September 13, 2015 | Bob Bartlett
Passage: Luke 21:5-36
Discovering God in the Psalms – Ps 25
“High Hopes in Low Tides”
Romans 1:20 “For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities –his eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen by what has been made so that men are without excuse”
What Low Tides Look Like:
- Strain of personal conflict in relationships
- Trials of life we face:
- The needs we have:
- The temptations we endure:
- Certainly last but not least is death itself:
To Have High Hopes in Low Tides
Vs 1-3: “To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; in you I trust, O my God. Do not let me be put to shame…No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame”
- My mind must be renewed to God’s Word.
- At low tide is when it is perhaps the most challenging time to turn to God’s Word.
- Matthew 4:4 “Man does not live on bread alone but on every word…”
- “No one whose hope is in you will ever be put to shame” Romans 8:28
Vs 4-6: “Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. Remember, O Lord, your great mercy and love, for they are from of old.”
- 2. My mind must be reprogrammed by God’s Word.
- If I am to change the way I live I must change the way I think. Romans 12:2 “Be not conformed any longer to the patterns…”
- God’s Word is the source and power to do that! 2Tim 3:16-17 “All scripture is God breathed and useful for teach, rebuke, correct & train in righteous…”
Vs 8-11 “Good and upright is the Lord; therefore he instructs sinners in his ways. He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. All the ways of the Lord are loving and faithful… For the sake of your name, O Lord, forgive my iniquity, though it is great.”
- My mind must be regenerated by God’s Word. Psalm 119:133
- “He guides the humble” (#1 why we confess) – teaches us humility.
- Sanctified mind is the only way God can clearly speak to us. Psalm 66:18 “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened;”
- We will not approach God’s Word with a seared conscience.
Vs 12-15 “Who, then, is the man that fears the Lord? He will instruct him in the way chosen for him. He will spend his days in prosperity, and his descendents will inherit the land. The Lord confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to them.”
- My mind will be rejuvenated in God’s Word.
- Our mind is renewed by His Word. When God is and becomes more real to us.
- “Make his covenant known” Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”
- High thoughts lead to High Hopes even in Low Tides. Romans 15:13