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HopeLives365

Sabbath School 1st Quarter 2024: Psalms

Mark Finley

01 How to Read the Psalms

02 Teach us to Pray

03 The Lord Reigns

04 The Lord Hears and Delivers

05 Singing the Lord’s Song in a Strange Land

06 I Will Arise

07 Your Mercy Reaches Unto the Heavens

08 Wisdom for Righteous Living

09 Blessed is He Who Comes in the Name of the Lord

10 Lessons of the Past

11 Longing for God in Zion

12 Worship That Never Ends

13 Wait on the Lord

I'm so glad you've joined us for this series on the Psalms.

Have you been richly blessed as we've been studying the Psalms?

What's the major theme that you have taken away in the first 6 lessons?

Here's my major theme, and that is that human beings are fallen.

They are due to live a life condemned by God because of their sins.

But because of his mercy, because of his kindness, because of his love, they can find forgiveness, they can find grace, and they can find salvation.

The theme of the Psalms is that God is our refuge, he's our defender, he's our strong tower, he's our fortress, he's our rock, He's the Sun that shines in our darkness The Psalms are all about the greatness and majesty of God the weakness of man His goodness now our lesson today is entitled your mercy reaches Unto the Heavens.

The second paragraph in Sabbath afternoon's lesson I think summarizes the lesson.

The Psalms stress the fact that people are fully dependent on God's mercy.

Fortunately, God's mercy is everlasting as evidence in both God's creation and the history of God's people.

I would define it this way, that God's mercy is his steadfast love.

In 1st John chapter 4 verse 8 it says God is love.

God always acts lovingly because that's his very nature and he can't act any other way.

We find that in Monday's lesson in Psalm 136.

Did you notice the repetition in that psalm?

It says, Psalm 136, O give thanks to the Lord for he is good.

Throughout Psalm 136, 26 times it mentions His mercy endures forever.

Why do you think the psalmist mentions that 26 times?

Now there's a little perplexing passage in verse 2.

It says, Oh give thanks to the God of gods.

Why is it that David says give thanks to the God of gods?

The Babylonians had 13 gods, chief god Bel-Marduk.

The Egyptians had multiple gods, Amun-Re.

And so when Psalmist says, give thanks to the God of gods, what he's saying is, you guys may have these other gods, but they're false gods.

They didn't create the world like our God did.

And then in verse 12 of Psalm 136, he says, He talks about the fact that God created the world throughout the psalm that that indicates his power Then in verse 12, it says with a strong hand and outstretched arm His mercy endures forever strong hand Outstretched arm.

What what What picture do you get from that phrase?

You get the idea of beckoning, grace, mercy.

So on this side you have God's strength, his power.

When you come to the end of the lesson on Sunday, it says, Psalm 136, close it with God's universal care of the world, last paragraph, God's mercy is extended.

Now don't miss this, not only to Israel but to all God's creation.

The psalm speaks of the universality of God's saving grace and exhorts the whole world to join Israel's praise of the Lord.

So the psalmists do not see this narrow-minded, limited mercy of God that just goes to the Israelites.

They rather see the greatness and the goodness of God that goes to the whole world.

In Monday's lesson we find David pleading and I think Psalm 51 is 1 of my favorite psalms.

So if you happen to have your Bible and you're at home not listening to this in your car, but if you happen to have your Bible and you are at home, take and turn to Psalm 51.

And I really hope that as we study the lessons together you have a pen, you have a notebook, or you're just taking notes in your Sabbath school quarterly itself.

In Psalm 51 we have that great psalm where David is praying, and he's earnestly seeking God for forgiveness.

And I love to look at the verbs in that psalm.

This is the psalm of David when Nathan the prophet goes to him after David has committed adultery with Bathsheba.

So I want you to think about it from this way.

Nathan the prophet speaks to David about his sin of adultery.

David begins to pray, have mercy on me, O God, according to your loving kindness, according to the multitude of tender mercies.

Blot out my transgressions, wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

You know, let me pause here just for a moment.

When we sin, take the sin of immorality, the sin of pornography, the sin of adultery.

We may hide it from our closest family members.

A man may hide his infidelity from his wife, But we can't hide it from God and we can't hide it from ourself.

And there's something about the guilt of sin that eats away our vital forces.

David is saying here, blot out my transgressions, wash me from my iniquity, cleanse me from my sin." Then notice he says in verse 3, I acknowledge my transgressions.

Forgiveness from God does not come unless we acknowledge our transgressions.

I remember an individual who I talked to a number of times about things in his life who were not in harmony with God's will, places where he had failed, and always he kept saying to me, but Pastor Mark, what about this?

You couldn't speak to him about anything unless he'd make excuses about that.

Always wanting to make excuses for what they've done and their sin.

Make me hear the joy and gladness that the bones that you've broken may rejoice." Pause there, the bones that you have broken.

Series

Sabbath School 1st Quarter 2024: Psalms

07 Your Mercy Reaches Unto the Heavens

Transcript

Parent Series

Sponsor

Recorded

Sabbath School 1st Quarter 2024: Psalms

06 I Will Arise

20m

Plenary

Sabbath School Q&A Panel

57m

WYC 2012 Morning Devotional

Fruits and Gifts, Part 3

48m

The Day That Changes Every Day

28m

To Hell and Back

28m

Jesus On Prophecy

Prophecy, Spiritual Abuse, and the Divine Right of Man

53m

Restore

01 Attention, Affections, and Affairs- First Comes the Covenant, then Comes the Marriage

48m

Revelation Today Crusade

19. The Testimony of Pastor Anil Kanda

46m

Seminars

Understanding the Longest Time Prophecy

50m

GoTential

Who May Live on Your Holy Hill

29m

iShare 2013 Seminar: Sharing in the Spirit

How God Does the Work

1h

Sabbath School 4th Quarter 2025: Lessons of Faith from Joshua

09 Heirs of Promises, Prisoners of Hope

23m

Sound Doctrine