PSALMS 81-90

Today is Wednesday and I have the joy of preaching two chapel services at Grand View Christian Academy and then tonight we are Walking Through The Bible in the mid-week service.  I am so looking forward to that as well.  I know that God is going to meet with us!  I read ten chapters this morning and here are a few items to share:

1) OPEN WIDE- Psalms 81:10 says:  "I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt:  open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it."  God is providing an opportunity based upon His ability.  Since He is the same great God that brought them out of Egypt; He tells them to open their mouth wide, and He will fill it.  In other words, ask me something great, and I will do it.  God wants to do special things for His people.  Earlier in the Bible it says:  "Concerning the works of My hands, command ye me."  God is asking for His people to lay their requests before Him.  Jeremiah reads:  Call upon me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not."  IF you were to open your mouth wide.... what would you ask for?  So ask, that ye might receive, that your joy might be full.  All it takes is an act of faith in God's ability and timing.

2) HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT CHURCH?  David loved the house of God.  In Psalms 84:2, it reads:  "My soul longeth; yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD:  my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God."  Then in verse 10:  "... I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of the wickedness."  Davide loved church!  How do we feel about it?  Shouldn't we love the things that Jesus Loves?  "Who loved it, (the church) and gave Himself for it."  Let us enter God's House with great anticipation and let us long for the gathering of God's people in Church!

3) NO GOOD THING WITHHELD- Psalms 84:11 "... no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly."  If we walk with our LORD, then there is nothing that he would withhold from us that is good.  Simple and yet very profound!

4) SHEW ME A TOKEN!  One of my favorite verses is Psalms 86:17, "Shew me a token for good:  that they which hate me may see it, and be ashamed:  because thou, LORD, has holpen me, and comforted me."  When criticized by people, you don't have the time or inclination to respond to someone who has attacked you with unfair criticism.  You cannot chase down every untruth, and people who are critical would not accept the truth, or any evidence anyway.  So, what is the answer?  The only answer I know is to keep on serving God, loving God, loving people, and trust that someway, somehow, God will vindicate you as His child in whom He has favor.  So when David prays this prayer, it echos my heart as well.  God, shew me a token for good, that my enemies will see that you are still blessing me and using me.  It is all in God's hands anyway, but what wonderful hands to have our conflicts in.  Let us ask God for His tokens of good each day!

5) MANIFESTED- Psalms 90:8 says:  "Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance."  There are many verses that tell us that these secret sins will be made manifested:  Mark 4:22  "For there is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it should come abroad."  1 Corinthians 3:13  "Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is."  Ephesians 5:13  "But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light." Hebrews 4:13 " Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do."  Now, compare these verses with:  Psalms 32:1 "Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered."  Psalms 103:12  "As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us."  God will manifest everything we seek to hide from Him, but cover everything we confess to Him.  Now, this again is not for Salvation.  All of our sins were covered by Christ's atoning blood on Calvary.  But, we can look one way, and be another, and one day we are made "manifest" in His sight.  We are showed to be what we really are!  Now if we are humble in confessing our sins and failures before our God, then there is nothing left to manifest for all of our secret sins have been exposed to the Savior and we have owned up to all of them.  Now when that takes place, here is the response:  1 Corinthians 4:5  "Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God."  We have "praise of God" because.... when God manifests the hidden things of darkness in our hearts, there is nothing to see!!!  Our sin is covered, our transgressions are forgiven!  Wow!  Take your sins to the LORD, and leave them there!!  Praise Jesus!

Well, far too much for today.  God bless you my friend.  Pastor Mike Mutchler