The Big Picture
Searching Out Psalm 145
The Commitment Of God To His Children
March 9, 2022 • Jeff Lyle • Psalm 145:17–21
Perhaps one of the most practical needs when considering the big picture of what it means to be a Jesus-follower is our need to trust God to meet every single one of our legitimate needs. Christians can sometimes struggle with the foundational elements of trusting God in this life. We need to develop the ability to discern His goodness towards due when life is often…NOT good. God is present and near, but we often feel distant from Him. He pledges to shepherd us through danger and difficulty, yet we frequently find ourselves in the midst of troubles. In what way is God committed to the welfare of His children? What is your part in this equation of abiding in His committed care for you? Our experience in the Kingdom is never separate from the level of our confidence that God is a committed, competent and ever-present Father to us.
The Competency Of God Over All His Creation
March 2, 2022 • Jeff Lyle • Psalm 145:13–16
One component in the believer’s trust of God is that the believer has learned to look to God, expect from God and wait upon God to fully impart all of the believer’s material and spiritual needs. Yes, faith and spiritual growth never graduate us away from the place of a trusting dependence upon the Father to meet ALL of our needs and FULLY satisfy us. The predominant theme of eternity is the glory of God as the all-sufficient Lord who cares for His people. The journey of faith calls us to believe that truth now, and to live this present life with the awareness that the eternal Kingdom (with all of its keys) is already active. The Father is true, strong, committed, creative and swift in covenant to love us, to provide for us, to guide us and to protect us. The big-picture of the Christian life is that we are increasingly convinced of the goodness of God and His willingness to pour that goodness on our behalf. He is able, He is competent, and He will fulfill all that He has promised to you.
The Character Of God Toward All Humanity
February 23, 2022 • Jeff Lyle • Psalm 145:8–12
The Book of Genesis declares that God made mankind in His own image. It seems that we humans have been trying to return the favor ever since. What is it about us that seeks to view God through self-created lenses that actually distort His character? Why do we have a tendency to dilute the character of God down to us - how we think, how we respond, how we feel about others? Why must we insist on shrinking God down to be just slightly above the way we are? God is wholly different than us, and part of understanding the big-picture of Christianity is to know God’s ways and to conform to them. This message highlights several specific attributes of God, and brings us great comfort and reassurance that He is exalted far above the ways of humanity. His grace, mercy, patience, power and love are abounding towards us. Even non-believers benefit from these characteristics of God every single day. All of humanity needs to awaken to the glorious character of the God of the Bible.
The Consuming Worth Of God To His People
February 2, 2022 • Jeff Lyle • Psalm 145:1–7
One of the greatest needs of people today is to grasp the big picture of the what, how and why of God’s Kingdom. Religion presents duties, demands, rules and requirements and places them upon people. Very rarely do we find churches, ministries and leaders who slow down to ensure that God’s people actually understand the big picture of what it means to belong to Him. Apart from the big-picture context of why we trust, love, obey and serve God, Christianity just feels like another heavy, empty religion. This series from Psalm 145 will place the character, worth and glory of God right back in the center of our Christian lives. From the big-picture clarity, all the other things begin to make sense.