Psalm 54 - 2008.07.26

"Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth… I will freely sacrifice unto Thee: I will praise Thy name, O Lord, for it is good." — Psalm 54:2,6

Perhaps no area of the Christian life comes under a more relentless attack from the enemy of our souls than the prayer life. There is a definite link between sustained spiritual victory and consistent prayer. Knowing this, the adversary seeks to frustrate our efforts in prayer and any attempt to develop a meaningful, steadfast prayer life.

The Lord Jesus said, "Men ought always to pray, and not to faint [Lk 18:1]." The implication is that if we do not pray, and pray with consistency, we will falter in our spiritual experience. Wisely, the disciples petitioned Him, "Lord, teach us to pray," and we should do the same.

Upon reflection, the passage before us affords some constructive thoughts on the cultivation of effective prayer. The first, obvious, but too often taken for granted, is the need for a hearing God. The Psalmist said, "Hear my prayer, O God, give ear…" If there is no God, or if God is indifferent to the cry of His creatures, or if He is a god who cannot hear, prayer is an exercise in futility, one of the silliest things a man can do. That is the plight of those who foolishly call out to false gods, of whom the scripture says, "They have ears, but they hear not [Ps. 115:6]." In contrast the Psalmist says of the God of the bible, "The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears are open unto their cry [Ps. 34:15]." And He invites men through the prophet Jeremiah, "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not [Jer. 33:3]."

We have a hearing God. Let it be noted, however, that there are circumstances in which he will not hear. "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me [Ps. 66:18]." It behooves us to remember that while we are invited to address Him by prayer, He demands of those who would have audience with Him clean hands and a pure heart (See Ps. 24:3-4). That requires first, conversion through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Second, it requires confession of known sins. We can by faith come boldly to His throne, but we must not come brazenly.

There is a second obvious element essential to effective praying that this passage suggests to me. It requires a praying soul. Jesus said, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened [Mat. 7:7-8]." And James charged, "… ye have not because ye ask not… [Jas. 4:2]." Again, this seems obvious, but we tend too easily to forget it.

A missionary of some repute declared, "Prayer is the soul's sincere desire, uttered or unexpressed." I think that is in error. David said, "Give ear to the words of my mouth." His prayer was articulated; perhaps not aloud, but at least conveyed in words to God in mind and heart. God wills that we commune with Him, and if we fail to do so, it will be at our own expense. The hearing God responds to the praying soul. "The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears are opened unto their cry [Ps. 34:15]."

There is yet another dimension, I think, in effectual praying. It is a grateful heart, which injects praise into our prayer life. Its significance is illustrated in the Savior's cleansing of the ten lepers. "And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole [Luke 17:15-19]." David habitually, as here, incorporates praise and thanksgiving into his prayer life. We should do the same. "By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name [Heb. 13:15]."

These things are simple and familiar, but too easily forgotten or taken for granted. Let us reflect upon them for the refreshment of our own prayer life, the cultivation of spiritual dynamic and the maintenance of victory.

For the glory of God and the good of the saints,

"Pastor" Frasier

Psalm 53 - 2008.07.19

"The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good." — Psalm 53:1

Psalm 53 is nearly a carbon copy of Psalm 14, yet there are enough differences to make it evident that it is a fresh issue, modified by the Holy Spirit for His own purpose. One may be inclined to wonder why the same truth would be reiterated twice in such similarity.

Perhaps the apostle Paul gives us a clue when he writes to the Philippians, "Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe [Phil. 3:1]." In other words, for very practical reasons some things bear repeating.

God does not repeat Himself because He is absent-minded. His repetition is born of the importance of the subject. And if, in the economy of scripture, God elects to repeat Himself, we may wisely conclude that the matter bears the most careful consideration. There is nothing man in his vanity and pride would rather not hear than what is here said of the condition of the human race, and nothing man needs to hear more than this indictment of the human condition: "Corrupt are they… there is none that doeth good." Not only is this truth twice repeated in the Psalms, but it is underscored in the New Testament where we read, "As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one… there is no fear of God before their eyes… For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God [cf Rom. 3:10-23]."

Man's retreat from this sweeping judgment is, ultimately, to deny the existence of God and to attribute his origin, maintenance and destiny to mindless mechanisms that would deny us any meaning or moral significance for our existence. In the process, the Word of God is dismissed as fiction and the Son of God is declared to be a liar or an idiot— or both! This is folly: "The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God." That is not my judgment, it is God's.

To deny the existence of God is not only to destroy meaning for man, but it is also to destroy hope. The God who passes His awful judgment on the human condition is also the One who has intervened in behalf of this corrupt race, sending His only begotten Son to be the propitiation for our sins, "and not for ours only, but for the sins of the whole world [I John 2:2]." Whatever hope there is for this tottering race lies only in the gospel of the grace of God.

There is, however, an even greater folly prevalent in the human race. There is the fool who may, in fact, believe that God is, but is disinclined to obey His will. The apostle Paul speaks of those who "profess that they know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate [Titus 1:16]." This is greater intellectual folly than the former. The philosophical atheist is at least consistent; he denies the existence of God and behaves accordingly. He who affirms that God is, but ignores or deliberately disobeys His word is a practical atheist inconsistent with himself.

So, to deny the existence of God is to be classified a fool in God's eyes. But to believe that He is, then say "no" to His will is the greater folly. Don't be a fool!

"Trust and obey, for there's no other way
to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey."

With eternity in view,

"Pastor" Frasier

Psalm 52 - 2008.07.12

"But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: i trust in the mercy of God forever and ever. I will praise thee forever, because Thou hast done it: and I will wait on Thy name; for it is good before Thy saints." — Psalm 52:8-9

This psalm, like so many others, draws a contrast between the wicked and the righteous. If we reduce the concept to a minimum, the declaration is that the wicked man trusts in his material resources (v.7) and the righteous man trusts in God. My inclination today is to focus attention on what is here suggested about the latter, David himself serving as the illustration.

Consider first the prosperity of the righteous, suggested by the phrase, "I am like a green olive tree in the house of God." The green tree may be contrasted to a dry tree. The implication is that the green tree is flourishing and fruitful, in contrast to the dry, dead tree. Reference to the tree as "in the house of God" suggests that it will enjoy tender and faithful care under His supervision, in contrast to the destiny of the wicked described in v. 5— "God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of Thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living." In this light, contemplate the question, "What shall it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and lose his own soul [Mk. 8:36]?" It is the true child of God whose position is truly prosperous, in the spiritual sense if not materially, and who will "bring forth his fruit in his season," and enjoy the security of dwelling "in the house of the Lord forever." (Cf. Ps. 1:3; 23:6)

Out of that glorious relationship three things emerge. First, consider the perspective of the righteous: "I will trust in the mercy of God forever and forever." Throughout scripture men are exhorted to trust in the Lord. Here one man affirms his trust over against his adversary, and he affirms it as an act of the will. Trust is a choice. Earlier in this psalm it is said of the wicked man, he "trusted in the abundance of his riches," and in the end he comes to naught. Here the righteous man trusts in the mercy of God and it is an enduring trust; God's resources never fail.

The second emphasis is on the practice of the righteous: "I will praise thee forever and ever." Scripture says, "praise is comely for the upright" (Ps. 33:1). This man says that as long as he will trust, he will praise. In the New Testament we are exhorted, "By Him (Christ) therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His name [Heb. 13:15]." Praise and thanksgiving are one of the distinguishing characteristics of the man of God.

Thirdly, there is suggested the patience of the righteous: "I will wait on Thy name… before Thy saints." Come what may, the righteous wait on the Lord. To this we are exhorted in one of my wife's favorite texts, Psalm 62:5, "My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him." Waiting on the Lord promises the stamina to endure the rigors of life in this present world. "He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint [Isa. 40:29-31]." If the time of His appearing waxes long, and doubts begin to arise, waiting on Him will fan the flame of hope and enable us to "keep on keeping on."

"I will trust… I will praise… I will wait… " Centered in the Living God, these are characteristics that distinguish the righteous from the ungodly, and shape his character. May God give us the wisdom to appropriate righteousness by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and diligence in thus pursuing it .

"With eternity's values in view,"

"Pastor" Frasier

Psalm 51 - 2008.07.05

"Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." — Psalm 51:10

When King David committed his grievous transgression with Bathsheba, it laid the foundation for this great penitential Psalm. The spirit manifested here is, among other things, a major component of a true conversion experience.

Contemporary proclamation of the gospel emphasizes faith as essential to salvation, and rightly so; but there is comparatively little emphasis on repentance. When the apostle Peter recounted his experience with the Roman military officer Cornelius and his associates before the church council at Jerusalem, those present "When they heard these things… held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life [Acts 11:18]." In his second epistle he declared, "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance [II Pet. 3:9]." And when the apostle Paul gave charge to the elders of the church at Ephesus he remarked, "…I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have showed you, and have taught you publicly, and from house to house, Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ [Acts 20:21-22]." Clearly repentance has a significant place in the appropriation of salvation and in forgiveness of sins, according to the scriptures, and it is wonderfully illustrated in this Psalm.

What our text for today teaches in particular is that true repentance involves more than simply a desire for forgiveness of a transgression. It includes a passion for righteousness. The sinning Psalmist, convicted of his transgression, cries, "Create in me a clean heart… " His desire is not merely for pardon, which can arise from essentially selfish motives, but he wants purification. There is a clear recognition of his guilt as a transgressor and awareness that he has spiritual heart trouble. He asks not for a pain killer, but for a heart transplant. He is not seeking renovation of his old heart, but the creation of a new one, which alone will suffice to meet his need.

The word of the Lord says, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it [Jer. 17:9]?" The hand, the foot, the eye, the tongue— any of our members may be the instruments of sin, but it is the heart that motivates them. For example the Savior says, "A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh [Luke 6:45]." When Simon the sorcerer made an outrageous request for selfish ends the apostle Peter responded, "… thy heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee [Acts 8:21-22]."

The truly penitent sinner not only wants a clean heart, but he cries, "… renew a right spirit within me." He wants the impartation of new motivation and direction; a sustained righteousness, not just a clean slate.

David's prayer is directed, "O God." God alone can create a new heart and empower the spirit in a new direction. Jeremiah put it this way: "O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps [Jer. 10:23]." The new creation is found in and through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new [II Cor. 5:17]." That faith must rest upon a "broken and a contrite heart." (See Ps. 51:17)

"It takes God to be godly." — Maj. Ian Thomas

For the "whole truth,"

"Pastor" Frasier

Psalm 50 - 2008.06.28

"Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about Him." — Psalm 50:3

"Our God shall come… " That is the sustaining hope of believers in every dispensation . The Lord Jesus, God manifest in the flesh, said at the culmination of His ministry, "I will come again and receive you unto myself." (cf. John 14: 1-3) While some have applied this to the "welcome home" awaiting individual believers on the occasion of physical death, He clearly had a larger and universal event in view. New Testament saints have anticipated His "second coming" ever since.

Along the way the Holy Spirit informed the church of the mockery of this comforting and arresting truth which would be especially evident at the end of the age. "… there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of His coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation [II Pet. 3:4]."

Let us remember that there was a promise of divine visitation preceding this one, which was fulfilled when Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. When the time waxed long and doubts clouded the minds of the faithful and emboldened the mischief of the ungodly, the prophet Habakkuk, in an applicable passage, declared, "… the vision is yet for an appointed time, but in the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, and will not tarry (i.e., it will not be late) [Hab. 2:3]." With respect to His first coming it is written, "But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons [Gal. 4:4]." Similarly, when the time is right, from the divine perspective, His Son will come again in fulfillment of His promise. And, He will not be late! The promise of His coming to redeem us stood for thousands of years until the time was right; the promise of His second coming is a mere two thousand years old. He will come again, and He will come at the right time. In the meantime, we are admonished to watch and wait and be faithful until He does!

When He does come, our text declares, "He shall not keep silence." In fact, the suggestion here is that He will come with sound and fury. Indeed, scripture teaches us that there will be a great difference between the first and second coming. The subtlety of His first coming is captured in the Christmas hymn, "How silently, how silently the wondrous gift was given." But when He comes again it will be an event initiated by the sound of a great trumpet and the shout of victory of those who will form His entourage; "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God… [I Thess. 4:16a]." And again, "… the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power [II Thess. 1:7b-9]."

Indeed, the return of Christ, as comprehensively revealed in scripture, is like the proverbial two edged sword. It will be the consummation of hope for the believer, but the end of all hope for those who have rejected the Savior. While grace is poured out on the saved, judgment falls upon the wicked and the unbelieving. It is this aspect of His return the Psalmist seems to have in view in our text for today.

The first and second coming of Christ are wedded in the New Testament in this passage: "… but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation [Heb. 9:26b-28]." My friend, are you looking for His appearing? Are you 'ready if the Lord should come?' No question the human mind can entertain is more important than this one. He will come again, "even as He promised," and receive into glory those who have placed their eternal destiny in His hands by faith.

When the trumpet sounds, it will be too late to make that decision. "Behold, now is the accepted time!"

With eternity in view,

"Pastor" Frasier

Prayers and Apologizes

I apologize for the tardiness of last weeks post. I have been out of town and with out internet for the last 8 days. But here is last weeks post and this weeks.

In other news please be praying for Pastor Frasier and Miriam. From all news reports I have heard recently she is not well at the present.

Godspeed,
Wesley