Even in our struggles – the promise is deliverance. Hold onto this promise and watch the Lord’s will unfold.
Psalms 10: Why Do You Hide Yourself?
1 Why, O LORD, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?
2 In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor; let them be caught in the schemes that they have devised.
3 For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul, and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the LORD.
4 In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, "There is no God."
5 His ways prosper at all times; your judgments are on high, out of his sight; as for all his foes, he puffs at them.
6 He says in his heart, "I shall not be moved; throughout all generations I shall not meet adversity."
7 His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression; under his tongue are mischief and iniquity.
8 He sits in ambush in the villages; in hiding places he murders the innocent. His eyes stealthily watch for the helpless;
9 he lurks in ambush like a lion in his thicket; he lurks that he may seize the poor; he seizes the poor when he draws him into his net.
10 The helpless are crushed, sink down, and fall by his might.
11 He says in his heart, "God has forgotten, he has hidden his face, he will never see it."
12 Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up your hand; forget not the afflicted.
13 Why does the wicked renounce God and say in his heart, "You will not call to account"?
14 But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation, that you may take it into your hands; to you the helpless commits himself; you have been the helper of the fatherless.
15 Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer; call his wickedness to account till you find none.
16 The LORD is king forever and ever; the nations perish from his land.
17 O LORD, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear
18 to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.
Psalms 11: The LORD Is in His Holy Temple To the choirmaster. Of David.
1 In the LORD I take refuge; how can you say to my soul, "Flee like a bird to your mountain,
2 for behold, the wicked bend the bow; they have fitted their arrow to the string to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart;
3 if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?"
4 The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD's throne is in heaven; his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man.
5 The LORD tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.
6 Let him rain coals on the wicked; fire and sulphur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.
7 For the LORD is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face.
Psalms 12: The Faithful Have Vanished To the choirmaster: according to The Sheminith. A Psalm of David.
1 Save, O LORD, for the godly one is gone; for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man.
2 Everyone utters lies to his neighbour; with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.
3 May the LORD cut off all flattering lips, the tongue that makes great boasts,
4 those who say, "With our tongue we will prevail, our lips are with us; who is master over us?"
5 "Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan, I will now arise," says the LORD; "I will place him in the safety for which he longs."
6 The words of the LORD are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times.
7 You, O LORD, will keep them; you will guard us from this generation forever.
8 On every side the wicked prowl, as vileness is exalted among the children of man.
Things to think about…
1. Psalm 10 has resonated more than once with me. “Where are you God”? Why do the wicked prosper, etc? But then the Psalm changes to describe the atheist, the one who says “there is no God”, Ps 10:4. Down to vs 13 it describes the rebellion and heart motivation of the person who has no faith or desire to know God. King David describes him as “greedy for gain”, “pride of his face”, “His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression; under his tongue are mischief and iniquity”, “he murders the innocent”, etc. These are the heart motivations of someone who is anti-Christ. But this is not where the Psalmist finishes. He acknowledges that God is still the king, vs 14 and that “you do see, for you note mischief and vexation”, and that ultimately the Lord will judge and be a just judge “to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more”, vs 18. This psalm and others like it (Psalm 73) are so encouraging to me. Scripture affirms that struggle against God’s answers to prayer are reasonable and even getting angry at His will is a normal experience for the believer. Be encouraged. But remember in your struggle the promises of the Lord’s ultimate purpose, that He will do right vss 14-18.
2. Psalm 11 affirms the Lord’s righteous character. Can you pray with David, “Let him rain coals on the wicked; fire and sulphur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup”? Ps 11:6. I confess I have. How do you reconcile God’s mercy and compassion with this verse? Is God just, merciful and compassionate? We know that He is. All of the above is true. There is compassion and mercy as well as wrath and judgement.
3. Psalm 12 is much like Psalm 10 in its tone and message from David. Have you ever felt that evil has an overwhelming presence that crushes any presence of God’s goodness? Again, you are not alone. David felt the same in Psalm 12. The promise is “You, O LORD, will keep them; you will guard us from this generation forever.” Ps 12:7. Even though “On every side the wicked prowl, as vileness is exalted among the children of man”, vs 8. We can be very discouraged with the spiritual state of our community and think that the godly have perished from the earth. Elijah, Isaiah and Jeremiah felt the same. But of course, this is not true, the Lord has His people everywhere in every generation. Keep seeking our Saviour the Lord Jesus regardless of the outward circumstances. The promise in Ps 12:7 is still true “you will guard us from this generation forever”. Amen, may it be so.
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 – first one online last week.
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, 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. Ministries back - Prayer meeting Wed 5:30pm at church. Life group begins at 6:30pm. Going through the book of Romans.
2. All Life Groups - Wednesdays.
3. Kids@Church starts up this week.
4. Mother’s Day High tea celebration – Saturday morning, May 9th at Church.
5. Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
6. Tune in again this week on our YouTube page. Subscribe to the CBC channel Chuwar Baptist YouTube channel.
Catechism questions for April...
Q. 7. What is meant by the Atonement? A. Christ satisfying divine justice, by his sufferings and death, in the place of sinners.
