Hearing God’s Voice from His Word
James 4:8 says, “Come near to God and he will come near to you.”
Take a moment and turn your attention to God. Tell God that you desire to trust and obey Him. Ask God to speak to you from His word.
Psalm of the Day
Psalm 89:8-14
Lord God of Armies,
who is strong like you, Lord?
Your faithfulness surrounds you.
9 You rule the raging sea;
when its waves surge, you still them.
10 You crushed Rahab like one who is slain;
you scattered your enemies with your powerful arm.
11 The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours.
The world and everything in it—you founded them.
12 North and south—you created them.
Tabor and Hermon shout for joy at your name.
13 You have a mighty arm; your hand is powerful;
your right hand is lifted high.
14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation
of your throne; faithful love and truth go before you.
Read the Entire Psalm
Who is strong like the Lord? Obviously no one is strong like the Lord, but think about God’s strength. He never gets stronger. He does not improve. His strength has no limit. In his faithful love and truth, he has made a way for sinners to be reconciled to him. Nothing is too difficult for God. Praise him for his mighty arms that were stretched out on the cross to save us.
SCRIPTURE READING:
Exodus 34:5-9 – The Message
4-7 So Moses cut two tablets of stone just like the originals. He got up early in the morning and climbed Mount Sinai as God had commanded him, carrying the two tablets of stone. God descended in the cloud and took up his position there beside him and called out the name, God. God passed in front of him and called out, “God, God, a God of mercy and grace, endlessly patient—so much love, so deeply true—loyal in love for a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin. Still, he doesn’t ignore sin. He holds sons and grandsons responsible for a father’s sins to the third and even fourth generation.”
8-9 At once, Moses fell to the ground and worshiped, saying, “Please, O Master, if you see anything good in me, please Master, travel with us, hard-headed as these people are. Forgive our iniquity and sin. Own us, possess us.”
Having God’s Ear through Prayer
- Express thanksgiving to God.
- Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal sin to you.
- Confess your sin to Him and receive forgiveness.
(1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sin He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins.”) - Bring your personal requests to God.
(Psalm 62:8 “Pour out your heart before God”) - Pray for someone in your small group.
- Join with others from River and pray today for Christian Challenge as they meet tonight at River.
Living as God’s People by applying the Bible
Scripture Reflection from the Sermon
In our passage, we read that God abounds in faithful love and truth, but that he will not leave the guilty unpunished. As a reminder, before we quickly point the finger “out there,” we need to remember who is the guilty one. We are the guilty–– that’s you (and me). All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23). Why will God not leave the guilty unpunished? Is it because God is mean? I don’t think so. The reason God must judge sin is because he is righteous. He has a zero-tolerance policy on evil. He is the ultimate standard of righteousness. To relax the standard of his justice would be a denial of who he is, which is something God will not do. Thanks be to God that Christ died in our place to bear God’s just judgment against sin in order to win us forgiveness, adoption, and glory! At the cross, we see God display his justice alongside his mercy and grace. In what ways is God’s justice difficult for you to understand? In what ways does God’s justice comfort you?