sovereingnty of God
GBC - Tony Evans on God and Purpose

October 16, 2011 | Psalm 23 - The Lord is My Shepherd: Peace in the Shepherd's Arms

We have begun a new sermon series looking at the book of Psalms highlighting a number of its various genres. The series is being titled "The Song of Psalms" and we will be in the book each week until Christmas. The book of Psalms has been a source of comfort and peace for countless believers throughout the centuries.

We begin with the most beloved Psalm - Psalm 23.






Audio
Notes


For more:
Sermon - August 2, 2009 - Psalm 23:2: Peace of Rest
Sermon - August 9, 2009 - Psalm 23:3: The Peace of Restoration (notes only)
Sermon - August 16, 2009 - Psalm 23:4: "The Peace of Comfort"
Sermon - August 23, 2009 - Psalm 23:5: The Peace of the Shepherd's Sovereignty
Sermon - August 30, 2009 - Psalm 23:6: The Peace of the Shepherd's Providence
GBC - Fruitie-Tales: Living By the Fruit of the Spirit Series  
GBC - Weekly Recommendation - "Finding Peace"
GBC - Weekly Recommendation - "A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23"
GBC - Weekly Recommendation: "Traveling Light"
GBC - Weekly Recommendation - "Restore My Soul" 

August 30, 2009 - Psalm 23:6: The Peace of the Shepherd's Providence

Notes

August 23, 2009 - Psalm 23:5: The Peace of the Shepherd's Sovereignty

Here are my notes.

August 16, 2009 - Psalm 23:4: "The Peace of Comfort"

Here are the notes. Click on title to download the audio.

The Peace of Restoration

I do not have any audio, only notes. Click here for the notes.

Peace of Rest

I know its a little late, but better later than never. Click here for the notes.

Weekly Recommendation - "Restore My Soul"

About a year ago, Amanda and I traveled to Chicago in order to attend Harvest Bible Chapel whose senior pastor is Dr. James MacDonald. I first came across Dr. MacDonald after listening to his radio program Walk in the Word. MacDonald was preaching a sermon on Luke 2 and the story of Simeon. I was immediately hooked. Since that moment during my senior year in high school, I have had a number of opportunities to hear and meet Dr. MacDonald in person. To this day, he remains a huge influence in my life.

While at Harvest Bible Chapel, I picked up one of his books, "Restore My Soul: A Fresh Look at Psalm 23." Before we left Chicago, I had read the entire book!

The book, as the title suggests, covers Psalm 23, verse-by-verse. But James has an interesting style. As a pastor, he cares as much as about the original meaning of the text as he does how it applies to one's life. So while he spends time dealing with textual issues, background, and the meaning of the text, he immediately applies it to our lives. MacDonald has an amazing ability to write as if he was writing to me. MacDonald is ready to both exhort the reader to repentance and to encourage the reader to persevere.

Although the book may be hard to find, I strongly encourage you to find it. Among the many books I read each week as we continue to walk through Psalm 23, this is one of my favorites. Keller gives great insight into what it is like to be a shepherd. Lucado gives great illustrations for the text. But MacDonald provides great instruction that springs from the text.

I strongly recommend this book and I encourage everyone to not limit their study of Psalm 23 to just Sunday mornings as we walk through this infamous Psalms. But continue to study, apply, and live this Psalm and we will live in peace in the midst of a chaotic world.

For more:
Official Website
Straight Up Blog
Book Review - "Gripped By The Greatness of God" (probably my favorite book by MacDonald)
"Why James MacDonald Is Not Emerging"
McDonald: I Want the Whole Gospel

Weekly Recommendation - "A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23"

This upcoming Sunday, which will also be Glen Dean Days, we will begin looking at the third Fruit of the Spirit: peace. For the next several weeks we will be looking at one of most popular and beloved passages of Scripture: Psalm 23. I can think of no better resource than Philip Keller's "A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23." Chances are you will find this book in the classic section in most Christian bookstores. It is a classic and it is still valuable today.

The book is exactly what the title suggests: the author uses his experience as a shepherd to explain the meaning behind Psalm 23. The author's first hand experience provides the reader with some very important and key insight into this incredible text. I strongly encourage everyone to read it.

For More:

Weekly Recommendation: "A Gardener Looks at the Fruits of the Spirit"

My Review: A Shepherd Looks at the 23rd Psalm