MESSAGE SUMMARY: As David’s praise tells us in Psalms 103:13: “As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.”. David models again and again, in Psalms, how we should praise God. For example, in Psalms 146, David says: "Put not your trust in Princes; Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, Oh my soul!". When we are wondering how to praise the Lord, we can read one of David’s Psalms to God like David’s praises to the Lord in Psalms 112:1-2: “Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in his commandments! His offspring will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.". Also, we learn in Proverbs 1:7, the “fear of the Lord” and “wisdom” are closely linked: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.".
These verses from the Old Testament point to the fear, respect, and praise that God warrants and demands from His power and Holiness. On the other hand, as we see when the Apostle John quotes Jesus from Revelation 1:17-18, when Jesus, in all His power and Glory, reassures us of God’s Grace and His plan for working out the Salvation and Eternal Life for all those that have accepted Jesus as their Savior: “When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, ‘Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.’”. Yes, you should fear and respect God’s power and Holiness; but, as a follower of Jesus, you should “fear not” at your time of judgment.
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION: Today, because of I am filled with the Holy Spirit, I will not be controlled by my Heartlessness. Rather, I will walk in the Spirit’s fruit of Kindness. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22f).
THIS SUNDAY’S SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach’s Current Sunday Sermon: “Beginnings of Prayer -- Part 3: Prayer is Not About Us, It Is About Others", at our Website: www.AWordFromTheLord.org/listen/.
WEBSITE LINK TO DR. BEACH’S CURRENT VIDEO: “Prophetic Glimpses of the Coming Messiah” (Third Sunday in Advent; Holy Cross Anglican Cathedral; Loganville, GA), https://www.lightsource.com/ministry/a-word-from-the-lord/
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SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Revelation 1:17-18; Psalms 118:1-20; Proverbs 1:7; Psalms 37a:1-10.