The final psalms for this week speak of God’s love, protection and guidance in all of life.
Psalms 25: Teach Me Your Paths Of David.
1 To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul.
2 O my God, in you I trust; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me.
3 Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame; they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
4 Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths.
5 Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.
6 Remember your mercy, O LORD, and your steadfast love, for they have been from of old.
7 Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me, for the sake of your goodness, O LORD!
8 Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
9 He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.
10 All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.
11 For your name's sake, O LORD, pardon my guilt, for it is great.
12 Who is the man who fears the LORD? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose.
13 His soul shall abide in well-being, and his offspring shall inherit the land.
14 The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant.
15 My eyes are ever toward the LORD, for he will pluck my feet out of the net.
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me, for I am lonely and afflicted.
17 The troubles of my heart are enlarged; bring me out of my distresses.
18 Consider my affliction and my trouble, and forgive all my sins.
19 Consider how many are my foes, and with what violent hatred they hate me.
20 Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me! Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
21 May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you.
22 Redeem Israel, O God, out of all his troubles.
Psalms 26: I Will Bless the LORD Of David.
1 Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the LORD without wavering.
2 Prove me, O LORD, and try me; test my heart and my mind.
3 For your steadfast love is before my eyes, and I walk in your faithfulness.
4 I do not sit with men of falsehood, nor do I consort with hypocrites.
5 I hate the assembly of evildoers, and I will not sit with the wicked.
6 I wash my hands in innocence and go around your altar, O LORD,
7 proclaiming thanksgiving aloud, and telling all your wondrous deeds.
8 O LORD, I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells.
9 Do not sweep my soul away with sinners, nor my life with bloodthirsty men,
10 in whose hands are evil devices, and whose right hands are full of bribes.
11 But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity; redeem me, and be gracious to me.
12 My foot stands on level ground; in the great assembly I will bless the LORD.
Psalms 27: The LORD Is My Light and My Salvation Of David.
1 The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
2 When evildoers assail me to eat up my flesh, my adversaries and foes, it is they who stumble and fall.
3 Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war arise against me, yet I will be confident.
4 One thing have I asked of the LORD, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple.
5 For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock.
6 And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me, and I will offer in his tent sacrifices with shouts of joy; I will sing and make melody to the LORD.
7 Hear, O LORD, when I cry aloud; be gracious to me and answer me!
8 You have said, "Seek my face." My heart says to you, "Your face, LORD, do I seek."
9 Hide not your face from me. Turn not your servant away in anger, O you who have been my help. Cast me not off; forsake me not, O God of my salvation!
10 For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the LORD will take me in.
11 Teach me your way, O LORD, and lead me on a level path because of my enemies.
12 Give me not up to the will of my adversaries; for false witnesses have risen against me, and they breathe out violence.
13 I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living!
14 Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!
Things to think about…
1. David certainly knew what it was to be surrounded by enemies. Psalm 25 is another cry by David that he be remembered by the Lord and delivered from all his enemies 25:2,3. Notice he says to “Make me know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths. Lead me in your truth and teach me,” in Ps 25:4&5. Truth combats the errors that we have about ourselves, and about God and others. Truth sets us free from a multitude of enemies including sin in heart and society. Keep seeking after and meditating on the truth of God’s word, that you may be free indeed!
2. David asks that the sins of his youth are forgiven by the Lord, Ps 25:7. I have prayed the same. But like David I also sin and now I am an older man. May our din not be remembered at all. Praise the Lord that not only is it forgotten but in Christ it is eternally forgiven.
3. The promise for those who fear the Lord is that their offspring will inherit the land, Ps 25:13. The land was very important to the Israelite and for the Christian as we desire others to inherit the heavenly Canaan. Keep praying for your children and grandchildren that they may inherit Christ and His promises.
4. Keep praying for modern Israel and that David’s prayer to ”redeem Israel” in Ps 25:22 may one day be true.
5. Psalm 26 is as much a prayer as it is a declaration. David says he has kept his heart with integrity, he has been faithful, vs1&3. He hates the wicked but loves the habitation of God’s house. For us this is the church. Praise God for the love and support we receive from our friends in Christ. Never take this for granted, but continue to pray for peace in our spiritual Jerusalem, the pillar and foundation of the truth.
6. There is a modern spin we could put on Psam 26:10, “in whose hands are evil devices”. The online content we consume, even if it is for information, can distract us to the point where we are wasting so much time, we are denied the opportunity of doing something more productive. How many hours are you on your “device”?
7. Psalm 26:12, As with David we also say, “In the great assembly, I will bless the Lord”. Give thanks to God for the church, local and global. Even we have been in times of separation physically, there is still a unity spiritually with each other in the body of Christ.
8. Look at David’s confidence in Psalm 27. He says “Whom shall I fear” in vs 1. We can say the same. If God is for us, who can be against us, Rom 8:31. I have said before that a favourite passage of mine is Rom 8:31-39. This meets with David’s sentiment here in Ps 27. We can have full confidence that our God will do what’s right.
9. Consider also David’s heart in Psalm 27. If you had one thing to ask the Lord and you knew it would be granted, what would it be? For David the request was that he would “dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to inquire in his temple.”, Ps 27:4. He said this before the temple was built. This was a request asked in faith. David simply wanted to be in the Lord’s presence forever. May this also be our chief desire. “Lord take the desires of the flesh away from us and make us yearn more for the heavenly city”.
10. Sometimes our earthly families let us down or do not follow the ways of the Lord. David says in Psalm 27:10 “For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the LORD will take me in.” David caused issues for his parents because of his belief system and the fact that he was an enemy of King Saul. This was through no fault of David. My parents sadly after over 30 years of prayer do not follow the Lord. But while there is life there is hope.
11. David’s final counsel is that the Lord would teach him the way, Ps 27:11. Then David says to himself and to us, “Wait for the LORD; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the LORD!”, he is basically saying, watch this space. This is hard for us in the west where we desire to have an immediate answer and solution for everything. Know that one day the Lord will put us in a place where we will need to wait on Him. If this is where you are at now, may the Lord give you peace and patience as you wait for His answer and deliverance.
Vision statement for CBC
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Prayer points
1. Pray God’s word on Sunday bears fruit of obedience and blessing.
2. Pray for our Mother’s Day event
3. Pray for Iran and the overthrow of a wicked regime.
May the Iranian people see the prophesy of Jer 49:34-39 fulfilled over the coming weeks and months.
4. Pray for the Sacred Minds podcast.
5. Pray for One for Israel and their witness in this time of challenge and conflict.
6. Pray for the church in Australia that it focuses on Christ, His Word and holiness.
7. Pray for our leaders in Australia that they press in closer to Christ.
8. The Royal Commission that the Jewish people will feel safe in Australia.
9. Pray for new people to step into ministries at CBC – eg worship, café, Kids@church, sound/technical, giving, podcast.
10. Reform and Revival over our city and country.
11. Finances to cover our needs
12. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to increase.
Praise Points
1. Praise the Lord for the encouragement the Word of God brought people over the weekend.
2. Praise God for ministries – Life Groups, Prayer meetings, Kids@Church
3. Café team every week. Thankyou to all those who serve and bring food. Especially Fiona, Maddie and Suzy and those who supply it every week Eg Ros - Milk.
4. Worship, Admin and Technical teams – Peter, Nita, Brendon, AJ, Suzy, Maddie, Mathys, Doug.
5. Kids Church teachers – Jacqueline, Maddie, Elise, Anastacia and Fiona
6. The Lord’s faithfulness this year to CBC and all who have served in ministries
7. Joy, peace and grace we see at CBC. Thankyou Lord
Announcements
1. Mother’s Day tea – 10am this Saturday at Church.
2. Ministries back - Prayer meeting Wed 5:30pm at church. Life group begins at 6:30pm. Going through the book of Romans.
3. Members meeting 31st May
4. All Life Groups - Wednesdays.
5. Kids@Church starts up this week.
6. Mother’s Day High tea celebration – Saturday morning, May 9th at Church.
7. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
8. Tune in again this week on our YouTube page. Subscribe to the CBC channel Chuwar Baptist YouTube channel.
Catechism questions for May...
Q 1. Who made you? A. God made me.
Bible references – Gen 1:26, Ps 139:13, 14.
“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known” Jer 33:3
