Pastor Billington's Blog

Psalm 115:9-18 “Israel, trust in the LORD! He is their help and their shield. House of Aaron, trust in the LORD! He is their help and their shield. You who fear the LORD, trust in the LORD! He is their help and their shield. The LORD remembers us. He will bless us. He will bless the house of Israel. He will bless the house of Aaron. He will bless those who fear the LORD, both small and great. May the LORD increase you more and more, you and your children. Blessed are you by the LORD, who made heaven and earth. The heavens are the LORD’s heavens, but he has given the earth to the children of men. The dead don’t praise the LORD, nor any who go down into silence, but we will bless the LORD, from this time forward and forever more. Praise the LORD!”

Isn’t there an afterlife? Don’t we praise God later? Of course, but the dead can’t praise God anymore in this life. The call is for God to help now so that His people can praise Him among the nations. And just as Israel is called by God to be His chosen people, and can look to Him for help and protection, so it is true for us as well. And we are supposed to exalt Him because of it!

Hebrews 13:5-6 “he has said, ‘I will in no way leave you, neither will I in any way forsake you.’ So that with good courage we say, ‘The Lord is my helper. I will not fear. What can man do to me?’ “

1 Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellence of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

For additional worship: Shout to the Lord (Don Moen)

Psalm 115:2-8 “Why should the nations say, ‘Where is their God, now?’ But our God is in the heavens. He does whatever he pleases. Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men’s hands. They have mouths, but they don’t speak. They have eyes, but they don’t see. They have ears, but they don’t hear. They have noses, but they don’t smell. They have hands, but they don’t feel. They have feet, but they don’t walk, neither do they speak through their throat. Those who make them will be like them; yes, everyone who trusts in them.”

“Those who make them will be like them.” Dumb. Blind. Deaf. Senseless and useless. Such is the one who doesn’t worship the one true and sovereign God!

For additional worship: To God Be The Glory (Reawaken Hymns)

Psalm 115:1 “Not to us, LORD, not to us, but to your name give glory, for your loving kindness, and for your truth’s sake.”

Why only one verse today? Because of its importance. We don’t deserve glory. God does. He has shown us loving kindness through Jesus Christ, and we can rely on His promises because He is trustworthy!

Exodus 34:5-7 “The LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the LORD’s name. The LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, ‘The LORD! The LORD, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness and truth, keeping loving kindness for thousands, forgiving iniquity and disobedience and sin.’ “

John 15:1-5 “Jesus said these things, then lifting up his eyes to heaven, he said, ‘Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may also glorify you; even as you gave him authority over all flesh, so he will give eternal life to all whom you have given him. This is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and him whom you sent, Jesus Christ. I glorified you on the earth. I have accomplished the work which you have given me to do. Now, Father, glorify me with your own self with the glory which I had with you before the world existed.’ “

For additional worship: Good Good Father (Chris Tomlin)

Psalm 114:1-8 “When Israel went out of Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of foreign language, Judah became his sanctuary, Israel his dominion. The sea saw it, and fled. The Jordan was driven back. The mountains skipped like rams, the little hills like lambs. What was it, you sea, that you fled? You Jordan, that you turned back? You mountains, that you skipped like rams? You little hills, like lambs? Tremble, you earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob, who turned the rock into a pool of water, the flint into a spring of waters.”

God brought His people out of Egypt and made them His special “dominion.” They became His holy kingdom! He provided for and protected them and brought them to the promised land. He is so powerful that all of nature obeys and even trembles before Him!

We are God’s special people too. Through Jesus we have obtained mercy, and we are now a part of His kingdom!

1 Peter 2:9-10 “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellence of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. In the past, you were not a people, but now are God’s people, who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.”

For additional worship: We’ve a Story to Tell to the Nations

Psalm 113:1-9 “Praise the LORD! Praise, you servants of the LORD, praise the LORD’s name. Blessed be the LORD’s name, from this time forward and forever more. From the rising of the sun to its going down, the LORD’s name is to be praised. The LORD is high above all nations, his glory above the heavens. Who is like the LORD, our God, who has his seat on high, who stoops down to see in heaven and in the earth? He raises up the poor out of the dust, and lifts up the needy from the ash heap, that he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people. He settles the barren woman in her home as a joyful mother of children. Praise the LORD!”

The reversal of fortunes. Have you ever thought of that as something to praise God about? And yet it is seen here as a primary reason for us to recognize His sovereignty and His greatness. But if we think about it…we realize that is precisely why we should glorify His name!

1 Corinthians 6:9-11 “Or don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit God’s Kingdom? Don’t be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor extortionists, will inherit God’s Kingdom. Some of you were such, but you were washed. You were sanctified. You were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and in the Spirit of our God.”

For additional worship: Come, Christians, Join to Sing

Psalm 112:6-10 “For he will never be shaken. The righteous will be remembered forever. He will not be afraid of evil news. His heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD. His heart is established. He will not be afraid in the end when he sees his adversaries. He has dispersed, he has given to the poor. His righteousness endures forever. His horn will be exalted with honor. The wicked will see it, and be grieved. He shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away. The desire of the wicked will perish.”

We see two important facts here. First, if we really trust God, then bad times or “evil news” won’t affect us the way they might otherwise. Second, a sign of being righteous is not holding on tightly to what we have. We should be generous, and that’s a sign to the world of who we trust. The wicked will see it and be infuriated!

2 Corinthians 9:6-11 “Remember this: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly. He who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Let each man give according as he has determined in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, that you, always having all sufficiency in everything, may abound to every good work. As it is written, ‘He has scattered abroad. He has given to the poor. His righteousness remains forever.’ Now may he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food, supply and multiply your seed for sowing, and increase the fruits of your righteousness, you being enriched in everything for all generosity, which produces thanksgiving to God through us.”

For additional worship: I am Trusting Thee, Lord Jesus

Psalm 112:1-5 “Praise the LORD! Blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who delights greatly in his commandments. His offspring will be mighty in the land. The generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in his house. His righteousness endures forever. Light dawns in the darkness for the upright, gracious, merciful, and righteous. It is well with the man who deals graciously and lends. He will maintain his cause in judgement.”

When we know God’s commandments and follow them, life is just better. We stay out of trouble. We raise our children properly and they (hopefully!) follow our example. We work hard and can provide for ourselves, and ultimately our blessing results in generosity. When we live for God it’s like living in light rather than darkness, and God notices!

For additional worship: Lead, Kindly Light

Psalm 111:1-10 “Praise the LORD! I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart, in the council of the upright, and in the congregation. The LORD’s works are great, pondered by all those who delight in them. His work is honor and majesty. His righteousness endures forever. He has caused his wonderful works to be remembered. The LORD is gracious and merciful. He has given food to those who fear him. He always remembers his covenant. He has shown his people the power of his works, in giving them the heritage of the nations. The works of his hands are truth and justice. All his precepts are sure. They are established forever and ever. They are done in truth and uprightness. He has sent redemption to his people. He has ordained his covenant forever. His name is holy and awesome! The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. All those who do his work have a good understanding. His praise endures forever!”

When you fear the Lord, it means you revere His name. When you revere His name, you begin to understand His honor and majesty. When you revere His name, you better understand His provision, faithfulness and mighty works. When you revere His name, you ponder and keep His Word. When you revere His name, you praise Him with your whole heart for His heritage and salvation!

For additional worship: Whom Shall I Fear – God Of Angel Armies (Chris Tomlin)

Psalm 110:1-7 “A Psalm by David. The LORD says to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool for your feet.’ The LORD will send out the rod of your strength out of Zion. Rule amongst your enemies. Your people offer themselves willingly in the day of your power, in holy array. Out of the womb of the morning, you have the dew of your youth. The LORD has sworn, and will not change his mind: ‘You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.’ The Lord is at your right hand. He will crush kings in the day of his wrath. He will judge amongst the nations. He will heap up dead bodies. He will crush the ruler of the whole earth. He will drink of the brook on the way; therefore he will lift up his head.”

This is far more than simply a royal Psalm celebrating Davidic rule. This is a Psalm that points to the reign of the Messiah and glorifies Jesus Christ!

Luke 20:41-44 “He said to them, ‘Why do they say that the Christ is David’s son? David himself says in the book of Psalms, “The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies the footstool of your feet.’ ” ‘ David therefore calls him Lord, so how is he his son?”

Hebrews 5:5-6 “So also Christ didn’t glorify himself to be made a high priest, but it was he who said to him, ‘You are my Son. Today I have become your father.’ As he says also in another place, ‘You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek.’ ”

Never forget that Jesus is the big point of the Bible!

John 5:39 “You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and these are they which testify about me.”

For additional worship: Something About That Name (Anne Wilson)