Our Lord is glorified in the midst of the praises of His people. We see in today’s psalms that David drew strength by praising his Saviour. May He be glorified through your praises today.
Psalms 94: The LORD Will Not Forsake His People
1 O LORD, God of vengeance, O God of vengeance, shine forth!
2 Rise up, O judge of the earth; repay to the proud what they deserve!
3 O LORD, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked exult?
4 They pour out their arrogant words; all the evildoers boast.
5 They crush your people, O LORD, and afflict your heritage.
6 They kill the widow and the sojourner, and murder the fatherless;
7 and they say, "The LORD does not see; the God of Jacob does not perceive."
8 Understand, O dullest of the people! Fools, when will you be wise?
9 He who planted the ear, does he not hear? He who formed the eye, does he not see?
10 He who disciplines the nations, does he not rebuke? He who teaches man knowledge---
11 the LORD---knows the thoughts of man, that they are but a breath.
12 Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O LORD, and whom you teach out of your law,
13 to give him rest from days of trouble, until a pit is dug for the wicked.
14 For the LORD will not forsake his people; he will not abandon his heritage;
15 for justice will return to the righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it.
16 Who rises up for me against the wicked? Who stands up for me against evildoers?
17 If the LORD had not been my help, my soul would soon have lived in the land of silence.
18 When I thought, "My foot slips," your steadfast love, O LORD, held me up.
19 When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.
20 Can wicked rulers be allied with you, those who frame injustice by statute?
21 They band together against the life of the righteous and condemn the innocent to death.
22 But the LORD has become my stronghold, and my God the rock of my refuge.
23 He will bring back on them their iniquity and wipe them out for their wickedness; the LORD our God will wipe them out.
Psalms 95: Let Us Sing Songs of Praise
1 Oh come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
3 For the LORD is a great God, and a great King above all gods.
4 In his hand are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains are his also.
5 The sea is his, for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land.
6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!
7 For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you hear his voice,
8 do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,
9 when your fathers put me to the test and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.
10 For forty years I loathed that generation and said, "They are a people who go astray in their heart, and they have not known my ways."
11 Therefore I swore in my wrath, "They shall not enter my rest."
Psalms 96: Worship in the Splendour of Holiness
1 Oh sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth!
2 Sing to the LORD, bless his name; tell of his salvation from day to day.
3 Declare his glory among the nations, his marvellous works among all the peoples!
4 For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods.
5 For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the LORD made the heavens.
6 Splendour and majesty are before him; strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.
7 Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength!
8 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts!
9 Worship the LORD in the splendour of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth!
10 Say among the nations, "The LORD reigns! Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity."
11 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
12 let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy
13 before the LORD, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his faithfulness.
Psalms 97: The LORD Reigns
1 The LORD reigns, let the earth rejoice; let the many coastlands be glad!
2 Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
3 Fire goes before him and burns up his adversaries all around.
4 His lightnings light up the world; the earth sees and trembles.
5 The mountains melt like wax before the LORD, before the Lord of all the earth.
6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the peoples see his glory.
7 All worshipers of images are put to shame, who make their boast in worthless idols; worship him, all you gods!
8 Zion hears and is glad, and the daughters of Judah rejoice, because of your judgments, O LORD.
9 For you, O LORD, are most high over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods.
10 O you who love the LORD, hate evil! He preserves the lives of his saints; he delivers them from the hand of the wicked.
11 Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart.
12 Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name!
Things to think about…
1. Do you ever feel righteous anger and indignation rise up within you? That’s how David felt as he wrote Psalm 94. He is angered by the overt wickedness that was being expressed in his day. We feel the same with many things that go on today don’t we. How do you maintain the balance of knowing when to get involved to say and do something, as opposed to holding back and trusting in the Lord to make things right? The consolation of of course is that when tough things happen to us as the Lord’s people David tells us “Blessed is the man whom you discipline, O LORD, and whom you teach out of your law”, vs 12. The writer to the Hebrews echoes this in Heb12:6.
2. In Psalm 94:13-23 we see the overarching rule of the Lord in the affairs of the world and the ultimate justification of the just and the judgement of the wicked. May the church reflect this truth by embracing holiness and faithfulness to the word and endure to the end.
3. Look at Psalm 95:9. Do you look for continual proofs that the Lord is there by His tangible presence. Such constant affirmation can be part on an unbelieving heart. The Israelites in the wilderness for 40 years had seen the Lord’s provision through water from the rock and manna from heaven every day, yet their hearts were hard. Our Lord has met all our needs in Christ. What more do we want? The Israelites did not enter His rest, Ps 95:13, but we have entered true rest in Christ, Hebrews 3&4.
4. We are called to sing and praise His name. Psalm 95 and 96 call us to do this as a response to His works of creation and his character. Sometimes we get so overwhelmed with current thinking that we lose our focus and our vigour to maintain these truths. Meditate again today on the fact that our Lord Jesus has made everything, both seen and unseen and that His character is holy and He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples with faithfulness, Ps 96:13.
5. Worship is central to the life of a Christ centred person. Psalm 96 focusses on His salvation, His works, His splendour and majesty (as we often sign). Therefore, we are encouraged to go out and fulfil Ps 96:10 (in your own words) to some of your neighbours or work colleagues today and see what happens. Knowing that in the end this Lord of all the earth will come as a judge, Ps 96:13.
6. Psalm 97 continues in the same theme of ‘The Lord reigns’. Look at the context – His saints admiring the works of creation and the care the Lord has for His people. This is why acknowledging the Lord through what He has made is so vital. We are loved by Him and as such we should give Him the glory through what He has made. This is why it is important to study the science and evidence surrounding creation. When we study these things we are drawn to the fact that the evidence points to a powerful, supernatural Creator.
Vision Point for cell groups
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Title was “temple and the River of Life” – Reading Ezekiel 47:1-12.
1. Have you ever thought about the Millennium and the Millennial temple. Water is described here as flowing out of the temple and filling the Dead Sea and brimming with life. What do you make of the is picture? When and how will it happen?
2. The only way to experience Jesus as the River of Life and be sustained by the Tree of Life is to deal with sin. Discuss the different situation where the Tree and or the Water of life are seen in the scriptures, eg, Gen 3, Ezek 47, John 4, Rev 22.
3. In the John 7 Jesus is at the temple and shouts out “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'" John 7:37, 38? What is the significance of the place where Jesus said this, as well as the feast that is before celebrated. What relevance has it for us?
4. Pray for each other and the outreach of the gospel.
Prayer Points
1. Carols service 18th December – Family fun Day afternoon/evening 3pm-7pm.
2. Christmas Day Service 25th Dec – on a Sunday this year – service will start at 9:00am.
3. Pray for the leadership of our country.
4. Pray for the people of Iran and Ukraine.
5. The right choice for a full time Youth and Young Adults Pastor to start Jan 2023 and the finances to support them.
6. Health of Ross Goltz
7. More young families and youth into the church.
8. Ministry leaders within the church.
9. Our One for Israel ministry.
10. Pray for other building projects – café roof, the repair of the house roof.
11. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to remain and increase.
Praise Points
1. More visitors on Sunday – pray they remain engaged with the church.
2. Our AGM and discussion moving forward with respect to the Youth and young adults pastor position.
3. The faithful service of Ross Goltz for 9 years as CBC’s treasurer!
4. Worship on Sunday – thankyou and Ben. Dan and Melinda on Words and Hannah on sound. Thankyou. Bec, Fiona and Maddison in café. Thankyou for those who welcomed at the door.
5. All those who faithfully serve in ministries, Worship, Sound/Technical/Kids Church/ Cell Groups/Admin - Bulletins/Finances/Property/Welcoming/Spiritual Leadership/Cafe
6. Joy, peace and grace we see at CBC. Thankyou Lord
Announcements
1. Christmas Day service – 9am Dec 25th.
2. Remember to check your duty rosters.
3. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
4. Tune in again this week on our youtube page. Subscribe to the CBC channel Chuwar Baptist YouTube channel.
