The Psalms in today’s and tomorrow’s readings focus on the purpose of praise and worship. His praise should always be on our lips and in our hearts.
Psalms 145: Great Is the LORD A Song of Praise. Of David.
1 I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever.
3 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.
4 One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts.
5 On the glorious splendour of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
6 They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds, and I will declare your greatness.
7 They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.
8 The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.
10 All your works shall give thanks to you, O LORD, and all your saints shall bless you!
11 They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom and tell of your power,
12 to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendour of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. [The LORD is faithful in all his words and kind in all his works.]
14 The LORD upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season.
16 You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing.
17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works.
18 The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfils the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them.
20 The LORD preserves all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.
21 My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD, and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.
Psalms 146: Put Not Your Trust in Princes
1 Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul!
2 I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
3 Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
4 When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish.
5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God,
6 who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever;
7 who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free;
8 the LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous.
9 The LORD watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
10 The LORD will reign forever, your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the LORD!
Psalms 147: He Heals the Brokenhearted
1 Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.
2 The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel.
3 He heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds.
4 He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names.
5 Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.
6 The LORD lifts up the humble; he casts the wicked to the ground.
7 Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; make melody to our God on the lyre!
8 He covers the heavens with clouds; he prepares rain for the earth; he makes grass grow on the hills.
9 He gives to the beasts their food, and to the young ravens that cry.
10 His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,
11 but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.
12 Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion!
13 For he strengthens the bars of your gates; he blesses your children within you.
14 He makes peace in your borders; he fills you with the finest of the wheat.
15 He sends out his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly.
16 He gives snow like wool; he scatters frozen dew like ashes.
17 He hurls down his crystals of ice like crumbs; who can stand before his cold?
18 He sends out his word, and melts them; he makes his wind blow and the waters flow.
19 He declares his word to Jacob, his statutes and rules to Israel.
20 He has not dealt thus with any other nation; they do not know his rules. Praise the LORD!
Things to think about…
1. Our purpose on earth is to glorify God. But Psalm 145 says that we are also called to pass on our faith to the next generation, Ps 145:4 and to declare His mighty deeds and splendour to the children of men, vs 12. But consider how this is done. By showing that the LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, because He is good to all, and His mercy is over all that He has made, Ps 145:8&9. Grumpy, angry, discontented Christians, let the side down. If this is your disposition – STOP IT! You are a bad witness and your character is in denial of the character of Christ, who you say is yours. We see too much of this online don’t we. Do as Paul says – “Rejoice always and again I say rejoice”, Phil 4:4. This honours Christ and is a faithful witness from those who know, love and worship the Lord.
2. Look at all the energy, time and expense that surrounds the American elections. The world puts a lot of expectation upon its leaders. But the psalmist says we cannot rely on them, Ps 146:3. They have no power of salvation in themselves and one day they will perish. The exact opposite is true for our God. He is the Saviour for eternity. He is the One who sets the prisoners free, vs 7. It says He upholds the widow and the fatherless. We have many single parent families today. They need our love and support. The church is our Lord’s answer in our city to reverse this tragic situation where there is comfort, support and encouragement, regardless of the situation. My wife and I have come from non-Christian families. The church must be a place of peace for all of us and we fight to keep it being focussed on what a true family in Christ looks like.
3. Do you enjoy singing worship songs? If not, you are in disagreement with the writer of Ps 147, who says it is pleasant, good and fitting, vs 1. Lift up your voice this Sunday as we gather together to worship. If you struggle to do this, pray that the Lord reveals the source of the discontent. Please don’t think the source should be traced to the songs or the worship leader. While our worship leaders vary in style, their desire is to honour the Lord. Worship without praise is generally the result of a heart that is proud and unthankful. Consider God’s electing love over you and the only appropriate response as described in vs 20. Praise the Lord!
4. Look at the provision of God over His people, Ps 145:12-14. This is not a prosperity gospel, but just the gospel outworking in the lives of believers. He provides abundantly and gives only the best, vs 14. But more than this he controls the weather patterns and the global cycles of rain, wind and snow. In Australia we have considerable periods of drought. We thank God for the rain that that falls, but rather than being influenced by man, the psalmist says the Lord is the one who controls how much rain there is and where it falls.
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 for the gospel and this week’s message - ‘The Mighty One of Jacob’ – Ps 132.
2. Pray for our Kids at Church ministry and the teachers
3. Pray for our Easter services.
4. Pray for Iran and the latest ceasefire agreement.
May the Iranian people see the prophesy of Jer 49:34-39 fulfilled over the coming weeks and months.
5. Pray for the Sacred Minds podcast – starting to come online.
6. Pray for One for Israel and their witness in this time of challenge and conflict.
7. Pray for the church in Australia that it focuses on Christ, His Word and holiness.
8. Pray for our leaders in Australia that they press in closer to Christ.
9. Pray the influence of Russia and China is minimised militarily.
10. The Royal Commission that the Jewish people will feel safe in Australia.
11. Conflict zones- Israel, Iran and Ukraine
12. Pray for new people to step into ministries at CBC – eg worship, café, sound/technical, giving, podcast.
13. Reform and Revival over our city and country.
14. Finances to cover our needs
15. Growth, conversions, joy in the Word and Spirit to increase.
Praise Points
1. Praise God for the Lord’s blessing over our service on Sunday
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. Easter services – Easter Friday 3rd Apr – 9:00qm. Easter Sunday 5th Apr – 9:30am – Kids activities while the message is on.
2. Passion Play at Moogerah Dam – 28th March and Easter Weekend. Ladies and families welcome. Camping available.
3. Prayer meeting Wed 5:30pm at church. Life group begins at 6:30pm. Going through the book of Romans.
4. All Life Groups - Wednesdays.
5. Kids@Church especially our Easter program.
6. Mothers 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 March...
Q. 6. How could the Son of God suffer? A. Christ, the Son of God, became man that he might obey and suffer in our nature.
