Psalms

An Introduction to Psalms

January 2, 2022 • Dave Blaha • Psalms

Psalm 1

January 9, 2022 • Pastor Steve Feden • Psalm 1

"How to Find Happiness" We will open our Bibles to Psalm 1, which is familiar territory for many of God's people. Psalm 1 will serve as our intro to our year-long study of the Book of Psalms which will be on Wed nights, starting Jan 12. But for now..... Psalm 1 is simple, clear, and makes no demands. Instead, the Psalmist present two choices and urges the reader to make a decision based on what is presented. The big question is, what kind of life do you want to live? The Declaration of Independence guarantees people of America the right to pursue happiness. Donald Trump promised to "Make America Great Again", but couldn't make Americans happy again. In terms of national "happiness", people from Finland topped the 2018 survey, with Norway, Denmark, Iceland, and Switzerland rounding out the top 5. Those are some cold yet happy people! Brrrr. What about America? A humble 18th place and dropping each year. Regardless of national happiness, and how that is determined, the opening statement of Psalm 1 is "Oh how happy is the man......". And the Psalm goes on to describe the life of a happy man and compare his [or her] life to the opposite. Throughout the Psalm we will see some themes repeated from our recent study of Philippians while asking the questions, "Am I happy?", and "Who is responsible for my happiness?" This is a simple and great Psalm that may help get things on track for 2022. Lord knows, we need it! View and See.....!!!

Psalms 2-3

January 12, 2022 • Pastor Steve Feden • Psalm 2, Psalm 3

"The Heart of Worship" Tonight, after an intro to the Psalms and a little fun, we will start the ball rolling with Psalms 2 and 3. Psalm 2 is quoted a number of times in the NT, and could be title "Rebellion is No Joke". If you have ever thought to yourself, "What's the deal with the world? Why are people so set against Jesus?", then Psalm 2 is for you. I have often taught from Psalm 2 at Megiddo in Israel, just above the Valley of Armageddon. Wanna know why? You will understand after tonight! Psalm 3-5 seem to all be connected together and to an event in the life of King David. A very tough time when his Son Absalom "stole the hearts of the people of Israel". His leadership was undermined by his own good-looking, charismatic, and somewhat bitter son. How does he handle it all as his approval ratings plummet and he is forced off the throne. He is a laughingstock whom people are gossiping about. How would you feel? How would you handle it. The Psalms are full of raw emotion and heart. I believe the fruit of our study will be a return to the heart of worship. May God put a song in our hearts! If your life is dry, and your praise is flat, and you need Psalm-thing to sing about, then..... http://....view AND SEE! Steve

Psalms 4-6

January 19, 2022 • Pastor Steve Feden • Psalm 4, Psalm 5, Psalm 6

"Wake up and look up!" Psalms 4-6 Interestingly, Psalm 4 is a psalm that is for the nighttime, and Psalm 5 is written for the morning! How do you end your day? Do you nod off watching TV, only to wake up in the chair, shut off the TV and drag your exhausted body to the bed? Maybe you check out the news and go to bed angry or stressed about conditions in the world. How do you start your day? Do you start by sucking down a cup of coffee and having that first cigarette? Do you hit the ground running after the alarm startles you? Did you hit "sleep" too many times and now you are running late? Let Psalm 5 encourage you! What about Psalm 6? It's the first of the "penitential psalms" [more on that tonight]. Are you hurting? Feeling guilty or ashamed about something you have done? In Psalm 6 David is struggling. He can't sleep, he is crying all the time, and it is effecting him physically and psychologically. Although we don't know exactly what he is wrestling with, we can certainly appreciate the http://experience...and how he handles it! http://....view AND SEE!

Psalms 7-8

January 26, 2022 • Pastor Steve Feden • Psalm 7, Psalm 8

"Praise and Awe!" While we have three Psalms to look at, Psalm 8 will be a focus. It is awe inspiring and will offer some great opportunity for discussion and thought. When is the last time you experienced the emotion of "awe"? It's not something we talk about very often. Is there an emoji for "awe"? What would it look like. Awe may be experienced at the birth of a baby, the sighting of a tornado, or standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon. Psalm 8 expresses the important feeling of "awe" relative to looking up into outer space and thinking about it. Where did it all come from? Where does it end? How many stars are up there? What keeps them there? Awe makes us feel small and weak and amazed. Awe humbles us. The experience puts us in our place and gives new perspective on what is important. While David looked at the heavens from earth, now we have the ability to look at the earth from the heavens! Astronauts that have been able to see earth from outer space experience something called the "Overview Effect" - a transformative experience that gives new perspective by seeing it from a different angle. Tonight, we will worship and stand in awe of the Creator, and the fact that we have a very special place in the Universe. The God who created the massive and boundless cosmos also attends to the unique inhabitants of planet earth. He numbers the hairs on our head. Maybe you need to join us for pizza and a side order of "awe". If your worship is dry and you life is anxious, then...... http://....view AND SEE! Steve

Psalms 9-10

February 2, 2022 • Pastor Steve Feden • Psalm 9, Psalm 10

"When God Seems Distant" It actually worked out for the best that we didn't cover Psalm 9 last Time. Why is that? Because Psalm 9 is a pair with Psalm 10! In some Bible translations they are joined as one Psalm. Together they form a Hebrew acrostic poem. What's that? You will find out tonight.... If you have ever felt like God was distant at a crucial or painful time, you will connect with the heart of these Psalms. You will find out that your experience is not uncommon. Both Psalms deal with the presence of wickedness. Psalm 10, in my opinion, is particularly disturbing in its accuracy! The problem and issue we all struggle with is that God seems to do nothing about wickedness. In fact, the wicked are empowered by this fact and are hard core atheists doing whatever they want and getting away with it. The poor are taken advantage of, the weak are oppressed, and the wicked grow more and more arrogant. In figurative language, the wicked are described like a lion, lying in wait to catch prey. Like a bystander taking a cell phone video of a crime but failing to intervene, God seems to remain uninvolved. Does He even see? How does the David resolve this tension? Does he struggle to praise God? Does he lose heart because of what he experiences? Does he join the ranks of the atheists? Does he become skeptical of God? I guess you will have to ...... http://....view AND SEE! Steve

Psalms 11-14

February 9, 2022 • Pastor Steve Feden • Psalm 11, Psalm 13, Psalm 14, Psalm 12

Psalms 15-17

February 16, 2022 • Pastor Steve Feden • Psalm 15, Psalm 16, Psalm 17

"Enjoying God" With Psalms 15-17 on the agenda, you can bet we will handle a few different topics, but at least one thing we will discuss in our ability to enjoy relationships! Are your current relationships a source of joy or stress? Parents, are you enjoying your children? Husbands, are you enjoying your wives? Saints, are you enjoying your God? If not, why not? Are we too busy trying to fix or mold or get that we have lost the ability for simple enjoyment of relationship? I can guarantee you that enjoying relationships on the horizontal will grow as you enjoy the vertical relationship! Psalm 15 delineates the character of a person who gets to enjoy the Bedouin-style "tent hospitality" of God! The Bedouin nomad is known for hospitality - opening the tent and extending warmth and protection and fellowship with their guests. who experiences that fellowship with God? Psalm 16 is a sheer celebration of the benefits of entrusting your life to a faithful and good God! The benefit does not flow from simply saying you trust Him, but in reality keeping Him at a distance. If you run to Him for refuge He will care for you, and that care extends from this life even into death. David is so satisfied and pleased with what God has given Him, he would never consider worshipping elsewhere! If you are mostly a "Martha" -- so busy serving God that you have no time to enjoy Him, then tonight's Psalms may be just what you need. How will you know unless you.... http://....view AND SEE! Steve

Psalm 18

February 23, 2022 • Pastor Steve Feden • Psalm 18

"The Lord Lives" - Psalm 18 It was Friedrich Nietzsche whose famously quoted saying, "God is dead". God is dead. God remains dead. And we have killed him, he said. This was a triumphant statement expressing that mankind had emerged from the dark ages and into the age of enlightenment. Reason and philosophy wiped out the need for theology, so they assumed. David disagrees completely. In this personal exchange between David and God, there is a real expression of the hand of God in this man's life and leadership. Written at a time when David has experienced tremendous success politically and militarily, he declares "The Lord lives!" Yes, he does, David. We agree. Nietzsche was just plain wrong. In fact, the more we learn and the more knowledge is acquired, the more ethical and moral dilemmas we seem to face. Also, every answer unlocks ten more questions! Not only does the Lord live, but He is David's Rock. He is a stable and firm place to stand when everything else is moving and shaking. Thank God for God! I am not sure that the experiment in godlessness is going so well for our world. VIEW AND SEE! Steve

Psalms 19-20

March 2, 2022 • Pastor Steve Feden • Psalm 19, Psalm 20

"The Best Sermon Ever" In this video, we will discuss the best sermon ever! God's glory is the topic and the heavens are doing the preaching! The sermon is awesome because it requires no words, has no limited access based on time or geography, and it transcends language! Psalm 19, according to CS Lewis, is one of the greatest poems in the Psalms. It also holds some of the most profound theology. The same God who reveals His glory to mankind in the sky and without words, also reveals His glory on earth through words. There is much to learn from Psalm 19! Psalm 20 reflects a prayer for blessing in time of need. The need is for victory in battle. Maybe it will help us to have in our minds the Russia-Ukraine battle as we read this. We know David understands that success ultimately is not found in a nations or a person's military or individual strength. Strong nations fall. Strong men fall. David's strength was in reliance on God. "Some trust in horses and others in chariots", but David knew those things were not the "be all, end all" for military victory. What did David trust? God question. http://....view AND SEE! Steve

Psalms 21-22

March 9, 2022 • Pastor Steve Feden • Psalm 21, Psalm 22

"A Psalm of the Cross" If you have been a student of the Bible for even a little while, you might recognize the opening plea of Psalm 22. "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me" is one of the seven statements Jesus makes from the cross. Evidently, Jesus wants all who heard Him cry out that day -- all those Jews who knew their scriptures -- to think about Psalm 22. Psalm 21 is a wonderful postscript to Psalm 20. In that Psalm the people prayed for their king. God answered those prayers and in Psalm 21 there in great joy in a God who answers prayer! But Psalm 22 will be our focus. Psalm 22 is remarkable in many ways. It describes suffering and pain and ridicule. In clear imagery it describes crucifixion 1000 years before Jesus and at a time when crucifixion had not yet been utilized as a means of punishment or execution. Other details defy our ability to connect it to anything in the life of David. But as you will see and read, the events connect easily with those surrounding the life and death of Jesus. Although David penned the Psalm 1000 years earlier, the details http://are...well....miraculously prophetic. One quote is of particular interest. "I am a worm and no man." Now there is someone with low self esteem, right? Are these the words of Jesus about Himself? What does He mean by that? What kind of worm? I am certainly not going to tell you, but I promise that the crimson worm will leave you in awe of the precision and purposefulness of God. To get the full story.... http://....view AND SEE! Steve

Psalm 23

March 30, 2022 • Pastor Steve Feden • Psalm 23

"God, My Shepherd & My Host" - Psalms 23 Even people that have never read the Bible are largely familiar with "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want." I can't count the number of times I have referred to this Psalm in part or entirely at a funeral. There is no argument that it is one of the most poetically beautiful poems ever written by that shepherd-king himself, David. But, like so many passages in the Bible, you might know just enough to be dangerous! How well do you real know Psalm 23? It's six verses give not one, but two connected pictures that tell us about God and the benefits of being in His flock and coming under His roof, so to speak. Reading and studying the Psalm is a wonderful experience, but living it and knowing it personally is even better. For a sheep the world is a dangerous place. Having a good shepherd is essential to staying alive and being healthy. I am not sure if we will get to Psalm 24, but Psalm 23 will be the focus for tonight. View and See! ... Steve

Psalms 24-26

April 6, 2022 • Pastor Steve Feden • Psalm 24, Psalm 25, Psalm 26

"For the Troubled Soul" - Psalms 24-26 We will make our way through three Psalms. Psalm 24 opens with God as Creator and Psalm 26 opens with God as a judge. Psalm 25 is where our greater focus will be. Psalm 25, a Psalm of David, is deeply personal. David is a man in trouble, having needs he cannot meet on his own. So he prays. David fluctuates between personal needs and general statements about God. He is a man dependant on the fact that God will be who He says He is. In the Psalms we learn to counsel ourselves from scripture, based on the relationship we have with God. According to the CDC, in 2019 19.2% of U.S. adults received any mental health treatment in the past 12 months, including 15.8% who had taken prescription medication for their mental health and 9.5% who had received counseling or therapy from a mental health professional. It is a good thing to talk to someone when you are struggling and need to be "talked off the proverbial cliff". In other words, you need some encouragement that things will be ok. But as you grow, a real skill is learning to talk yourself off the cliff, as it were. The better you get at processing pain, guilt, shame, etc with God, the faster and more easily it occurs. David is a master at "strengthening Himself in the Lord" [1 Sam 30:6]. How does he do it?? How can you learn to do it? How do you pray when things are tough? Why don't you.... http://....view AND SEE! Steve

Psalms 27-29

April 20, 2022 • Pastor Steve Feden • Psalm 27, Psalm 29, Psalm 28

"The Beauty of the LORD" - Psalms 27-29 With Passion Week in the rearview mirror, we turn our eyes and our hearts back to the Psalms, specifically Psalms 27-29. When you think about or describe God, what words come to mind? Power? Holiness? Wrath? Grace? Love? Forgiveness? How about "beautiful"? We might you that word to describe a woman, but rarely a man, and even more rarely used in connection to God. Beauty usually describes outward appearances based on an accepted standard. Both Psalms 27 and 29 mention the beauty of the LORD. In Psalm 27, David is dealing with fear in his heart as he thinks about the beauty of God. In Psalm 29 he is reflecting on the sheer power and greatness of God. The beauty is connected with holiness, of all things, and not any physical appearance. Culturally, I think you would agree that are are too hung up on outward appearances and external aesthetics, which inevitably fade. We get no physical description of Jesus except that he was not noticeably attractive to people. In fact People Magazine would have overlooked Him for their "Sexiest Man Alive" issue. He didn't have a cult following because he was dashing and dapper or attractive. To be attracted to Jesus, you need to care about substantial things. The beauty of the Trinity lies in the character of the LORD. How do holiness and beauty go together? Why does David declare that the one thing he cares about is beholding the beauty of the LORD? Do you find the LORD to be beautiful? I am excited to work through these Psalms with you tonight! http://....view and See! Steve

Psalms 30-32

April 27, 2022 • Pastor Steve Feden • Psalm 32, Psalm 30, Psalm 31

"Hiding in Plain Sight" - Psalms 30-32 I can tell you that, in this teaching we will come face to face with some beautiful truths in our passages tonight! Psalm 32 is of particular note, and happened to be the favorite Psalm of St Augustine. What made it his favorite? Psalm 32 is very similar to Psalm 51, although it is more general. Psalm 51 is directly connected to David's sin with Bathsheba, and the general thoughts of Psalm 32 seem to have laid the groundwork for the specific application in Psalm 51. The challenge addressed in Psalms 31, 32, and 51 is the challenge we all face of moral failure. We all have to deal with the inconvenient truth of our weaknesses, our shortcomings, and the fact that even the best of us has sinfully weak moments when our behavior is less than loving. What do we do with our sin? Two extremes are possible. Admit it, and then wallow in guilt and shame feeling like a hopeless failure. Or hide it and pretend everything is ok on the surface while it eats us up on the inside. But there is a wonderful third option. What does this have to do with hiding in plain sight? If you want to be blessed, then come and see the powerful truths of the Psalms! http://....view and See! Steve