A Prayer for Victory - Psalm 20

In ancient Israel before the king went out to battle a prayer was said in a special worship ceremony held to ask God's protection over him. That prayer, written by David, became a part of the official liturgy of God's people. We know it as Psalm 20.

From the New Testament we look back and see that all of it, while applicable to David and the earthly kings who followed, points beyond its original context to Christ, Son of David, who would go forth from heaven, take upon himself flesh and blood, and win the victory for us as the Captain of our salvation.

This is the audio file from the sermon I preached on Sunday, June 19, 2016, at the Winnsboro Reformed Church. I hope it will be a blessing to you.

Click here: A Prayer For Victory - Psalm 20

(To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.)

May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble!

May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!

May he send you help from the sanctuary

and give you support from Zion!

May he remember all your offerings

and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices! Selah

May he grant you your heart's desire

and fulfill all your plans!

May we shout for joy over your salvation,

and in the name of our God set up our banners!

May the LORD fulfill all your petitions!

Now I know that the LORD saves his anointed;

he will answer him from his holy heaven

with the saving might of his right hand.

Some trust in chariots and some in horses,

but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.

They collapse and fall,

but we rise and stand upright.

O LORD, save the king!

May he answer us when we call.

What Life Is About - Philippians 1:18-24

Why did God make us? Why did he save us? What is our life about? The answer to all three questions is the same. The Westminster Shorter Catechism asks the question this way: "What is the chief end of man?" And it answers it thus: "Man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever." But how is that lived out specifically? Paul gives a more specific answer in Philippians 1:21:

For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.

For the Christian life is Christ. And for Paul, Christ is the gospel, Christ is God's glory, and the redemption wrought by Christ's cross is the purpose for which the world was created. This is the subject of Paul's discourse early in his letter to the Philippians.

I invite you to take a listen to the Bible study from this past Wednesday night where we covered this portion of the letter. It is my prayer that it will be a blessing to you.

Click here:  What Life Is About - Philippians 1:18-24

Psalm 19:11-14 - The Blessing of God's Word

Finishing up my sermons from Psalm 19, this message covers the last four verses. How does God's speech in special revelation affect my speech in everyday life? More specifically, how does God use the Bible in our lives to make us more like Christ?

In this sermon I contrast the covenants of law with the covenant of grace and point out how in Christ we have great reward. There's lots of gospel here and I hope it will be a blessing to you.

To listen to the sermon click here: Psalm 19:11-14 - The Blessing of God's Word

Philippians 1:9-11 - Paul's Prayer for the Philippians

When Paul prayed for the saints at Philippi, how did he do so? What was his prayer about? Upon what did it focus? And how does Paul's prayer here help us to know how to pray for each other?

And if God is sovereign why should we pray anyway?

This is the fifth study in our verse by verse exposition of the Epistle to the Philippians. Paul is still laying a foundation for what is going to be expounded upon throughout the rest of the letter. I hope that you will take the time to listen, and think, and grow in grace with us as we study this book. Just click the link below.

Philippians 1:9-11 - Paul's Prayer for the Philippians

Psalm 19:7-10 - Special Revelation

The word of God, to David, is more precious than gold, sweeter than honey. He praises it for four verses in the middle of this 19th Psalm.

This is my third sermon from Psalm 19. In the first I gave an overview of the entire psalm. In the second I focused on the first six verses, or general revelation. Now in this sermon I focus on verses seven through ten in which David praises the written revelation of God. In the New Testament, Jesus and the apostles hold to a very high view of Scripture. From where do they get this? Could it be that it comes from what David himself said about God's word?

What is more valuable than gold? What is sweeter than honey?

Click here: Psalm 19:7-10 - Special Revelation