{"id":1974,"date":"2020-11-04T21:34:42","date_gmt":"2020-11-04T21:34:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/broughtybaptist.org\/wpsite\/?p=1974"},"modified":"2023-11-26T22:40:23","modified_gmt":"2023-11-26T22:40:23","slug":"wednesday-11-4-november-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/broughtybaptist.org\/wpsite\/?p=1974","title":{"rendered":"Wednesday @ 11 &#8211; 4 November 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Welcome to the notes from our midweek service of worship in our building in Panmurefield<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Opening Scripture verses<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p><em>Truly my soul finds rest in God;<br>my salvation comes from Him.<br><\/em><strong><em><sup>2\u00a0<\/sup><\/em><\/strong><em>Truly He is my rock and my salvation;<\/em>    <br><em>He is my fortress, I shall never be shaken.<\/em><\/p><cite>Psalm 62:1-2<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Opening praise:\u00a0<\/strong>How Deep the Father\u2019s Love<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"How Deep the Fathers Love for Us - Stuart Townend\" width=\"660\" height=\"495\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/tzQj7XvKFmA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Opening Prayer:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thank you Lord once more for this opportunity to gather in Your house to worship You.\u00a0We know as King Solomon of Israel many centuries ago declared in I Kings 8:27-28:\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>But will God really dwell on earth? The heavens,\u00a0<\/em><strong><em>even the highest heaven, cannot contain You<\/em><\/strong><em>. How much less this temple I have built!\u00a0<\/em><strong><em><sup>28\u00a0<\/sup><\/em><\/strong><em>Yet give attention to Your servant\u2019s prayer and his plea for mercy,\u00a0Lord\u00a0my God. Hear the cry and the prayer that Your servant is praying in your presence this day.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lord unlike us You are not constrained by space and time and are able to hear and answer the prayers we bring to You today. We ask Your blessing on our time together in the wonderful and precious name of Jesus, Your Son, Our Saviour,\u00a0in whose name we pray, Amen\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Bible Reading:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\"><p><em>Truly my soul finds rest in God;<br>my salvation comes from Him.<br><\/em><strong><em><sup>2\u00a0<\/sup><\/em><\/strong><em>Truly He is my rock and my salvation;<br>He is my fortress, I shall never be shaken.<\/em><\/p><p><strong><em><sup>3\u00a0<\/sup><\/em><\/strong><em>How long will you assault me?<br>\u00a0Would all of you throw me down\u00a0this leaning wall, this tottering fence?<br><\/em><strong><em><sup>4\u00a0<\/sup><\/em><\/strong><em>Surely they intend to topple me<br>from my lofty place;<br>they take delight in lies.<br>With their mouths they bless,<br>but in their hearts they curse.<\/em><\/p><p><strong><em><sup>5\u00a0<\/sup><\/em><\/strong><em>Yes, my soul, find rest in God;<br>my hope comes from Him.<br><\/em><strong><em><sup>6\u00a0<\/sup><\/em><\/strong><em>Truly He is my rock and my salvation;<br>He is my fortress, I shall not be shaken.<\/em> <br><em><br><\/em><strong><em><sup>7\u00a0<\/sup><\/em><\/strong><em>My salvation and my honour depend on God;<br>He is my mighty rock, my refuge.<br><\/em><strong><em><sup>8\u00a0<\/sup><\/em><\/strong><em>Trust in Him at all times, you people;<br>pour out your hearts to Him,<br>for God is our refuge.<\/em><\/p><p><strong><em><sup>9\u00a0<\/sup><\/em><\/strong><em>Surely the lowborn are but a breath, <\/em>   <br><em>the highborn are but a lie.<br>If weighed on a balance, they are nothing;<br>together they are only a breath.<br><\/em><strong><em><sup>10\u00a0<\/sup><\/em><\/strong><em>Do not trust in extortion<br>or put vain hope in stolen goods;<br>though your riches increase,<br>do not set your heart on them.<\/em><\/p><p><strong><em><sup>11\u00a0<\/sup><\/em><\/strong><em>One thing God has spoken,<br>two things I have heard:<br>\u2018Power belongs to You, God,<br><\/em><strong><em><sup>12\u00a0<\/sup><\/em><\/strong><em>\u00a0and with You, Lord, is unfailing love\u2019;<br>and, \u2018You reward everyone<br>according to what they have done.\u2019<\/em><\/p><cite><strong>Psalm 62<\/strong><\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>In<\/strong><strong>tercessory prayer using Psalm 62<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Heavenly Father as we come with our prayers of intercession today, we are conscious of so many needs within our congregation, community and country and that is before we come to consider the wider world. Yet we remember that the Scriptures ask us to offer our prayers with thanksgiving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Truly my soul finds rest in God;<\/em><em>&nbsp;<\/em><em>my salvation comes from H<\/em><em>im.<\/em><em><\/em><strong><em><sup>2&nbsp;<\/sup><\/em><\/strong><em>Truly H<\/em><em>e is my rock and my salvation;<\/em><em>&nbsp;<\/em><em>H<\/em><em>e is my fortress, I shall never be shaken.<\/em><em>&nbsp;<\/em><strong>Lord, I want to thank You today for\u2026 &nbsp;&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our Father,&nbsp;we are very conscious of people or circumstances that for us or for others are very difficult. We are aware that for King David it was other people who had caused deep hurts to him.&nbsp;<em>How long will you assault me?<\/em><em>&nbsp;<\/em><em>Would all of you throw me down&nbsp;\u2013<\/em><em>&nbsp;<\/em><em>this leaning wall, this tottering fence?<\/em><em>&nbsp;<\/em><strong><em><sup>4&nbsp;<\/sup><\/em><\/strong><em>Surely they intend to topple me<\/em><em>&nbsp;<\/em><em>from my lofty place;<\/em><em>&nbsp;<\/em><em>they take delight in lies.<\/em><em>&nbsp;<\/em><em>With their mouths they bless,<\/em><em>&nbsp;<\/em><em>but in their hearts they curse.<\/em><em>&nbsp;<\/em><strong>Lord, I want to bring before You the person or people or the circumstances with which I am struggling today\u2026.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lord, we come deeply aware that sometimes our commitment to You or to Your service is not as it ought to be. We remember David\u2019s challenge to himself in Psalm 62:5:<strong><em><sup>&nbsp;<\/sup><\/em><\/strong><strong><em><sup>5&nbsp;<\/sup><\/em><\/strong><em>Yes, my soul, find rest in God;<\/em><em>&nbsp;<\/em><em>my hope comes from H<\/em><em>im.<\/em><em>&nbsp;<\/em><strong>Lord, I am aware of my need to renew afresh my life into Your hands today, as David did long ago, in particular, I want to ask You to help me with\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thank you Lord that our faith is a missionary faith and the needs of others to trust You will be on our hearts, week by week. David appealed to those not yet committed to God in His day to take that step of faith.\u00a0<em>Trust in Him at all times, you people;\u00a0pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge.<\/em>\u00a0<strong>I want to bring before the following names of people I want to see You bring to faith or bring back to\u00a0You\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>David&nbsp;reminded us of the shortness of life.&nbsp;<em>Surely the lowborn are but a breath,<\/em><em>&nbsp;<\/em><em>the highborn are but a lie.<\/em><em>&nbsp;<\/em><em>If weighed on a balance, they are nothing;<\/em><em>&nbsp;<\/em><em>together they are only a breath.<\/em><em>&nbsp;<\/em><strong>Lord, we are currently concerned about the ongoing virus pandemic in our city and in other places. &nbsp;We want to bring before You the following H<\/strong><strong>ealth S<\/strong><strong>ervice or Social Care workers\u2026<\/strong><strong><em><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>We also want to bring before You the following people who are unwell or who have been bereaved in the recent past\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>We also want to bring before You these other needs\u2026 or particular personal needs \u2026.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thank You Lord for hearing and answering our prayers in Jesus\u2019 name, Amen<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Message from Psalm 62<\/strong><strong>&nbsp;\u2018Trusting in God\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Introduction<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This Psalm was written at the time of Absalom\u2019s rebellion against his father King David with a view to taking the throne as the new King of Israel nearly 3,000 years ago (See II Samuel chapters 15-18 for more details). There was real uncertainty in the King\u2019s household as to who had remained loyal to the aged king and who had sided with the young claimant in what became a short civil war. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At first Absalom in having the element of surprise had the upper hand. It seemed likely that had he made the right strategic decisions in the first few days that he would have been successful in this military coup. Even some of David\u2019s closest friends and acquaintances sided with Absalom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We won\u2019t go into the reasons for that here as it would take us away from the point of this Psalm, but it asks the question to all of us &#8211; in whom do you put your trust? How many people do you know whose words you would trust 100%? How many individuals would you trust with the most personal and sensitive information about your life, of your strengths and weaknesses, your successes and your failures? This is a very hard question to answer. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let us look here how in the most difficult of times David comes to terms with the very serious predicament he was facing of the possible loss of his throne and with it the danger of also losing his life as well. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>1.<strong>&nbsp;Trust&nbsp;<\/strong><strong>in God our choice&nbsp;<\/strong><strong>despite adversity<\/strong>&nbsp;(Psalm 62:1-4)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Truly my soul finds rest in God;\u00a0my salvation comes from Him.<\/em><strong><em><sup>2\u00a0<\/sup><\/em><\/strong><em>Truly\u00a0He is my rock and my salvation;\u00a0He is my fortress, I shall never be shaken.\u00a0<\/em><strong><em><sup>3\u00a0<\/sup><\/em><\/strong><em>How long will you assault me?\u00a0Would all of you throw me down\u00a0\u2013\u00a0this leaning wall, this tottering fence?<\/em><strong><em><sup>4\u00a0<\/sup><\/em><\/strong><em>Surely they intend to topple me\u00a0from my lofty place;\u00a0they take delight in lies.\u00a0With their mouths they bless,\u00a0but in their hearts they curse.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Who can you depend on when you need help? Whose presence with you gives you a sense of security and an assurance that things will be okay? When we were little children of course for the vast majority of us the answer would be our parents. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They were amazing people who knew \u2018all the answers\u2019 to sort out all the difficulties we were facing in our childhood. \u00a0As we grow we come to a point where we know that our parents are not able to resolve all the problems we face or put right all the wrongs done to us. In fact, there are circumstances in many people\u2019s lives that no other person can make right. It doesn\u2019t have to be as extreme a situation as David was facing where he had a genuine fear of losing his life.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Can you say as David did here:\u00a0<em>Truly my soul finds rest in God<\/em>\u00a0(Psalm 62:1a)? All of us have our genuine worries and concerns in life, if not for ourselves then for other people around us. But worrying about something does not resolve anything, the situation remains as difficult as before and on top of that we may struggle to get adequate sleep; we may be unable to concentrate adequately at school, college or our workplace; it can rob us of pleasure and joy in the good things of life that we experience and give us nothing positive in return. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Worry or anxiety is a thief that takes from us our sense of wellbeing and if we remain in this state it will damage our emotional and mental health and sometimes even our physical health as well. David\u2019s secret to the long life he lived was the revelation he shares here in this verse.<em>\u00a0Truly my soul finds rest in God<\/em>\u00a0(Psalm 62:1a). He also explains why he turned to God in the first place.\u00a0<em>My salvation comes from Him<\/em>\u00a0(Psalm 62:1b). <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Have you put your faith and trust in God? There is no-one more able to save us than God. As a Christian I would add through faith in Jesus as our Lord and Saviour; the One who died in our place on the cross to take the punishment for your sins and mine so that instead of condemnation we might have a welcome into God\u2019s family through His amazing undeserved kindness to us. The security of God\u2019s love makes all the difference to His children. David goes on to say in Psalm 62:2L\u00a0<em>Truly\u00a0He is my rock and my salvation;\u00a0He is my fortress, I shall never be shaken.<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0Is God your anchor in the storms of life? Is He your reference point when you lose your sense of direction in life? He invites you and me to follow Him. If you have never put your faith in God the Father through Jesus, then I would encourage you to take that step today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In Psalm 62:3-4 David turns to the people whose actions have caused so much distress for him.\u00a0<strong><em><sup>3\u00a0<\/sup><\/em><\/strong><em>How long will you assault me?\u00a0Would all of you throw me down\u00a0\u2013\u00a0this leaning wall, this tottering fence?\u00a0<\/em><strong><em><sup>4\u00a0<\/sup><\/em><\/strong><em>Surely they intend to topple me\u00a0from my lofty place;\u00a0they take delight in lies.\u00a0With their mouths they bless,but in their hearts they curse.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Are there people who have made promises to you and broken them? Are there individuals who betrayed your trust or who took advantage of your goodness to them? David now as an aged man acutely aware of his bodily weakness feels righteous indignation rising up within him. How could they do\u2026? Sadly it happens all the time, but it doesn\u2019t make it any easier to understand why someone would act in this way. Each of us will recall examples of this kind of behaviour. However, David\u2019s point here is that even when other people are unaware of wrongdoing that God will see it and act in response to it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Have you ever been falsely accused of doing something wrong? Or aware that another person has wrongly treated you? Never forget that God sees all these things. Therefore, says David,\u00a0<em>Truly my soul finds rest in God\u00a0<\/em>despite all the adversity that may come my way today or tomorrow or sometime in the future. \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2.&nbsp;<strong>Trust in God brings a sense of security&nbsp;<\/strong>(Psalm 62:5-8)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em><sup>5\u00a0<\/sup><\/em><\/strong><em>Yes, my soul,\u00a0<\/em><strong><em>find rest in God<\/em><\/strong><em>;\u00a0my hope comes from Him.\u00a0<\/em><strong><em><sup>6\u00a0<\/sup><\/em><\/strong><em>Truly He is my rock and my salvation;\u00a0He is my fortress, I shall not be shaken.\u00a0<\/em><strong><em><sup>7\u00a0<\/sup><\/em><\/strong><em>My salvation and my honour depend on God;\u00a0He is my mighty rock, my refuge.\u00a0<\/em><strong><em><sup>8\u00a0<\/sup><\/em><\/strong><em>Trust in Him at all times, you people;pour out your hearts to Him,\u00a0for God is our refuge.<\/em>   <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Notice how these words build on the earlier verses one and two. In Psalm 62:1-2 there is a statement of David\u2019s practice. But here in Psalm 62:5 there is a personal exhortation to practise more seriously the message he proclaimed to other people. All of us know how easy it is to give advice to other people about how they should act in particular contexts. But do I follow my own advice in practice? We are familiar with the pattern in many of David\u2019s Psalms. \u00a0He has gone through some great trials with God\u2019s help and afterwards writes a Psalm of praise and thanksgiving to celebrate answers to prayer. Somewhere in the Psalm he will invite or exhort the reader or hearer to do what he did in trusting God.\u00a0   <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What can we learn from David here? I may have put my trust in God for the first time many years ago. I may have read the Bible, prayed and attended church for decades, but sometimes we can drift in our commitment to following Him. There are times when we need to come to God and ask Him to help us get back on track in our spiritual journey. We can have times of self-pity. \u00a0God it is not fair. \u00a0I have served You faithfully. I have been a good neighbour, a diligent worker and a person who helped others in need. This bad situation ought not to happen to me! Unfortunately life is not that simple. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We need to accept that there is much in life that we will never understand. Our \u2018why\u2019 questions may never get answered to our satisfaction; sometimes we need to stop and challenge ourselves not to be weighed down completely by the trials we face that we forget to keep our eyes on the Lord.\u00a0<em>Yes, my soul,\u00a0<\/em><strong><em>find rest in God<\/em><\/strong><em>;\u00a0my hope comes from Him\u00a0<\/em>(Psalm 62:5). Actually, a more accurate translation of David\u2019s words in verses 1 and 2 and here in verse 5 and 6 includes the word\u00a0<em>alone.\u00a0Find rest, O my soul,\u00a0<\/em><strong><em>in God alone<\/em><\/strong><em>; my hope comes from Him.\u00a0<\/em><strong><em>He alone<\/em><\/strong><em>\u00a0is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I shall not be shaken.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>God is not just a person to whom we turn in our times of crisis, but the One on whom we depend and with whom we seek fellowship in good times as well as tough ones. His sufficiency in our times of need is something we need to remind ourselves of on occasions. \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Notice that whereas in the first few verses of this Psalm (Psalm 62:3-4) David feels the need to address those who had made his life so difficult, but in these next few verses his focus is entirely on God. The Bible in quite a few places challenges us to keep our focus on the Lord and on what He has called us to do. Jesus, for example, in the Sermon on the Mount said these challenging words in Matthew 6:31-33 to His followers when they were tempted to worry about the future. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>So do not worry, saying, \u2018What shall we eat?\u2019 or \u2018What shall we drink?\u2019 or \u2018What shall we wear?\u2019\u00a0<\/em><strong><em><sup>32\u00a0<\/sup><\/em><\/strong><em>For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.\u00a0<\/em><strong><em><sup>33\u00a0<\/sup><\/em><\/strong><em>But seek first His kingdom\u00a0and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.<\/em>\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Are you, am I giving God the first place in our lives. In a time of the worst virus pandemic for a century it is no surprise that many people are worried about their health, or worried about their job or their business. God through David invites us to commit our day, our week and our future into His hands. The implication David gives if we don\u2019t follow his advice is that instead of rest we will become increasingly weary and very vulnerable to feeling overwhelmed with all that we might have to face in times like these.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Therefore, in Psalm 62:8 David gives a challenge to us, his readers and hearers:\u00a0<em>Trust in Him at all times, you people;\u00a0pour out your hearts to Him,\u00a0for God is our refuge.\u00a0<\/em>Notice he says\u00a0<em>at all times\u00a0<\/em>not some times. God is sufficient to meet our needs in every situation so that we can find a place of rest and peace of mind through Him. His words here are in effect a testimony of God\u2019s goodness in helping him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Never underestimate the power of your story. Your account of how you came to faith in Jesus or your memory of answered prayers. A person may disagree with your opinions on many subjects. However, it is so much harder to challenge lived experience. There are many people in country after country looking for a way to handle all the pressures that have come their way in the last six months. You might be the person God uses to speak a word for Him later today or later this week. Please pray for opportunities to share your faith story with others. Who might you want to share the good news with that\u00a0<em>God is our refuge<\/em>?<em>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>3.&nbsp;<strong>Trust in God gives a right perspective<\/strong>&nbsp;(Psalm62:9-12)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em><sup>9&nbsp;<\/sup><\/em><\/strong><em>Surely the lowborn are but a breath,<\/em><em>&nbsp;<\/em><em>the highborn are but a lie.<\/em><em>&nbsp;<\/em><em>If weighed on a balance, they are nothing;<\/em><em>&nbsp;<\/em><em>together they are only a breath.<\/em><em>&nbsp;<\/em><strong><em><sup>10&nbsp;<\/sup><\/em><\/strong><em>Do not trust in extortion<\/em><em>&nbsp;<\/em><em>or put vain hope in stolen goods;<\/em><em>&nbsp;<\/em><em>though your riches increase,<\/em><em>&nbsp;<\/em><em>do not set your heart on them.<\/em><em>&nbsp;<\/em><strong><em><sup>11&nbsp;<\/sup><\/em><\/strong><em>One thing God has spoken,<\/em><em>&nbsp;<\/em><em>two things I have heard:<\/em><em><\/em><em>\u2018Power belongs to you, God,<\/em><em>&nbsp;<\/em><strong><em><sup>12<\/sup><\/em><\/strong><em>&nbsp;<\/em><em>and with you, Lord, is unfailing love\u2019;<\/em><em>&nbsp;<\/em><em>and, \u2018You reward everyone<\/em><em>&nbsp;<\/em><em>according<\/em><em>&nbsp;to what they have done.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Have you ever been somewhere and got well and truly lost? I can recall car journeys over the years where it was incredibly frustrating, trying to find places because the road signs were inadequate for a visitor to the area. I have also been walking on a few mountains when the mist came down and visibility was almost non-existent for a while. It can be quite scary to be in that position. Here our author wants to remind us that trust in God enables us to have a right perspective on so many things. First of all is a reminder of our weakness.&nbsp;<strong><em><sup>9&nbsp;<\/sup><\/em><\/strong><em>Surely the lowborn are but a breath,<\/em><em>&nbsp;<\/em><em>the highborn are but a lie.<\/em><em>&nbsp;<\/em><em>If weighed on a balance, they are nothing;<\/em><em>&nbsp;<\/em><em>together they are only a breath&nbsp;<\/em>(Psalm 62:9). Presidents and Prime Ministers come and go. Even dictators and tyrants who may not face general elections will eventually depart this life.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We ourselves will not be here for ever either.\u00a0God knows the bigger picture. He knows how the pieces of the \u2018jigsaw\u2019 fit together. Our ultimate hope must not rest on, for example, which politicians are in office. They may try their best, but will rarely accomplish more than a fraction of what had been promised in an election campaign.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>David also reminds us not to take integrity shortcuts when under real pressure in daily life. \u00a0<em>Do not trust in extortion\u00a0or put vain hope in stolen goods;\u00a0though your riches increase,\u00a0do not set your heart on them\u00a0<\/em>(Psalm 62:10).\u00a0There are plenty of people who will falsify tax returns, or give misleading information about products they are selling to maximise their business profits. There are others who in hard times engage in theft or trade in stolen property. \u00a0Don\u2019t do any of these things and others that your conscience and mine has concerns about. Be known as a man or woman of integrity who cannot be bought and who always endeavours to the best of your ability to do what is right.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>David then comes to his concluding remarks in verses 11 and 12:\u00a0<em>One thing God has spoken,\u00a0two things I have heard:\u2018Power belongs to you, God,\u00a0<\/em><strong><em><sup>12<\/sup><\/em><\/strong><em>\u00a0and with you, Lord, is unfailing love\u2019;\u00a0and, \u2018You reward everyone\u00a0according to what they have done.\u2019<\/em>\u00a0What is his concluding advice to us?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Remember<\/strong>: (i)&nbsp;<strong>God is strong<\/strong>&nbsp;<em>Power belongs to you, God\u2026&nbsp;<\/em>We at times are acutely aware of our weakness and inadequacy but He:&nbsp;<em>is able to do immeasurably more than all w<\/em><em>e ask or imagine,&nbsp;<\/em><strong><em>according to His power that is at work within us<\/em><\/strong><em>,&nbsp;<\/em><strong><em><sup>21&nbsp;<\/sup><\/em><\/strong><em>to H<\/em><em>im be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen<\/em><em>&nbsp;<\/em>(Ephesians 3:20-21). There is nothing too difficult for you to do today with His help.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(ii)&nbsp;<strong>God is faithful<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2026<em>&nbsp;and wi<\/em><em>th you, Lord, is unfailing love.&nbsp;<\/em>Jeremiah reminds us in Lamentations 3:22-23:&nbsp;<strong><em>Because of the Lord\u2019s great love<\/em><\/strong><em>&nbsp;we are not consumed,<\/em><em>&nbsp;<\/em><em>for H<\/em><em>is compassions never fail.<\/em><em>&nbsp;<\/em><strong><em><sup>23<\/sup><\/em><\/strong><em>They are new every morning;<\/em><em>&nbsp;<\/em><strong><em>great is Your faithfulness<\/em><\/strong><em>.<\/em>&nbsp;David understood afresh something of the character of God as he rejoiced in the faithful covenant love between God and His people.&nbsp;You may feel alone, but God will never leave you alone because He always keeps His promises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(iii)&nbsp;<strong>God is fair<\/strong>&nbsp;<em>You reward everyone<\/em><em>&nbsp;<\/em><em>ac<\/em><em>cording to what they have done.&nbsp;<\/em>Paul reminded some fairly new Christians of this truth in Galatians 6:9-10:&nbsp;<em>Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.&nbsp;<\/em><strong><em><sup>10&nbsp;<\/sup><\/em><\/strong><em>Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.<\/em><em><\/em>In our city in the last six months it has been great to see people coming together to serve their communities during this virus pandemic. However, I have been particularly pleased to see the number of churches that have stepped up to play their part as well. We have only one life to live here on earth and then after this life we will stand before the Lord to give an account of the way we have lived. May He help us to do what is right and live each day in a way pleasing to Him, for Jesus\u2019 sake, Amen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Closing Song:\u00a0<\/strong>I will sing the Wondrous Story <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-4-3 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"HYFRODOL-I WILL SING THE WONDROUS STORY\" width=\"660\" height=\"495\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/nAcpYr9I6Tk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Closing Prayer<\/strong><strong>:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Thank You Lord for Your amazing kindness to us as Your people. We come with grateful hearts again and again to express our thankfulness to You. Help us at this time to\u00a0<em>rest in God alone<\/em>, and not to worry about the issues that are beyond our control. Help us to commit our future to You,\u00a0both individually as well as in our families and here in our church family, for Jesus\u2019 sake, Amen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Benediction<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"614\" src=\"https:\/\/broughtybaptist.org\/wpsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/CEC90D31-2D48-4675-80AC-E8218241B7F2-1024x614.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1977\" srcset=\"https:\/\/broughtybaptist.org\/wpsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/CEC90D31-2D48-4675-80AC-E8218241B7F2-1024x614.png 1024w, https:\/\/broughtybaptist.org\/wpsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/CEC90D31-2D48-4675-80AC-E8218241B7F2-300x180.png 300w, https:\/\/broughtybaptist.org\/wpsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/CEC90D31-2D48-4675-80AC-E8218241B7F2-768x461.png 768w, https:\/\/broughtybaptist.org\/wpsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/CEC90D31-2D48-4675-80AC-E8218241B7F2-1536x922.png 1536w, https:\/\/broughtybaptist.org\/wpsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/CEC90D31-2D48-4675-80AC-E8218241B7F2-1200x720.png 1200w, https:\/\/broughtybaptist.org\/wpsite\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/CEC90D31-2D48-4675-80AC-E8218241B7F2.png 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Welcome to the notes from our midweek service of worship in our building in Panmurefield Opening Scripture verses: Truly my soul finds rest in God;my salvation comes from Him.2\u00a0Truly He is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I shall never be shaken. Psalm 62:1-2 Opening praise:\u00a0How Deep the Father\u2019s Love Opening Prayer: &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/broughtybaptist.org\/wpsite\/?p=1974\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Wednesday @ 11 &#8211; 4 November 2020<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1974","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-archive"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/broughtybaptist.org\/wpsite\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1974","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/broughtybaptist.org\/wpsite\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/broughtybaptist.org\/wpsite\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/broughtybaptist.org\/wpsite\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/broughtybaptist.org\/wpsite\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1974"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/broughtybaptist.org\/wpsite\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1974\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1978,"href":"https:\/\/broughtybaptist.org\/wpsite\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1974\/revisions\/1978"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/broughtybaptist.org\/wpsite\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1974"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/broughtybaptist.org\/wpsite\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1974"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/broughtybaptist.org\/wpsite\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1974"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}