An Ever Present Help
A. THE BEGINNING OF THE PSALM DESCRIBES TERRIBLE EVENTS.
1. Earthquake and floods – Great changes in the earth’s shape (vs. 2-3).
2. Do you remember the Tsunami, the rain and mudslides in California.
B. TO US THESES EVENTS REPRESENT THE TROUBLES OF OUR LIVES.
1. There is sorrow and fear.
2. There often seems to be no hope.
C. THE PURPOSE OF THE PSALM IS TO POINT US TO GOD WHERE HOPE IS.
A. GOD IS OUR ROCK, OUR SOLID GROUND (Psa. 18:2; 62:1-2).
1. He furnishes us with confidence (Psa. 62:5-8).
2. When it seems hopeless, God offers help (Psa. 23:4-6; Hab. 3:16-19).
B. GOD’S POWER SEEN IN JESUS (Matt. 8:23-27).
1. Jesus can calm the storms raging in our minds.
2. Patience and trust in him is the lesson (Psa. 121:1-4).
A. GOD SUSTAINED HIS PEOPLE IN THE WILDERNESS (Deut. 8:16; Psa. 105:40-42).
B. JESUS PROVIDES SUSTENANCE FOR HIS PEOPLE.
1. Living waters (John 4:13-14).
2. Bread out of heaven (John 6:31-35). What does the figure mean? (vs. 40, 58).
3. Whence cometh this belief, where do we go to eat? (vs. 63, 68-69; Rom. 10:17).
A. CREATED FOR FELLOWSHIP.
1. In God’s image (Gen. 1:26).
2. With purpose (Gen. 3:8-9; Psa. 8:3-4). Fellowship.
3. That fellowship is disrupted by sin (Eph. 2:1; Rom. 5:10). The image is tarnished.
4. The effect of sin is done away when we escape sin (2 Pet. 1:4).
5. Reconciliation! (Rom. 5:10). Through the death of his Son.
B. WE ARE CONSCIOUS OF HIS PRESENCE (2 Cor. 6:16; Matt. 28:20).
C. HE IS HERE TO ENCOURAGE AND DELIVER (Phil. 4:4-5).
D. WONDERFUL FELLOWSHIP (Psa. 27:4; 84).
A. THROUGHOUT HISTORY, GOD HAS HAD ENEMIES.
1. Satan called him a liar (Gen. 3:4).
2. Pharoah refused to release God’s people (Ex. 5:1-2).
3. Jezebel (1 Kings 18:3-4; 21:23; 2 Kings 9:30-37).
B. SATAN MAKES WAR IN HEAVEN (Rev. 12:7-10), AND LOSES!
C. HE THEN MAKES WAR ON US (1 Pet. 5:8). Thru persecution and lies (2 Tim. 3:12).
D. THE FATE OF THE ENEMIES OF GOD’S PEOPLE? (2 Thess. 1:7-9; Rev. 20:10 ).
A. OLD TESTAMENT STORIES ARE THERE FOR US TO SEE THE WORKING OF
GOD AMONG THE NATIONS (Rom. 15:4).
1. There we can see the good of being good (Prov. 14:34).
2. We can see that God can do all things (Jer. 32:17).
a. Punish the wicked (Isa. 14:12). Where is Babylon today?
b. Deliver the righteous (Isa. 44:26-28).
B. HOW DO WE REGARD THIS HOPE?
1. God can still do all things (Luke 1:37; Matt. 19:26; Gen. 18:14).
2. Including raise the dead (Acts 26:8; Eph. 1:20).
3. And so he will take care of us (2 Tim. 4:17-18).
4. We are to be still and let God do his work (Psa. 27:13-14).
A. GOD IS WORTHY OF ALL THE PRAISE WE CAN HEAP ON HIM! (vs. 10).
B. FOR THOSE WHO ARE HIS, HE IS AN EVERY PRESENT HELP.
C. ARE YOU HIS? (Gal. 3:26-27).