Latest / Wednesday Night Adult Bible Study and Prayer with Jeff LeDuc / Wednesday Night Adult Bible Study and Prayer | October 28, 2026

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Wednesday Night Adult Bible Study and Prayer | October 28, 2026 · Wednesday Night Adult Bible Study and Prayer with Jeff LeDuc

• 0:07
  SPEAKER_00: Good evening.
• 0:09
  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to our Wednesday evening adult prayer and Bible study service.
• 0:14
  SPEAKER_00: It has been a privilege of mine for close to 15 years to lead this service every Wednesday night.
• 0:20
  SPEAKER_00: It's a service where we gather together in fellowship and in prayer and in reading the Word of God and then finally studying from the Word of God together.
• 0:32
  SPEAKER_00: What a gift technology is in that we're able to provide this service via live stream.
• 0:38
  SPEAKER_00: So if you are unable to attend in person, then continue joining us via live stream.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_00: However, if you were able to be here in person, let me encourage you to do that.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_00: To be here each and every Wednesday night from 6.30 to 8 p.m.
• 0:54
  SPEAKER_00: in the worship center, where we seek to do all things for the glory of God.
• 1:36
  SPEAKER_00: And that's always a good thing.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_00: So we'll thank the Lord for that here in just a minute.
• 1:43
  SPEAKER_00: But let me just, by way of, I know folks are making their way in here this evening, let me just remind you of a couple of things that are coming up, and that is this Sunday.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_00: We have Great Commission Sunday.
• 1:59
  SPEAKER_00: So some of you are aware of Great Commission Sunday, and you're like, oh, we haven't done that in a couple years, which is correct.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: And then others of you say, I don't I have no idea what that is, and we're new here and we haven't been to one since you guys last did one.
• 2:15
  SPEAKER_00: So basically, what it is is we highlight a number of our mission partners, uh, both those that do ministry here locally, so the neighborhoods reaching the neighborhoods, as well as those reaching the nations.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_00: And so uh even as you made your way in tonight, I keep pointing this direction because uh the majority of the tables that we'll have set up and uh decorated for you to learn more information about those ministries will be right in between doors A and B out here in the foyer, and then right next to the ministry connection desk right outside of door A.
• 2:55
  SPEAKER_00: And uh again, we just encourage you to get here a little bit early, depending on the service that you attend, and you can walk through there and just learn more information about ministry partners and also upcoming mission trips uh for 2027.
• 3:13
  SPEAKER_00: And uh, we already have teams that are being assembled for some of those trips, and uh and and then we just want you to be in prayer and also looking for opportunities to perhaps partner.
• 3:27
  SPEAKER_00: And again, like we always share, even if you're someone who says, Jeff, I just can't go anymore, or I'm not able to go, you can definitely pray, and you can definitely be one who helps send and uh helps others be able to go when you can't go.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: So there's there's a variety of ways for you to be involved.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_00: But this first Sunday in November, we like to just highlight those ministries and let you know of opportunities that are coming up as we look toward 2027 and even some current ministries that are taking place right now, especially those that serve here, like Meals for Mustang and Quest, and uh some of you are involved in those ministries already.
• 4:10
  SPEAKER_00: And so uh that's this coming Sunday.
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_00: I know over the next uh month or so we'll have a number of baptisms that we're gonna be able to uh witness in services on Sunday mornings.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_00: We're very excited about that, and the Lord is doing a great work, even a number of folks who are new to the congregation here that the Lord has led here, and uh some folks that we're gonna be able to baptize, and and we're excited about that.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_00: So that'll be coming up even starting this Sunday, and uh we've got several more for other dates in November.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_00: So exciting weekend ahead, especially on Sunday.
• 4:51
  SPEAKER_00: And then just again give you a reminder that uh we will be meeting in here the next several weeks.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_00: Then the week of Thanksgiving, we're off uh that Wednesday night.
• 5:03
  SPEAKER_00: But I'll remind you as we get closer, and then when we come back together, uh we will meet for I think those first three Wednesdays in December, we'll meet upstairs in Adult Wing 201.
• 5:16
  SPEAKER_00: And so again, I'll I'll remind you, we'll send information out, but we gather up there that way uh for the Christmas season, it allows our choir and instrumentalist uh access in here during the the 630 hour where they can uh rehearse and and get prepared for our Christmas services.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_00: And so uh again, lots of opportunities to worship the Lord together and invite folks to be a part over the coming uh holiday season.
• 5:47
  SPEAKER_00: So invite you to to do that, to invite others.
• 5:51
  SPEAKER_00: But those are just some logistical announcements, and the final one I'll mention is I mentioned this last Wednesday, but in January we'll be doing growth classes, and again, some of you say we don't we've never even heard of that.
• 6:06
  SPEAKER_00: And so a growth class uh instead of our evening service from 5 to 6 for four straight Sunday evenings in January, starting the 10th, 10th, 17th, 24th, 31st, from 5 to 6 to 6.15-ish, we'll have seven to eight different classes offered uh during that hour to an hour and 15 minutes.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_00: We'll have all of that information again right out here in the foyer in a couple of weeks.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_00: Uh I think we're shooting for November 15th.
• 6:40
  SPEAKER_00: We will uh start those signups, and so you'll see the class name, the teacher, and a brief description of the class that's being offered.
• 6:50
  SPEAKER_00: And so then you would just pick a class that you're gonna go to.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_00: Here's the one thing that I mentioned last week, and we'll mention again that remember those classes in the growth seminars are designed for you to be in that one for four straight classes.
• 7:06
  SPEAKER_00: So it's not standalones where you go one week here, another week there, like we've done with our summer seminars in the past.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_00: This one, if you sign up for a class, it'll be four different classes, but it'll all be on that subject matter that that uh is described there.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_00: So again, great opportunity.
• 7:27
  SPEAKER_00: We'll have just like normal Sunday evenings, Passion Choir will be meeting.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_00: If you're in the institute, uh the institute men are gonna meet during that time, so they'll not meet at the 3 45 hour, they'll meet uh at the 5 o'clock hour like a separate growth class, and so then we'll have preschool and children's uh activities going on as well.
• 7:50
  SPEAKER_00: And if you do have children or pre-Kers and you say, you know what, I they haven't been a part of kids praise or kinder praise, that's okay.
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_00: We'll have different offerings for those four weeks.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_00: So we'll have an opportunity for uh preschoolers and for children to be a part of those four weeks during our growth classes.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_00: So again, more information will be coming out in the newsletters that we send out, and then right out here uh in the foyer, you'll see all the signups there.
• 8:22
  SPEAKER_00: And excited that we haven't done that in a couple of years either.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_00: And uh so we're gonna, and I and I love the offerings that we're gonna provide for you.
• 8:33
  SPEAKER_00: One other quick note if you look at several of these and think, oh man, I want to be a part of that one and this one and that one, we'll do a recording of each of them.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_00: And so just like our last parenting conference, you you can go online and you can listen to all of the uh the different growth classes, we'll have the capability to do that again.
• 8:53
  SPEAKER_00: So you'll be in one present live there in that in that growth class, and then the other ones you can go back at a later date and and listen to those.
• 9:03
  SPEAKER_00: All right.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_00: So as we begin tonight, um beginning with an opening prayer of praise or adoration, Revelation 5, 12b through 13.
• 9:16
  SPEAKER_00: I believe Pastor Michael even looked at this last night in uh Ladies Nine of Theology, Revelation 4 and 5.
• 9:23
  SPEAKER_00: Is that correct, ladies?
• 9:25
  SPEAKER_00: All right, making sure my wife wasn't lying to me.
• 9:28
  SPEAKER_00: So just kidding, she doesn't lie to me.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_00: I don't think, most of the time.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_00: Revelation chapter 5.
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_00: Worthy is the lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.
• 9:50
  SPEAKER_00: And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea and all things in them, I heard saying, To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb, be the blessing and the honor and the glory and the might or the power forever and ever.
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_00: Let's go to the Lord as we open our time tonight.
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_00: Our Father, once again we begin our time by praising you, worshiping you and you alone.
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_00: Even as our pastor presented last night on the reign of Christ, as seen in Revelation 4 and 5.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_00: Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_00: So we begin our time tonight with that reminder, excuse me, and we join in, lifting our voices in praise and adoration to you and you alone.
• 11:12
  SPEAKER_00: I think about even last Sunday night out of Nehemiah chapter nine, and the God-centered focus of Nehemiah leading the people in prayer and just a reminder of what we do here each and every Wednesday, how we strive to let our prayers be offered up to you.
• 11:41
  SPEAKER_00: Long before we present requests, we begin with praise and adoration, worship you and you alone.
• 11:55
  SPEAKER_00: And so as we praise you, we recognize our dependence upon you, that we need you, and we ask you to move in our midst, even this evening.
• 12:04
  SPEAKER_00: We ask in Jesus' name, amen.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_00: Amen.
• 12:08
  SPEAKER_00: All right.
• 12:09
  SPEAKER_00: Well, looking at, excuse me for this cough, I've got this dry cough that is just lingering, more irritating than anything else.
• 12:19
  SPEAKER_00: So if my tongue goes numb from all these cough drops, you'll understand why I'm speaking the way I'm speaking.
• 12:26
  SPEAKER_00: But a uh prayer of thanksgiving.
• 12:30
  SPEAKER_00: And just as I mentioned in that prayer, if you were here Sunday night, just a great message that our pastor presented from Nehemiah chapter 9, just a wonderful reminder of an example and a model of prayer that we can even use in the sense of to learn from it, and then even use it in our own times of prayer, and even when we structure, and I I just was sitting there listening, thinking about how we strive to do that each and every Wednesday night, that we don't begin with just a list of requests, but we get begin with adoration and praise unto him, and then that out of that flows either confession or thanksgiving, and all of that happens before we get to supplication or petition.
• 13:25
  SPEAKER_00: And so that's something that we strive after each week in this service, and and uh that was just a wonderful message.
• 13:32
  SPEAKER_00: So if you weren't here, I encourage you to go listen to that.
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_00: Uh it's a great, great message, and one that I think will be challenging to you and an encouragement uh to you as well.
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_00: So, Psalm 103, verses 19 to 22, is our prayer of thanksgiving.
• 13:55
  SPEAKER_00: Yahweh has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all.
• 14:01
  SPEAKER_00: Bless Yahweh, you his angels, mighty in strength, who perform his word, obeying the voice of his word.
• 14:09
  SPEAKER_00: Bless Yahweh, all you his hosts, you who serve him, doing his will.
• 14:15
  SPEAKER_00: Bless Yahweh, all you his works, in all places of his rule.
• 14:20
  SPEAKER_00: Bless Yahweh, oh my soul.
• 14:24
  SPEAKER_00: Dr.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_00: Varner mentions here, pause to give thanks to God for creation and his powerful acts.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_00: Uh Kenna mentioned to me last Sunday, she said, Did you get to see the sunrise on Sunday morning?
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_00: Anybody see the sunrise on Sunday morning early?
• 14:42
  SPEAKER_00: It was it was a majestic one that I missed.
• 14:45
  SPEAKER_00: And so I said, You know what?
• 14:46
  SPEAKER_00: Sunday mornings are my biggest challenge to see the sunrise, unless I'm usually here while it's dark, and then unless I get to a window or get to the parking lot, I miss it.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_00: And so uh I I said to her jokingly, well, he's gonna do one tomorrow, too.
• 15:04
  SPEAKER_00: But it does look different each and every morning based on the clouds and based on uh on just a number of factors.
• 15:12
  SPEAKER_00: But from the rising of the sun to its setting, the Lord, the name of the Lord is to be praised.
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_00: And and even here, the reminder of his works, all his works in all places of his rule.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_00: Bless Yahweh, oh my soul.
• 15:31
  SPEAKER_00: And so let me lead us in a time of thanksgiving.
• 15:33
  SPEAKER_00: Perhaps you want to thank the Lord right there where you sit as a prayer of thanksgiving for uh whatever comes to mind or whatever he's blessed you with or an attribute of his.
• 15:44
  SPEAKER_00: But let it let this be a time and I'll offer the prayer for us.
• 15:48
  SPEAKER_00: But let it be a time of thanksgiving that we focus on thanking the Lord.
• 15:54
  SPEAKER_00: Let's pray.
• 15:59
  SPEAKER_00: Our Father, once again, it is good for us to stop and pause to focus on thanksgiving.
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_00: On the infinite causes that lead us as your people to praise you and to thank you.
• 16:26
  SPEAKER_00: And so we are thankful, even as a psalmist demonstrates here that you have established your throne in the heavens and your kingdom rules over all.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, how we thank you for your rule and your reign, for your sovereignty, for your wisdom, for your power, for your grace and mercy, for your judgments that are perfect and right.
• 16:58
  SPEAKER_00: We are thankful for salvation, we are thankful for sanctification, growth in you even tonight, praying that you would use this prayer time and the time spent under your word, shaping us and molding us into the image of your Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
• 17:25
  SPEAKER_00: And so, as we thank you for who you are, perhaps even tonight, some are thanking you for very tangible evidences of your blessing, gifts of grace from you.
• 17:41
  SPEAKER_00: I'm reminded of even yesterday meeting with a brother in Christ who is giving testimony to your provision and the way that you raise up the people of God to meet needs even when we haven't asked.
• 18:02
  SPEAKER_00: And just again, another reminder of walking in thankfulness and gratitude.
• 18:10
  SPEAKER_00: So we thank you for your word.
• 18:13
  SPEAKER_00: We're thankful for even gifted preachers and teachers, scholars, commentators, and authors, songwriters, people you use in our lives to cause us to grow in grace.
• 18:30
  SPEAKER_00: And for that we say thank you.
• 18:37
  SPEAKER_00: We want to be a people marked by gratitude and not forgetfulness for all of your good work.
• 18:50
  SPEAKER_00: And so help us to be that.
• 18:54
  SPEAKER_00: Help us to be those kind of people, your people, who are constantly have their mouths filled with thanksgiving and praise unto you.
• 19:04
  SPEAKER_00: We pray this all in Jesus' name.
• 19:06
  SPEAKER_00: Amen.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_00: Amen.
• 19:09
  SPEAKER_00: All right.
• 19:10
  SPEAKER_00: Another portion of our prayer time uh is for examination and confession.
• 19:17
  SPEAKER_00: Again, the Psalm 139.
• 19:20
  SPEAKER_00: I don't have that one listed up there, but one that we turn to often, verses 23 and 24.
• 19:26
  SPEAKER_00: Search me, O God, and know my heart.
• 19:28
  SPEAKER_00: Try me and know my anxious thoughts, and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way.
• 19:37
  SPEAKER_00: Again, that's a great prayer to pray.
• 19:40
  SPEAKER_00: Lord, search me.
• 19:41
  SPEAKER_00: Would you search me and know my heart, even as you are the only one who can truly see my heart and know my anxious thoughts, and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and then lead me in the everlasting way.
• 19:54
  SPEAKER_00: And then with that then comes a confession.
• 19:57
  SPEAKER_00: After we ask the Lord to examine our hearts, comes confession that in this Jonah 4.2b, or the latter part of verse 2, I know that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abundant and loving kindness, and one who relents concerning evil.
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_00: That we are reminded, we're going to look at that tonight, even with the psalm that we'll focus our attention on God's graciousness and his compassion, his slow to anger and being abundant and loving kindness.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_00: Again, just what a great reminder for us to remember the character and the attributes and the nature of our God.
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_00: And uh I'm excited about where we'll look.
• 20:47
  SPEAKER_00: So I don't want to get too, I'll get into the Bible study if I'm not careful.
• 20:50
  SPEAKER_00: So uh we'll get to that in a little bit.
• 20:53
  SPEAKER_00: But let me lead us in a time of examination and confession, and um one side note here this used to be a regular practice of the gathering of God's people in church, a time and and praise God it still is in some churches, but it's kind of fallen on hard times across the evangelical world that we as a corporate body would ask the Lord to examine us and then that we would confess we'd confess our sin before Him.
• 21:33
  SPEAKER_00: That is a good practice.
• 21:35
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's a noble right practice, it's a biblical practice, and one that I think um even as we looked at just this last Sunday, one of the reasons that we asked the Lord to examine our us uh is directly related to participation in the Lord's Supper, one of the ordinances of the church.
• 21:57
  SPEAKER_00: Baptism, believers' baptism, and And the Lord's Supper.
• 22:03
  SPEAKER_00: That it should be a time that we ask, Lord, examine my heart.
• 22:07
  SPEAKER_00: Know me.
• 22:08
  SPEAKER_00: Know my thoughts.
• 22:09
  SPEAKER_00: Search me.
• 22:11
  SPEAKER_00: Reveal that that I may confess this to you.
• 22:14
  SPEAKER_00: And then I take comfort, knowing you are gracious and you are compassionate.
• 22:18
  SPEAKER_00: You're slow to anger.
• 22:20
  SPEAKER_00: You're abundant in loving kindness, and you're one who relents concerning evil.
• 22:24
  SPEAKER_00: So let's do that now.
• 22:26
  SPEAKER_00: May lead us.
• 22:29
  SPEAKER_00: Again, Father, we pause and bow our heads and ask you to examine our hearts.
• 22:43
  SPEAKER_00: We ask you to shine your perfect light into every corner of our hearts.
• 23:01
  SPEAKER_00: And as we ask you to examine us, we perhaps are here tonight and think, you know what, I'm doing okay.
• 23:14
  SPEAKER_00: I'm doing alright right now.
• 23:16
  SPEAKER_00: And that may be a good thing that we can thank you for your grace in that and for growth in our lives.
• 23:23
  SPEAKER_00: And and yet a caution with that, with that would be are we perhaps prideful in that or perhaps leaning upon works-based righteousness?
• 23:38
  SPEAKER_00: Thinking that the spirit the practice of the spiritual disciplines brings about our righteousness, which is not the case.
• 23:49
  SPEAKER_00: That the righteousness we have is the righteousness of Christ.
• 23:56
  SPEAKER_00: And even the growth that we have in grace is a gift from you.
• 24:03
  SPEAKER_00: So forgive us if we have walked in pride or self-righteousness, perhaps hypocrisy.
• 24:12
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe we've been judgmental, thinking, hey, I'm doing all right, and then we get irritated and angry at those who are struggling rather than having care and compassion toward them and even looking to admonish them or to help them or to encourage them.
• 24:35
  SPEAKER_00: Whatever it may be, if it we err on this side, we ask you to examine us and then we confess that as sin before you.
• 24:45
  SPEAKER_00: Then, Father, we perhaps came in tonight knowing that we have failed you, knowing our sin, for it is ever before us.
• 24:59
  SPEAKER_00: And for that, my prayer is that we would be quick to run to you again, knowing that you are gracious and you are kind and you're compassionate and you're abundant in loving kindness.
• 25:15
  SPEAKER_00: So, Father, would you hear us when we call out to you and as we confess, and then help us to rest in your forgiveness.
• 25:27
  SPEAKER_00: Knowing that if we confess our sins, you are faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
• 25:36
  SPEAKER_00: This we ask in Jesus' name.
• 25:40
  SPEAKER_00: Amen and amen.
• 25:43
  SPEAKER_00: All right, and then our last prayer segment will look at intercession or petition.
• 25:50
  SPEAKER_00: Thank you.
• 25:51
  SPEAKER_00: An angel of the Lord delivered this water to me.
• 26:02
  SPEAKER_00: Prayer of petition or intercession.
• 26:05
  SPEAKER_00: Again, you perhaps could have come in here tonight and you know uh the needs that are not only evident in your own life, but they're evident in your family, or perhaps in your Sunday school class, or your discipleship group, or uh you name it, your workplace, your neighborhood.
• 26:27
  SPEAKER_00: Um doubt all of us have needs, and we come before the Lord with very real needs, and it's a good thing for us to bring these petitions before the Lord.
• 26:40
  SPEAKER_00: He tells us to ask and to seek and to knock.
• 26:42
  SPEAKER_00: And here in Romans 10, another great reminder from the Apostle Paul and uh Dr.
• 26:50
  SPEAKER_00: Varner here even words it as a prayer from our hearts, and that is my heart's desire, Romans 10, 1 through 3, my heart's desire and my prayer to God for Israel is for their salvation.
• 27:05
  SPEAKER_00: For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.
• 27:10
  SPEAKER_00: For not knowing about the righteousness of God and seeking to establish their own, they do not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.
• 27:21
  SPEAKER_00: And so here we see the apostle's desire in his prayer on behalf of those who don't know the righteousness of God or have not experienced the righteousness of God by grace alone, through faith alone, and Christ alone.
• 27:36
  SPEAKER_00: And I think that's a great example for us, even in our prayers for the lost, that we would be driven by care and compassion, and we would be driven that to intercede.
• 27:50
  SPEAKER_00: And again, as always, if you say, you know what, Jeff, I just I'm surrounded by believers, well, then your prayer can be, Lord, would you let there be unbelievers that would be in my life?
• 28:03
  SPEAKER_00: Direct them across my path, that I may pray for them, that I may share the good news with them, that I'd be a faithful ambassador with my lips in my life before you, God, but then before those that you lead across my path.
• 28:20
  SPEAKER_00: And so uh we want to do that.
• 28:23
  SPEAKER_00: We want to pause and pray for the lost and pray for evangelism that happens as a result of uh the ministry of the believers.
• 28:34
  SPEAKER_00: Again, I think the most effective evangelism within a church is not a program, but it happens as an outpouring of individual believers who can't help but gossip the gospel.
• 28:56
  SPEAKER_00: You can't help but speak of your relationship with Christ.
• 29:00
  SPEAKER_00: You can't help but share with people salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, and Christ alone.
• 29:06
  SPEAKER_00: You can't help but live a life that bears the fruit of the Spirit.
• 29:10
  SPEAKER_00: And so you do live differently than people who are around you, and they're curious and they wonder, what is it that's different about you?
• 29:17
  SPEAKER_00: And then boom, there's an open door, and you walk through that open door.
• 29:21
  SPEAKER_00: And but when all of us, the church, gathered, then go out and scatter, and we're gossiping the gospel, we're sharing the gospel, that that's the most effective means of being those that are about the Great Commission.
• 29:39
  SPEAKER_00: Please, please, please understand this.
• 29:42
  SPEAKER_00: When we talk about Great Commission Sunday, Great Commission Sunday is not you sign up for a trip and you go for a week or ten days or two weeks and you do your service there, and then you come home and you're silent.
• 30:00
  SPEAKER_00: We're to be those that are ambassadors and witnesses of Christ all the time.
• 30:09
  SPEAKER_00: In fact, the Greek construction of the Great Commission is as you are going.
• 30:15
  SPEAKER_00: The idea is as you are going, like right now, living your life.
• 30:19
  SPEAKER_00: Not as wait until a mission trip is offered and then sign up for it and then get a passport and go to another country and then do that there.
• 30:29
  SPEAKER_00: But when you're here, I don't say anything, I don't do anything.
• 30:32
  SPEAKER_00: You're you're an undercover Christian.
• 30:36
  SPEAKER_00: No, don't do that.
• 30:38
  SPEAKER_00: Be one who understands.
• 30:40
  SPEAKER_00: Hey, listen, whether it's across the street, across the hallway in my workplace, at 7-Eleven, pumping gas, or in the coffee shop, my neighbors, all around me.
• 30:53
  SPEAKER_00: I'm going to be about the Great Commission.
• 30:55
  SPEAKER_00: I am a believer.
• 30:56
  SPEAKER_00: Again, the Great Commission is not if you.
• 31:00
  SPEAKER_00: We've been given the commission.
• 31:02
  SPEAKER_00: Go.
• 31:03
  SPEAKER_00: As you are going, bear witness.
• 31:06
  SPEAKER_00: And so we want to pray that way.
• 31:10
  SPEAKER_00: Lord, we'd be found faithful to share the gospel.
• 31:14
  SPEAKER_00: And so that's where we're going to kind of focus our attention on the petition tonight.
• 31:18
  SPEAKER_00: But you obviously can be praying if you have needs that uh you want to pray on behalf of others that you've come in with tonight.
• 31:25
  SPEAKER_00: I know there are some that uh are going in for different medical procedures that perhaps you're aware of in your Sunday school class and uh through the prayer list.
• 31:36
  SPEAKER_00: And so um I don't always I want to protect privacy, especially since we live stream these.
• 31:42
  SPEAKER_00: And so uh, but if you're aware of those, then you can bring those and lift those up before the Lord as well.
• 31:49
  SPEAKER_00: And again, it may be somebody you know in the church or your Sunday school class or D group, but uh let's go to the Lord and then we'll turn our attention to another psalm tonight.
• 31:59
  SPEAKER_00: Our Father, uh again, we praise you, thank you, we confess before you, and now we bring petitions before you, asking you to provide as only you can provide.
• 32:12
  SPEAKER_00: Our prayer is that we would have a burden for the lost, a compassion for those who don't know Jesus as Savior and Lord, and that we would have a boldness that comes through our time spent with you, and there would just be an overflow that would come through our lips and our life of our close walk with you.
• 32:34
  SPEAKER_00: And so, Father, would you give us those divine appointments by your providential hand, lead people across our path.
• 32:44
  SPEAKER_00: Father, for those that we've been praying for, maybe for some time in our family who need you, we continue to intercede, help us to not grow weary in interceding on their behalf.
• 32:56
  SPEAKER_00: Some perhaps it's even been years that we continue to pray for their salvation and we're asking you to save them.
• 33:04
  SPEAKER_00: And we even pray specifically that you would surround them with other believers who would be faithful with their lips and their life of testifying to the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
• 33:17
  SPEAKER_00: Father, we also pray for those that have very real needs, even in our own church family, those who are grieving, the loss of loved ones, those who are caregivers, caring for loved ones in their family or extended family or friends who are in need physically.
• 33:44
  SPEAKER_00: Perhaps it is those in the workplace that we intercede for and pray for, those who are up uh awaiting surgeries, some even tomorrow.
• 33:56
  SPEAKER_00: Think of a dear brother in the Lord who will have a procedure tomorrow, and we're praying your hand to be upon the surgeon and be with his wife and bring her comfort and peace.
• 34:09
  SPEAKER_00: And Father, so many needs that are being lifted up, no doubt, all across this worship center, and yet we know you hear each one, and we take comfort in that.
• 34:20
  SPEAKER_00: You're not overwhelmed.
• 34:24
  SPEAKER_00: You're all powerful.
• 34:27
  SPEAKER_00: And so we simply look to you and ask you to do a work in glorifying your name and using this work to cause people to grow closer to you.
• 34:41
  SPEAKER_00: We do want to pray for even this Sunday, even as we do focus in on various mission partners that serve around the world, and then those that serve the neighborhoods right here.
• 35:00
  SPEAKER_00: Our prayer is you would raise up more laborers to go out into the harvest.
• 35:08
  SPEAKER_00: And now, Lord, as we turn our attention to another psalm, we ask you to open our eyes that we may behold wondrous things from thy law.
• 35:20
  SPEAKER_00: We pray all this in Jesus' name.
• 35:22
  SPEAKER_00: Amen.
• 35:24
  SPEAKER_00: Amen.
• 35:26
  SPEAKER_00: All right, Psalm 51.
• 35:29
  SPEAKER_00: Last week, nope, nope, nope, nope, applications.
• 35:33
  SPEAKER_00: Last week was Psalm 1, and I finished the evening by not turning to applications.
• 35:40
  SPEAKER_00: So thank you, JR.
• 35:41
  SPEAKER_00: I almost did it again, and he knew that.
• 35:43
  SPEAKER_00: He knew that I would probably do that.
• 35:45
  SPEAKER_00: So last week we looked at Psalm 1, and then I closed our time without giving you some application points.
• 35:57
  SPEAKER_00: So these are application points from Psalm 1, specifically looking at meditation.
• 36:08
  SPEAKER_00: Memorization into meditation.
• 36:11
  SPEAKER_00: This these come from Donald Whitney in Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life.
• 36:17
  SPEAKER_00: Classic work.
• 36:19
  SPEAKER_00: Highly recommend it.
• 36:20
  SPEAKER_00: You don't have it, get it.
• 36:22
  SPEAKER_00: Read it.
• 36:24
  SPEAKER_00: He has one on the Christian life.
• 36:26
  SPEAKER_00: He has one Spiritual Disciplines for the Church.
• 36:29
  SPEAKER_00: Very good as well.
• 36:31
  SPEAKER_00: But this one on Bible intake and specifically with meditation, and there's six of these.
• 36:40
  SPEAKER_00: So, okay, good.
• 36:42
  SPEAKER_00: I'm looking at this screen back here, not knowing if it's the same back here.
• 36:46
  SPEAKER_00: But number one, select an appropriate passage.
• 36:49
  SPEAKER_00: That's where you begin.
• 36:51
  SPEAKER_00: You select an appropriate passage.
• 36:53
  SPEAKER_00: And again, you don't necessarily have to just go, okay, Lord, I'm gonna let my Bible flop open in here.
• 37:01
  SPEAKER_00: Don't do that.
• 37:02
  SPEAKER_00: Go to an appropriate passage.
• 37:04
  SPEAKER_00: An appropriate passage could be Psalm 1, could be Psalm 51 that we're gonna be looking at.
• 37:11
  SPEAKER_00: But you select an appropriate passage, and then number two, you will repeat it in different ways.
• 37:21
  SPEAKER_00: Repeat it in different ways.
• 37:23
  SPEAKER_00: Here's what Whitney means by that.
• 37:26
  SPEAKER_00: You are trying to commit this passage to memory, so you can be looking at various ways to memorize it, but then even more than just memorized memorizing it, you're meditating on it.
• 37:40
  SPEAKER_00: So, like I am the way, the truth, and the life.
• 37:47
  SPEAKER_00: Repeating it in different ways would be in your mind, I am the way, the truth, and the life.
• 37:55
  SPEAKER_00: Who is the I?
• 37:57
  SPEAKER_00: Jesus said these words.
• 38:00
  SPEAKER_00: So the emphasis that I'm reading that on is Jesus.
• 38:04
  SPEAKER_00: I am present, right now.
• 38:10
  SPEAKER_00: Then you put those two together, I am, that points you back to the great I am and the divine one and the divine name.
• 38:19
  SPEAKER_00: I am the way, the singular, exclusive way.
• 38:28
  SPEAKER_00: And you see how as you're reading this, you can repeat it in different ways.
• 38:33
  SPEAKER_00: That's what he means, even number three, here with rewrite it in your own words.
• 38:39
  SPEAKER_00: He's not encouraging you to rewrite scripture.
• 38:43
  SPEAKER_00: That's a bad thing.
• 38:45
  SPEAKER_00: Do not rewrite scripture.
• 38:47
  SPEAKER_00: But rewriting it in your own words could simply be as you're meditating on it, what is my understanding of this passage?
• 38:57
  SPEAKER_00: What am I reminded of with I am the way?
• 39:01
  SPEAKER_00: And it may be cross-references, it could be questions that I have, it could be things, the observations that I'm making.
• 39:10
  SPEAKER_00: Number four, look for applications of the text.
• 39:17
  SPEAKER_00: Look for applications of the text.
• 39:19
  SPEAKER_00: That's one thing that we strive to do each week is look for application.
• 39:25
  SPEAKER_00: How does this apply to my life tomorrow, the next day?
• 39:29
  SPEAKER_00: Number five, pray through the text.
• 39:33
  SPEAKER_00: Again, we try to do that even as we look at various passages of scripture that lead our prayer time.
• 39:39
  SPEAKER_00: You can pray scripture.
• 39:42
  SPEAKER_00: And then number six, don't rush.
• 39:47
  SPEAKER_00: This takes time.
• 39:50
  SPEAKER_00: Take time.
• 39:52
  SPEAKER_00: The idea behind Bible reading and Bible intake when we are meditating on the word day and night means that we'll slow down and digest.
• 40:08
  SPEAKER_00: We're not just rushing on to the next passage.
• 40:12
  SPEAKER_00: And that's very important because if you are driven by Bible reading plans, which I'm a big fan of, I think Bible reading plans are helpful.
• 40:24
  SPEAKER_00: But they can be dangerous.
• 40:26
  SPEAKER_00: They can be dangerous too.
• 40:28
  SPEAKER_00: Because if you're just looking to check the box, if you're one of those people that, hey, at the end of my morning, I want to make sure that I've got four boxes checked off, that I've done my four Bible reading passages, or if it's one, or if I get behind and I think, oh my goodness, and now I'm rushing through the reading just so I can check off.
• 40:48
  SPEAKER_00: Well, you're missing the point.
• 40:50
  SPEAKER_00: The point of being in the word is to commune with the God of the Word, and part of that is then that we would even be led to think on His Word or pray His Word or observe His Word or meditate on His Word.
• 41:08
  SPEAKER_00: So don't rush, take time.
• 41:13
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, one other quick word with that would be I think a good practice for us with Bible intake uh has to do with uh switching up each year, even perhaps if we switch up the way that we take the Bible, the way we take Bible intake in our Bible reading.
• 41:36
  SPEAKER_00: So, for instance, if you read through the Bible with a similar plan every year, then that's a goal of yours.
• 41:43
  SPEAKER_00: That's a great goal, and I encourage you to do that.
• 41:47
  SPEAKER_00: But also, you may look at a different plan that leads you through the Bible in a year.
• 41:52
  SPEAKER_00: It just gets you out of the rut, so to speak, of just doing the same plan each and every year.
• 41:58
  SPEAKER_00: You might even look at varying it up with I'm not going to read through the entire Bible this year, but I'm gonna spend a month in 12 different books of the Bible.
• 42:08
  SPEAKER_00: It's a great plan too to slow things down.
• 42:12
  SPEAKER_00: I also highly encourage you if you've never read, anyone ever read the Bible in 90 days?
• 42:17
  SPEAKER_00: It's a Bible read, there's an actual book, The Bible in 90 Days.
• 42:21
  SPEAKER_00: Now you're you're reading at a good clip and you can't fall behind.
• 42:26
  SPEAKER_00: If you fall behind, you're gonna be reading all day into the evening.
• 42:30
  SPEAKER_00: Uh you you're you're going at a good pace, but it's a good practice.
• 42:35
  SPEAKER_00: Even going at that fast pace, it gives you a different perspective.
• 42:39
  SPEAKER_00: So again, variety in that is can be your friend in all that.
• 42:44
  SPEAKER_00: Now, when I say all that, I hear John Piper in my ear as well.
• 42:49
  SPEAKER_00: That one of the beauties that John Piper shared of doing the same plan each and every year, like for him, was a discipleship journal plan, is then year after year after year, it gets etched into your mind, like the season of the year when you're in this book of the Bible.
• 43:10
  SPEAKER_00: Like you know, I'm gonna be in John, let's say, in the fall.
• 43:15
  SPEAKER_00: And and the Lord can even use that as stones of remembrance, as the Old Testament refers to it.
• 43:21
  SPEAKER_00: So of Bible reading plans, so uh staying with one.
• 43:25
  SPEAKER_00: But ask the Lord.
• 43:28
  SPEAKER_00: The most important thing is be in the word and be in the word daily.
• 43:32
  SPEAKER_00: All right.
• 43:33
  SPEAKER_00: Last week JR kitted me and said, and when you finish that, you can say next week we're gonna look at Psalm 51, which I'm close.
• 43:42
  SPEAKER_00: I'm close there.
• 43:43
  SPEAKER_00: He knows me too well.
• 43:44
  SPEAKER_00: But looking at Psalm 51, my goal over the next several weeks is just to look at different Psalms.
• 43:52
  SPEAKER_00: So Psalm 1 was last week, Psalm 51 this week, and again.
• 44:00
  SPEAKER_00: An entire series could be given just on Psalm 1 and just on Psalm 51.
• 44:08
  SPEAKER_00: My goal is just to expose you if you're not familiar with this psalm and the beauty of the psalm and give you some surrounding context to the psalm, but these psalms are going to be ones that perhaps you are familiar with.
• 44:24
  SPEAKER_00: So we'll look at Psalm 103 and we'll look at Psalm 46 and we'll look at more than likely Psalm 121, uh, different Psalms that will be coming up.
• 44:35
  SPEAKER_00: And then my goal is in January, we'll start a new book of the Bible.
• 44:42
  SPEAKER_00: And uh my goal right now is that that'll be 1 Corinthians.
• 44:46
  SPEAKER_00: So 1 Corinthians is where we'll begin on Wednesday nights in January.
• 44:52
  SPEAKER_00: So, but looking at this psalm, you know I've got to share with you some resources that are very, very helpful.
• 45:01
  SPEAKER_00: One of my favorites on Psalm 51, Paul David Tripp's Whiter Than Snow, Meditations on Sin and Mercy.
• 45:11
  SPEAKER_00: This is a phenomenal resource.
• 45:14
  SPEAKER_00: Um it's not technical, it's not meant to be an expositional commentary, it's meant to be just what he says meditations on, reflections on sin and mercy, but it comes straight out of Psalm 51.
• 45:33
  SPEAKER_00: Whiter than snow is the name.
• 45:36
  SPEAKER_00: Again, it's a it's a short book, uh, but man, I've I've read this and reread it a number of times, and uh yeah, 2008 is when it was published.
• 45:49
  SPEAKER_00: So this this is really, really good.
• 45:51
  SPEAKER_00: In fact, I'm gonna reference it here in just a minute.
• 45:54
  SPEAKER_00: One that's brand new that just came out is uh the singer songwriter Matthew Boswell, Matt Boswell, who actually was with us uh last, was it last Wednesday he was here or two Wednesdays ago?
• 46:08
  SPEAKER_00: He was here, he led a few songs in the youth service, and then he went in and spent the rest of his time uh in with our choir.
• 46:17
  SPEAKER_00: Uh but he, this is a new book, Created Me a Clean Heart, experiencing God's abundant mercy in Psalm 51.
• 46:25
  SPEAKER_00: So this is based on a series of sermons.
• 46:27
  SPEAKER_00: In fact, I'm gonna put his outline.
• 46:30
  SPEAKER_00: I love his outline, and this is brand new.
• 46:32
  SPEAKER_00: I I haven't even made it very far, but um it's really, really good.
• 46:38
  SPEAKER_00: And uh, I'm excited about journeying through this as well.
• 46:44
  SPEAKER_00: And then I mentioned this last week, even with Psalm 1, Alec uh Matyr, his Psalms by the Day, a new devotional translation.
• 46:55
  SPEAKER_00: So this book is really, really good.
• 46:57
  SPEAKER_00: This goes through all the Psalms and uh just his own translation of the Hebrew text, then with notes that are, he's a scholar, and so that are technical in nature, but the driving um goal of this resource is devotional.
• 47:15
  SPEAKER_00: So it's not just to get lost in the weeds of technical language uh where you're looking at uh various complexities with the the original language in the text.
• 47:26
  SPEAKER_00: So three great resources.
• 47:28
  SPEAKER_00: The other one uh that I mentioned these have become quickly my favorites.
• 47:33
  SPEAKER_00: Stephen Ewell, uh four of these have been published, 90 Days with the Puritans, and uh these are excellent.
• 47:42
  SPEAKER_00: They they quickly become my favorite devotionals.
• 47:47
  SPEAKER_00: And uh even this ties in with uh with tonight.
• 47:53
  SPEAKER_00: Looking at, I was reading day five this morning, and this quote, Thomas Watson, the Lord accounts everything of his children to be precious.
• 48:06
  SPEAKER_00: The Lord accounts everything of his children to be precious.
• 48:11
  SPEAKER_00: And he goes on and gives a great illustration.
• 48:14
  SPEAKER_00: But he he says these words, and maybe this is your experience, I know it was mine for many years, like he says, for many years I was so fixated on God's displeasure towards sinners, and this is an indisputable biblical truth, that I had little appreciation of the extent to which he delights in his people.
• 48:41
  SPEAKER_00: Again, we can become fixated on God's displeasure with sinners and forget how he delights in his people, his children.
• 48:52
  SPEAKER_00: We're his children.
• 48:54
  SPEAKER_00: Zephaniah 3, 17.
• 48:56
  SPEAKER_00: The Lord your God in your midst, the mighty one will save, he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.
• 49:07
  SPEAKER_00: The original language is loud singing, the kind of volume we reach when we think no one is listening.
• 49:16
  SPEAKER_00: Is this how you perceive your relationship with God?
• 49:20
  SPEAKER_00: For many of us, the answer is an emphatic no.
• 49:23
  SPEAKER_00: Instead, we have a gnawing sense that God looks at us disapprovingly.
• 49:29
  SPEAKER_00: This is hugely problematic.
• 49:32
  SPEAKER_00: As a friend once explained to me, it is this kind of misapprehension of God that makes us run from him.
• 49:44
  SPEAKER_00: Your view of God will result in the way you respond to him.
• 49:53
  SPEAKER_00: Which again ties right into a point that we find here tonight in Psalm 51.
• 50:01
  SPEAKER_00: We need to understand that God rejoices over us with gladness.
• 50:05
  SPEAKER_00: Then he has the Watson quote.
• 50:07
  SPEAKER_00: Then he says these things our names are precious to God.
• 50:11
  SPEAKER_00: He enters them into the book of life.
• 50:16
  SPEAKER_00: I can't help but thank dear brother of mine, who is now with the Lord, just died earlier this year.
• 50:27
  SPEAKER_00: He was in my wedding.
• 50:30
  SPEAKER_00: Craig Carter was his name.
• 50:33
  SPEAKER_00: And I remember we were in homiletics class together at Mid America doing our undergrad, and he preached in class on the names of God written in the book of life.
• 50:49
  SPEAKER_00: And I'll never forget this.
• 50:52
  SPEAKER_00: He started going around the room and he said, Jeff LeDuc, stand for your name is in the Lamb's book of life.
• 51:02
  SPEAKER_00: John Smith, stand for your name is in the book of life.
• 51:07
  SPEAKER_00: Sally Jones, stand for your name is written in the book of life.
• 51:11
  SPEAKER_00: And it was such a powerful illustration of our names being written and our names being precious to God.
• 51:24
  SPEAKER_00: Isaiah 49, 16 says they are inscribed on the palms of his hands.
• 51:30
  SPEAKER_00: The implication is he carries them with him at all times.
• 51:35
  SPEAKER_00: Moreover, God writes his name on us.
• 51:37
  SPEAKER_00: Revelation 3.12.
• 51:39
  SPEAKER_00: I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem which comes down out of heaven from my God, and I will write on him my new name.
• 51:50
  SPEAKER_00: Our prayers are precious to God.
• 51:53
  SPEAKER_00: Our tears are precious to God.
• 51:56
  SPEAKER_00: Our lives are precious to God.
• 52:00
  SPEAKER_00: We should immerse ourselves in this wonderful truth every day that God accounts everything of his children to be precious.
• 52:10
  SPEAKER_00: It will draw us to him.
• 52:13
  SPEAKER_00: It will compel us to love him wholeheartedly, serve him enthusiastically, and obey him unreservedly.
• 52:21
  SPEAKER_00: Such a great, and that's just it's gold.
• 52:25
  SPEAKER_00: This is my fourth book to go through with him, and I'm telling you, I've yet to come across one of the daily devotions that has not been powerful.
• 52:34
  SPEAKER_00: So highly recommend that as well.
• 52:37
  SPEAKER_00: All right.
• 52:38
  SPEAKER_00: Psalm 51 in the seven minutes we have left.
• 52:43
  SPEAKER_00: Just kidding.
• 52:47
  SPEAKER_00: I want to begin with even the context.
• 52:51
  SPEAKER_00: If you're open there, you perhaps see it at the top.
• 52:56
  SPEAKER_00: Perhaps it's entitled, Create in Me a Clean Heart, O God, as ELSB has here.
• 53:02
  SPEAKER_00: But then for the choir director, a psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came to him after he had gone into Bathsheba.
• 53:15
  SPEAKER_00: 2 Samuel, chapter 11, and chapter 12 records the account of a man after God's own heart who descends into incredible sin.
• 53:37
  SPEAKER_00: You can see the downward spiral of sin.
• 53:41
  SPEAKER_00: You see how one sin leads to another.
• 53:51
  SPEAKER_00: A condition that many of us can relate to.
• 53:56
  SPEAKER_00: But it explodes into a story of lust, adultery, pregnancy, deception, and murder.
• 54:04
  SPEAKER_00: If the story of David and Bathsheba were a television drama, you probably wouldn't watch it.
• 54:11
  SPEAKER_00: Or a paperback, you might not choose to buy it.
• 54:15
  SPEAKER_00: Yet the terrible details of this ugly story splash across the pages of that religious book you and I call the Bible.
• 54:29
  SPEAKER_00: Why would God preserve such a dark story?
• 54:33
  SPEAKER_00: Who is the sex and blood of this story going to help anyway?
• 54:39
  SPEAKER_00: Well, again, if you are reminded of 1 Corinthians chapter 10, then you remember that the New Testament tells us that these things were written in the Old Testament for our example and our instruction so that we would not fall into the same errors as God's people of old.
• 55:03
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, the story is in the Bible because it is meant to be instructive.
• 55:09
  SPEAKER_00: The details are not there to titillate you, but to help you understand things you need to understand about yourself, God, life in a fallen world, the nature of sin, and the power of God's transforming grace.
• 55:29
  SPEAKER_00: Second, the Bible tells us that the people in this story were people just like us.
• 55:36
  SPEAKER_00: As you read through the Bible, you know that its history is not filled with the accounts of noble people who always do the right thing.
• 55:44
  SPEAKER_00: No, the characters of the Bible, even the ones we would tend to think of as heroes, were broken and flawed people.
• 55:51
  SPEAKER_00: They like us were all sinners, and like us, all need to be rescued by God's grace.
• 55:56
  SPEAKER_00: Rescued from what, you might ask?
• 55:59
  SPEAKER_00: Just like us, they need to be rescued from themselves.
• 56:06
  SPEAKER_00: He goes on to further detail in introduction to this psalm.
• 56:13
  SPEAKER_00: But these words he says, David's story is our story.
• 56:19
  SPEAKER_00: So Psalm 51 is our psalm as well.
• 56:24
  SPEAKER_00: This psalm of moral failure, personal awareness, grief, confession, repentance, commitment, and hope wraps its arms around the experience of each one of us.
• 56:34
  SPEAKER_00: These themes are in each of our lives.
• 56:39
  SPEAKER_00: Now get this.
• 56:42
  SPEAKER_00: But the dominant theme of Psalm 51 is not sin.
• 56:50
  SPEAKER_00: The dominant theme of Psalm 51 is grace.
• 56:55
  SPEAKER_00: There would be no Psalm 51 if a God of boundless love hadn't sent Nathan to David as an instrument of rescuing mercy and restoring grace.
• 57:11
  SPEAKER_00: Many times I've had the opportunity to sit with people who perhaps have found themselves in the wake of destruction and destructive sin.
• 57:27
  SPEAKER_00: And they're broken.
• 57:30
  SPEAKER_00: And perhaps it's a spouse who's there with them who's broken as well.
• 57:38
  SPEAKER_00: And the reminder, especially if one has been living in sin in secret, and now it's been exposed, the reminder is this.
• 57:51
  SPEAKER_00: This exposure is God's mercy and grace on your life.
• 57:59
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, it doesn't remove the consequences.
• 58:03
  SPEAKER_00: And even in David's life, there were very real consequences that came as a result of that which greatly displeased the Lord.
• 58:12
  SPEAKER_00: But his sins had been forgiven.
• 58:16
  SPEAKER_00: He'd been redeemed, he'd been cleansed, he'd been washed, and yet we need to be reminded of the way he begins this psalm.
• 58:30
  SPEAKER_00: So look with me.
• 58:32
  SPEAKER_00: And again, I mentioned this.
• 58:34
  SPEAKER_00: The outline will come straight from, so again, I encourage you.
• 58:38
  SPEAKER_00: I've not even made it all the way through this yet, but looking at the outline compared with other commentators and authors, I love how he describes it.
• 58:49
  SPEAKER_00: And so, number one, a repentant heart.
• 58:53
  SPEAKER_00: A repentant heart.
• 58:55
  SPEAKER_00: See it in verses one through four.
• 58:57
  SPEAKER_00: Be gracious.
• 58:58
  SPEAKER_00: This is reading from the LSB.
• 59:01
  SPEAKER_00: Be gracious to me, O God, according to your loving kindness, according to the abundance of your compassion, blot out all my transgressions.
• 59:11
  SPEAKER_00: Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin, for I know my transgressions.
• 59:20
  SPEAKER_00: Excuse me, and my sin is ever before me.
• 59:23
  SPEAKER_00: Against you, you only I have sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are justified when you speak and pure when you judge.
• 59:36
  SPEAKER_00: I wanted to read one particular quote here from Boswell, that again, just being the songwriter he is, and uh he says this.
• 59:51
  SPEAKER_00: David's response in 2 Samuel 12, 13, I have sinned against the Lord.
• 59:57
  SPEAKER_00: That's where you find that, when he was confronted by the prophet Nathan.
• 1:00:04
  SPEAKER_00: He says, I have sinned against the Lord.
• 1:00:07
  SPEAKER_00: This sentence is only two words in the original Hebrew.
• 1:00:12
  SPEAKER_00: Listen to this.
• 1:00:14
  SPEAKER_00: It is an ocean of sorrow held in a thimble.
• 1:00:22
  SPEAKER_00: It is an ocean of sorrow held in a thimble.
• 1:00:30
  SPEAKER_00: He references John Newton, the author of Amazing Grace in his life.
• 1:00:37
  SPEAKER_00: He says Newton was gripped by the grace of Jesus, and his life was never the same.
• 1:00:43
  SPEAKER_00: He lived his days in service to the Lord as a worshiper, a disciple, and a pastor.
• 1:00:48
  SPEAKER_00: Near the end of his life, when his memory began to fade, he declared, I remember two things that I am a great sinner, and that Christ is a great Savior.
• 1:01:02
  SPEAKER_00: This is the heart of amazing grace.
• 1:01:06
  SPEAKER_00: You see, a repentant heart, when confronted with sin, doesn't run away from God, but runs to God.
• 1:01:23
  SPEAKER_00: So important.
• 1:01:25
  SPEAKER_00: And Psalm 51 is God-centered.
• 1:01:29
  SPEAKER_00: It again is an example of what we just saw in Nehemiah chapter 9 that our pastor led us through, this Godward focus that it's not just focused on me and the consequences of my life or the shame in my life andor the anguish in my life.
• 1:01:45
  SPEAKER_00: It begins with looking to God, and a repentant heart begins with looking to God.
• 1:01:52
  SPEAKER_00: But take note of this.
• 1:01:54
  SPEAKER_00: What does he do in verse 1?
• 1:01:58
  SPEAKER_00: Be gracious to me, O God.
• 1:02:02
  SPEAKER_00: According to your loving kindness, according to the abundance of your compassion, blot out my transgressions.
• 1:02:10
  SPEAKER_00: You see the attributes of grace and loving kindness and compassion all called upon in the very first verse.
• 1:02:22
  SPEAKER_00: And listen, when one who is repentant is confronted with their sin, it behooves them to remember the God that they're running to.
• 1:02:34
  SPEAKER_00: And the God that they're running to is one who is gracious, one who is lovingly kind, or he is merciful.
• 1:02:47
  SPEAKER_00: He's committed in his love.
• 1:02:51
  SPEAKER_00: And he's compassionate.
• 1:02:55
  SPEAKER_00: Not only that, when he calls upon and he focuses on God, then comes the confession of wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
• 1:03:09
  SPEAKER_00: There's no finger pointing.
• 1:03:12
  SPEAKER_00: There's no blaming others.
• 1:03:16
  SPEAKER_00: Listen, a truly repentant heart, you take responsibility.
• 1:03:20
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, I know I did this.
• 1:03:22
  SPEAKER_00: This is sin before you.
• 1:03:36
  SPEAKER_00: I have sinned.
• 1:03:39
  SPEAKER_00: Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity.
• 1:03:42
  SPEAKER_00: Cleanse me from my sin, for I know my transgressions.
• 1:03:45
  SPEAKER_00: Now, as New Testament believers, we know the beauty of the sacrificial death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ who is to come.
• 1:04:02
  SPEAKER_00: David is waiting for or looking ahead toward the arrival of the promised Messiah.
• 1:04:11
  SPEAKER_00: You and I look back, knowing the perfect fulfillment of one who is able to wash us, cleanse us, is the Lord Jesus Christ.
• 1:04:26
  SPEAKER_00: Interesting here in verse 4, he says, Against you, you only I have sinned, excuse me, and done what is evil in your sight.
• 1:04:39
  SPEAKER_00: Perhaps even upon a reading of this, you've thought to yourself, wait a minute.
• 1:04:46
  SPEAKER_00: There's Bathsheba.
• 1:04:49
  SPEAKER_00: There's Uriah, her husband, if you don't remember the story, that was one of his mighty men.
• 1:04:57
  SPEAKER_00: He's a navy seal, if you will.
• 1:05:01
  SPEAKER_00: He's one who is close to the king, and one who, in the irony of ironies, the king has been disloyal, and Uriah, the wife of the husband of Bathsheba, is loyal to the king.
• 1:05:22
  SPEAKER_00: It's dripping with irony when you read the account where David calls him from the battlefield and says, if I just have him go lie with his wife, because word has gotten back that she's pregnant.
• 1:05:35
  SPEAKER_00: Again, this dwarfs any modern day soap opera.
• 1:05:40
  SPEAKER_00: And we're talking about this in the pages of scripture.
• 1:05:44
  SPEAKER_00: And the twists and turns of this story are fascinating.
• 1:05:50
  SPEAKER_00: And Uriah won't.
• 1:05:52
  SPEAKER_00: He says, How can I go be with my wife when the troops are out on the front lines?
• 1:05:59
  SPEAKER_00: Defending.
• 1:06:00
  SPEAKER_00: The people of God.
• 1:06:00
  SPEAKER_00: So then David tries another trick of I'll get him drunk.
• 1:06:05
  SPEAKER_00: If he's drunk with wine, then he'll go and he'll lie with her, and then this can all be hidden.
• 1:06:13
  SPEAKER_00: That doesn't work.
• 1:06:16
  SPEAKER_00: So there's just when you think it can't get any worse, he sends them with a letter to the front lines, and the letter reads, put him, Uriah, on the front lines and then pull back.
• 1:06:36
  SPEAKER_00: His death warrant.
• 1:06:40
  SPEAKER_00: And he is killed.
• 1:06:42
  SPEAKER_00: And in fact, when you read in scripture, this thing greatly displeased the Lord.
• 1:06:54
  SPEAKER_00: Many scholars believe it would have been a period of time that David thought it's all hidden.
• 1:07:07
  SPEAKER_00: Months go by.
• 1:07:11
  SPEAKER_00: But as Psalm thirty-two reminds us, all is not well with David.
• 1:07:17
  SPEAKER_00: For when I kept silent about my sin, my bones wasted away.
• 1:07:30
  SPEAKER_00: And yet, we read against you, you only, I have sinned and done what is evil in your sight.
• 1:07:38
  SPEAKER_00: I think the emphasis here is Godward in that it's where all sin begins, is disobedience to God.
• 1:07:50
  SPEAKER_00: And then the outworking of that will be the manifestation of wrongdoing and sin against others.
• 1:07:59
  SPEAKER_00: Just like we see in David's life.
• 1:08:01
  SPEAKER_00: He had no business calling Bathsheba to come to him.
• 1:08:05
  SPEAKER_00: She was the wife of another.
• 1:08:10
  SPEAKER_00: Not only that, the wife of a mighty man in the army.
• 1:08:19
  SPEAKER_00: And yet David sees, David calls, David acts.
• 1:08:27
  SPEAKER_00: It's kind of reminiscent of another Old Testament account, isn't it?
• 1:08:33
  SPEAKER_00: Genesis chapter 3.
• 1:08:38
  SPEAKER_00: And the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that were not to take from, and they saw.
• 1:08:58
  SPEAKER_00: James chapter 1 would lead us through temptation and the way that Satan works and the way our own flesh works and the way the world works in temptation.
• 1:09:09
  SPEAKER_00: So that we would learn and listen and understand that we are to pray, deliver us, Lord, from temptation and from the evil one.
• 1:09:20
  SPEAKER_00: And so a repentant heart is God focused, remembering the attributes and the nature of God, the need, the confession is the need for washing and cleansing.
• 1:09:36
  SPEAKER_00: And then he says, as we move on in verses five through nine, a restored heart, a restored heart.
• 1:09:45
  SPEAKER_00: So you have a repentant heart, then a restored heart.
• 1:09:48
  SPEAKER_00: Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.
• 1:09:53
  SPEAKER_00: Behold, you delight in truth in the innermost being.
• 1:09:57
  SPEAKER_00: Excuse me, and in the hidden part, you will make me know wisdom.
• 1:10:04
  SPEAKER_00: Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean.
• 1:10:07
  SPEAKER_00: Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.
• 1:10:10
  SPEAKER_00: Make me to hear joy and gladness.
• 1:10:12
  SPEAKER_00: Let the bones which you have crushed rejoice, hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.
• 1:10:22
  SPEAKER_00: A restore restored heart.
• 1:10:29
  SPEAKER_00: Hyssop would have been that which is used even on the doorposts during Passover for the death angel, the spreading of blood, so that the death angel would pass over.
• 1:10:49
  SPEAKER_00: Here David looks to the Lord with a restored heart, with an understanding of who he is and who God is.
• 1:11:01
  SPEAKER_00: I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.
• 1:11:06
  SPEAKER_00: Again, isn't pointing to that she had him in sin, his mother, but looking at the idea that we're born in sin.
• 1:11:17
  SPEAKER_00: All of us, like sheep, have gone astray, and you recognize there are none who are righteous, no not one.
• 1:11:25
  SPEAKER_00: But then the recognition that God is the one who delights in truth in the innermost being.
• 1:11:34
  SPEAKER_00: Let the bones which you have crushed rejoice, hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities again.
• 1:11:40
  SPEAKER_00: This great confession before the Lord is revealing a restored heart that isn't seeking to hide sin, but is seeking to have sin cleansed or washed from the Lord.
• 1:11:59
  SPEAKER_00: It's a difference between with one with a repentant heart and then a restored heart is a recognition of sin, and the recognition of God is the one who is the only one who can do something with our sin.
• 1:12:13
  SPEAKER_00: Leads us number three, verses ten through twelve, a renewed heart.
• 1:12:18
  SPEAKER_00: Create in me a clean heart, O God, verse 10, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
• 1:12:24
  SPEAKER_00: Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your Holy Spirit from me.
• 1:12:28
  SPEAKER_00: Restore to me the joy of your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit.
• 1:12:33
  SPEAKER_00: Then I and yeah, then it gets into the next, the final one, verse uh verses thirteen and nineteen.
• 1:12:39
  SPEAKER_00: But verses ten through twelve, a renewed heart, looking to the Lord as the only one who can give us a clean heart, renewing our spirit, not casting us away, not taking his spear from.
• 1:12:58
  SPEAKER_00: Sin has consequences.
• 1:13:02
  SPEAKER_00: Living in habitual, unconfessed sin is highly dangerous because it reveals one of two things.
• 1:13:10
  SPEAKER_00: Either one, you're not a child of God, or two, you're a child of God who's under the disciplining hand of God.
• 1:13:19
  SPEAKER_00: Which I think you see revealed here, and even when we look at the companion psalm is Psalm 32.
• 1:13:27
  SPEAKER_00: That the convicting hand of God is upon David, and God will not leave David's sin in secret.
• 1:13:38
  SPEAKER_00: In order for him to be brought to repentance and restoration and a renewed heart, it must be exposed.
• 1:13:46
  SPEAKER_00: And so he sends Nathan the prophet who exposes the sin.
• 1:13:52
  SPEAKER_00: And now what does David do?
• 1:13:53
  SPEAKER_00: Does he turn inward?
• 1:13:55
  SPEAKER_00: Does he run away?
• 1:13:56
  SPEAKER_00: Or does he turn to the Lord?
• 1:13:58
  SPEAKER_00: Well, again, revealing a man after God's own heart, David turns to the Lord again.
• 1:14:03
  SPEAKER_00: We could go to the New Testament and see the polar opposites of two who greatly failed God and two different responses in Judas and Peter.
• 1:14:15
  SPEAKER_00: Which I think I shared this with you before.
• 1:14:17
  SPEAKER_00: A fascinating study with Judas and Peter is Jesus told Peter, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat, but take heart, I've prayed for you.
• 1:14:32
  SPEAKER_00: He didn't say that to Judas.
• 1:14:36
  SPEAKER_00: Judas is a son of perdition.
• 1:14:38
  SPEAKER_00: Go and do what you do quickly.
• 1:14:42
  SPEAKER_00: Judas was filled with shame and remorse to where he threw the money back.
• 1:14:46
  SPEAKER_00: But then what did he do?
• 1:14:49
  SPEAKER_00: He hung himself.
• 1:14:53
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, listen.
• 1:14:56
  SPEAKER_00: When we sin, when we fail, we turn to the Lord.
• 1:15:04
  SPEAKER_00: We look to the Lord, we run to the Lord, we remember who he is.
• 1:15:10
  SPEAKER_00: Even as we see this great example in the parable of the prodigal son, and even when he's in a pig sty, and then it says he comes to his senses.
• 1:15:18
  SPEAKER_00: If I go work for my dad, I'll have it better than right now.
• 1:15:23
  SPEAKER_00: And then you see the revelation of who God the Father is, and the Father who's always looking for the prodigal son, and he sees him from a distance and he runs to him.
• 1:15:37
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, the beauty of our God who forgives and cleanses and redeems.
• 1:15:48
  SPEAKER_00: The renewed heart then leads number four to a responsive heart.
• 1:15:54
  SPEAKER_00: A responsive heart.
• 1:15:57
  SPEAKER_00: Verses 13 to the end.
• 1:15:59
  SPEAKER_00: Then I will teach transgressors your ways, and sinners will be converted to you.
• 1:16:04
  SPEAKER_00: Deliver me from blood guiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation.
• 1:16:08
  SPEAKER_00: Then my tongue will joyfully sing of your righteousness.
• 1:16:12
  SPEAKER_00: O Lord, open my lips that my mouth may declare your praise.
• 1:16:17
  SPEAKER_00: For you do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it.
• 1:16:20
  SPEAKER_00: You are not pleased with burnt offering.
• 1:16:22
  SPEAKER_00: The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart.
• 1:16:26
  SPEAKER_00: O God, you will not despise.
• 1:16:30
  SPEAKER_00: By your favor, do good to Zion, build the walls of Jerusalem, then you will delight in righteous sacrifices in burnt offering and whole burnt offering.
• 1:16:39
  SPEAKER_00: Then young bulls will be offered on your altar from afar.
• 1:16:43
  SPEAKER_00: Again, a separate, fascinating study is the personal nature of David's confession of sin that then leads to the national consequences.
• 1:16:57
  SPEAKER_00: Because remember, David is a shepherd of the people.
• 1:17:00
  SPEAKER_00: He's the shepherd king of the people of God.
• 1:17:03
  SPEAKER_00: And for repentance to take place from the leader, then has effects on the people of God as well.
• 1:17:12
  SPEAKER_00: Again, that's for a separate Bible study in a different time, but that is a great study in why he ends this with by your favor, do good to Zion.
• 1:17:23
  SPEAKER_00: It reveals a responsive heart.
• 1:17:25
  SPEAKER_00: So let me let me move into our application points because I can draw this out even a little bit with so though that outline comes from Boswell's book, and many commentators and authors may uh outline the book differently, uh the book, the the psalm differently.
• 1:17:44
  SPEAKER_00: But I like how he did that, and and I think it's easy to commit to memory as well.
• 1:17:49
  SPEAKER_00: But um these applications, these applications are from me, not an author of a book, but just plain old Jeff Leduc, drawn from this text of scripture.
• 1:18:03
  SPEAKER_00: Number one, run to God, not away from him.
• 1:18:11
  SPEAKER_00: The enemy will seek to isolate you, and shame isolates you.
• 1:18:21
  SPEAKER_00: And that's not where you need to be.
• 1:18:26
  SPEAKER_00: When you sin, you run to God and to the people of God.
• 1:18:33
  SPEAKER_00: Don't pull away.
• 1:18:36
  SPEAKER_00: It's a tactic of the enemy, and it's a result of shame in our own lives.
• 1:18:41
  SPEAKER_00: And we're especially vulnerable to fall into despair and also further sin when we're isolated.
• 1:18:56
  SPEAKER_00: Run to God.
• 1:18:57
  SPEAKER_00: We remember who uh God is, or we rest in, number two.
• 1:19:02
  SPEAKER_00: Rest in who he is, all of his attributes.
• 1:19:06
  SPEAKER_00: Again, if you commit this to memory, you know you're turning to the one that you can say, Be gracious to me, O God.
• 1:19:13
  SPEAKER_00: According to what?
• 1:19:14
  SPEAKER_00: Your loving kindness, according to your the abundance of your compassion, blot out my transgressions.
• 1:19:20
  SPEAKER_00: You remember the God that you're turning to is merciful, is gracious, is filled with abundant loving kindness.
• 1:19:29
  SPEAKER_00: This is the God that we turn to.
• 1:19:31
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, he's a God of perfect justice, and he doesn't just sweep sin away.
• 1:19:36
  SPEAKER_00: Nowhere do you have the absence of consequences of sin.
• 1:19:40
  SPEAKER_00: You see that in David's life in a variety of ways.
• 1:19:45
  SPEAKER_00: What David did in secret was done by his son in public for all to see.
• 1:19:53
  SPEAKER_00: There's death, there's discord, there's division, there's betrayal.
• 1:19:59
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, sin has consequences.
• 1:20:02
  SPEAKER_00: And don't ever listen to the lie from the enemy that this is just me.
• 1:20:06
  SPEAKER_00: I'm the only one affected by this.
• 1:20:08
  SPEAKER_00: Listen, that comes from the pit of hell.
• 1:20:11
  SPEAKER_00: Sin affects far more people than you ever think it will.
• 1:20:18
  SPEAKER_00: The effects are rippling out, just like dropping a rock into a pond.
• 1:20:24
  SPEAKER_00: It ripples out, and it did in David's life as well.
• 1:20:27
  SPEAKER_00: But you rest in who he is.
• 1:20:30
  SPEAKER_00: Number three, you remember the cycle of ministry.
• 1:20:34
  SPEAKER_00: You remember the cycle of ministry.
• 1:20:36
  SPEAKER_00: We see this at the end of this psalm when he says, Then open my tongue, uh, then my tongue will joyfully sing of your righteousness.
• 1:20:45
  SPEAKER_00: You see, the cycle of ministry and the way David instructs us is listen, if God forgives and restores and redeems David, why do you think he wouldn't you?
• 1:21:01
  SPEAKER_00: This is the same God of the Old Testament of the as the New Testament of today.
• 1:21:07
  SPEAKER_00: They're not different gods, there's one God.
• 1:21:09
  SPEAKER_00: And we see it time and time again, his forgiveness, his provision.
• 1:21:14
  SPEAKER_00: You see it in Moses' life, you you see it in Abram's life, you see it in Isaac and Jacob and in all the patriarchs' lives, and then all the way through Old Testament history, and then into the New Testament.
• 1:21:29
  SPEAKER_00: And what did he do with a guy named Saul of Tarsus who is a terrorist bent on destroying the people of the way?
• 1:21:38
  SPEAKER_00: He saved him, redeemed him, called him as an apostle to the Jews and the Gentiles.
• 1:21:48
  SPEAKER_00: It's a cycle of ministry, which a side note here there are consequences for sin.
• 1:21:59
  SPEAKER_00: But as one man put it, understand failure is never final with God.
• 1:22:09
  SPEAKER_00: Failure is never final.
• 1:22:11
  SPEAKER_00: God has the last say.
• 1:22:13
  SPEAKER_00: God is the one who redeems, God is the one who restores.
• 1:22:17
  SPEAKER_00: And the cycle of ministry is when you're used of the Lord in pointing other people, listen to what I've been forgiven.
• 1:22:25
  SPEAKER_00: Okay, then number four, respond biblically.
• 1:22:32
  SPEAKER_00: Respond biblically.
• 1:22:33
  SPEAKER_00: What do we mean by that?
• 1:22:36
  SPEAKER_00: I don't know why I said we, be me.
• 1:22:39
  SPEAKER_00: But what I mean by that is this entire psalm.
• 1:22:44
  SPEAKER_00: Do you want to know how to respond with a prayer of contrition, confession, and repentance?
• 1:22:54
  SPEAKER_00: Pray this way.
• 1:22:57
  SPEAKER_00: It's one of the reasons Psalm 51 is in the Bible.
• 1:23:02
  SPEAKER_00: It's for our instruction and an example.
• 1:23:06
  SPEAKER_00: And the way that we respond biblically is by responding the way the Bible reveals.
• 1:23:13
  SPEAKER_00: Not listen.
• 1:23:18
  SPEAKER_00: Not in an evangelical works-based paying penance kind of way.
• 1:23:32
  SPEAKER_00: Here's what I mean by that.
• 1:23:35
  SPEAKER_00: We feel like we have to beat ourselves up for our failure and our sin, and then God will accept us.
• 1:23:45
  SPEAKER_00: I gotta be really low.
• 1:23:47
  SPEAKER_00: I need somebody just to punch me in the jaw.
• 1:23:50
  SPEAKER_00: I need somebody just to bury me, somebody just to put their boot right in my back while I'm on the ground.
• 1:23:57
  SPEAKER_00: I need to really, and then somehow God will accept us.
• 1:24:02
  SPEAKER_00: Well, where's all the focus when we have that approach?
• 1:24:08
  SPEAKER_00: Me.
• 1:24:11
  SPEAKER_00: Here's the bottom line.
• 1:24:15
  SPEAKER_00: Your works, even your good works, are as filthy rags before the Lord.
• 1:24:21
  SPEAKER_00: And responding biblically is not beating yourself up and paying penance for, it's responding the way David did in Psalm 51.
• 1:24:32
  SPEAKER_00: Have mercy on me, O God.
• 1:24:34
  SPEAKER_00: Be gracious to me, O God, according to your loving-kindness, according to the abundance of your compassion.
• 1:24:40
  SPEAKER_00: Blot out my transgressions.
• 1:24:43
  SPEAKER_00: You turn to the Lord.
• 1:24:45
  SPEAKER_00: You look to the Lord, you trust the Lord.
• 1:24:49
  SPEAKER_00: Praise God.
• 1:24:50
  SPEAKER_00: We got Psalm 51 in with an overview.
• 1:24:53
  SPEAKER_00: There's so much more that's here.
• 1:24:55
  SPEAKER_00: So I encourage you, just like Psalm 1, let Psalm 51 be a psalm that you meditate on.
• 1:25:07
  SPEAKER_00: Dwell here.
• 1:25:09
  SPEAKER_00: Turn to it often.
• 1:25:12
  SPEAKER_00: In fact, if you're not familiar with it, go back to 2 Samuel 11 and 12 and read the surrounding context, and then go read Psalm 51, followed by Psalm 32.
• 1:25:26
  SPEAKER_00: And let your mind dwell on these things and let this be a prayer unto the Lord as well.
• 1:25:32
  SPEAKER_00: Then you have some great helps that will help you with different resources, even considering this majestic psalm.
• 1:25:41
  SPEAKER_00: So let's pray together and then we'll be done.
• 1:25:44
  SPEAKER_00: Our Father, once again, thank you for the time that we had in your word, even though we're at 40,000 feet looking down on this psalm that could be examined over numerous messages.
• 1:26:01
  SPEAKER_00: We're thankful for Psalm 1 that we looked at last week and the blessed man and what he does and what he does not do, or what he does not do begins with, and then to what he does do.
• 1:26:14
  SPEAKER_00: And then this psalm looking at the way of repentance, restoration, renewal, and responding.
• 1:26:25
  SPEAKER_00: And so, Father, would you use these Psalms in our lives as we read them, as we study them, as we meditate on them, and then as we pray them, and may they be a part of our lives.
• 1:26:39
  SPEAKER_00: We look to you, O God, to have mercy on us.
• 1:26:42
  SPEAKER_00: And oh, how we're thankful for the blood of Jesus Christ, the perfect sacrifice offered once for all, who now sits because it is finished.
• 1:26:59
  SPEAKER_00: And so we thank you for even the psalm and then for what we know in the fulfillment of all things in Jesus Christ.
• 1:27:08
  SPEAKER_00: So be with us now as we leave this place.
• 1:27:10
  SPEAKER_00: We ask your protection upon us and again give us divine appointments and bring us back here to gather together again on Sunday.
• 1:27:20
  SPEAKER_00: We ask this all in Jesus' name.
• 1:27:22
  SPEAKER_00: Amen.
• 1:27:23
  SPEAKER_00: Amen.
• 1:27:24
  SPEAKER_00: All right.
• 1:27:24
  SPEAKER_00: God bless you.
• 1:27:25
  SPEAKER_00: Kept you a little bit later tonight, but I didn't want to prove J.R.
• 1:27:30
  SPEAKER_00: right and make this a two Wednesday study.
• 1:27:32
  SPEAKER_00: So God bless you.
• 1:27:34
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for being here.