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Sermons

Reverence and Delight

Date: July 21st, 2013
Speaker: David Robinson
Scripture: Psalms 112

Description

The righteous man is immovable and does not fear bad news for God has poured out His love in our hearts.

Scripture: Psalm 112

Sermon Notes:

  1. The Psalms are a mirror of the soul: the penitential Psalms guide us in repentance.  The Psalms are also gospel-centered, offering God’s salvation and restoration (cf. Psalm 103).
  2. The portrait of man in Psalm 112 has many parallels with the portrait of God in Psalm 111.
  3. Because man is the image of God, he gives glory to God.
  4. This Psalm instructs us in the fear of the Lord and delight in His commandments. 
  5. The righteous man is generous and courageous like God.
  6. The Psalm lists the blessings of the man who fears the Lord.
  7. These promises are for the man or woman who fears the Lord and delights in His commandments.
  8. Our response to God is reverent, obedient adoration; we delight in obedience to God’s commandments. 
  9. The fear of God and delight in His word comes not from our own hearts, but from God’s spirit moving within us (Jeremiah 17:9, 32:37-41; Proverbs 14:12).
  10. The immovable character of the righteous cannot be conjured up by our own devices.
  11. We come to God in our sins, in filthy rags; but in Christ we are now washed and cleansed (1 Corinthians 6:10-11; Isaiah 64:6).
  12. Whoever is clothed in Christ is a new creation.  We have a new heart of flesh (Jeremiah 32:37-41).
  13. The delight and joy that God pours out in us leads to the rejoicing and delight in God’s Word.
  14. We often think of wealth and riches (v3) as being stuff, status symbols, etc., but we should not equate the sum of blessings with the sum in our bank account.
  15. God blesses us with resources for a purpose: as wise, gracious stewards we are to distribute freely, give to the poor, and invest in kingdom projects. 
  16. We need to distinguish between a need when someone is out of work, and a need when someone is unwilling to work (1 Thess. 3:10).
  17. In contrast to gifting, the benefit of lending is that the recipient retains their dignity because they are expected to repay the loan, and the funds will be available to help another person in need.  It also develops an intimate relationship of support and accountability (Leviticus 25:35-37; Deuteronomy 15:7-8).
  18. The church has been prone to fads such as giving away all of one’s possessions.  However, the mission of God can be greatly advanced when rich Christians use their wealth to fund the practical ministry of the church (e.g. William Wilberforce).
  19. We are called to generosity with wise judgment; we are to give generously from our hearts (2 Corinthians 8:1-5).
  20. We will hear bad news but we do not need to fear it (Phil. 4:7). We rejoice in our sufferings (Romans 5:3-5).
  21. The righteous man is immovable and does not fear bad news for God has poured out His love in our hearts.
  22. There is cause for fear only among the wicked who will perish.

Application Questions:

  1. What are the blessings outlined in this Psalm for the man who fears the Lord?
  2. What is the source of our fear of God and our delight in His commandments?
  3. How should our attitudes change toward distributing the resources we have been entrusted with?
  4. What are some practical examples of how to be wise about distributing the resources God has entrusted to us?
  5. When we hear of trouble, how are we to respond?

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