Purge Your Inward Parts (Psalm 51)

Read Psalm 51 and 2 Samuel 11:1-12:13).

1. What is the basis of David's plea for mercy and cleansing of his sin (Ps 51:1-2; Exo 34:6-7)?
2. How did his sin affect him (Ps 51:3, 8, 12; 13:2; 38:2, 6)? Who is ultimately offended by his sin (Ps 51:4)? 
• How bad do you feel about your sin (Ps 51:17)?
• Does this challenge you to look at your life and sin differently (Num 32:23)?
3. What did he realize about his sin (Ps 51:5; Gen 8:21)? About God (Ps 51:6; 19:14; 139:24)? Did he try to hide his sin (2 Sam 11:5, 14-15)? What happens when you hide your sin (Ps 32:3-4; Prov 28:13a)? How did God expose his sin (2 Sam 12:1-10)? Did he make excuses for his sin (2 Sam 12:13-14; Ps 32:5)?
4. How spotlessly clean do you sincerely desire to be (Ps 51:7-10)?
• How very close to God do you wish to be (Ps 51:11)? 
• How did Isaiah feel in God's very presence (Isa 6:5)?
5. After you repent, do you ultimately desire to teach others about God (Ps 51:13-15; 32:8)?
6. How do you cultivate a broken and contrite heart (Ps 51:16-17)?
7. How does David's prayer for Zion and Jerusalem translate into your prayers for your own church, community, city and country (Ps 51:18-19)?
   
8. Do you commit adultery and murder like David (Mt 5:21-22, 27-28; Rom 7:15, 17, 18, 19, 23)? What can you do (Rom 7:24-25; Lk 18:9-14)? 

• How can you implement the teaching of Psalm 51 in your daily life?
• How does Psalm 51 challenge our notions of sin, confession, forgiveness and community?

When God Doesn't Hear You (Psalm 22)

Theme: Suffering, Abandonment, Praise.

1. The power of darkness (Ps 22:1-21).
• Perplexity in suffering (Ps 22:1-10).
• Prayer for divine nearness (Ps 22:11-21).
2. The spread of joy (Ps 22:22-31).
• Festival time for Israel (Ps 22:22-26).
• Festival time for the world (Ps 22:27-31).

"From Despair to Victory: A Journey through Psalm 22" (ChatGPT)

1. Understanding the Despair (Ps 22:1-2)
• A. The opening cry of abandonment
• B. Personal experience of the sense of forsakenness
• C. The reality of suffering in life
2. The Struggle of Faith (Ps 22:3-5, 6-8)
   
• A. The tension between God's holiness and the cries of His people
• B. The challenge of maintaining faith in the midst of adversity
• C. Encouraging authenticity in expressing doubts and struggles
3. Remembering of God's Faithfulness (Ps 22:9-10, 11-13)
• A. Reflecting on past experiences of God's provision
• B. Drawing strength from the knowledge of God's character
• C. Emphasizing the importance of trusting in God's faithfulness
4. The Suffering Servant (Ps 22:14-18)
• A. Examining the prophetic nature of Psalm 22 in relation to Jesus
• B. Connecting the psalmist's suffering to the crucifixion of Christ
• C. Highlighting the redemptive aspect of Christ's sacrifice
5. The Turning Point: From Despair to Praise (Ps 22:19-21)
• A. The shift in tone from lament to petition
• B. Recognizing the importance of surrendering to God's will
• C. Expressing hope in God's deliverance
6. Assurance of God's Presence (Ps 22:22-24)
• A. Rejoicing in the assurance of God's presence in times of trouble
• B. Encouraging the congregation to seek God in their distress
• C. Offering a message of hope and restoration
7. Application to Our Lives (Ps 22:25-31)
• A. Personal reflection on times of despair and faith struggles
• B. Encouraging a deeper trust in God's faithfulness
• C. Practical steps to turn despair into praise in our own lives

I. Introduction: A. Brief overview. B. Exploring the depths of human experience. C. Hope in challenging times.
IX. Conclusion: A. Summarize key points. B. The transformative power of faith in challenging times. C. Pray for strength, hope, and trust in God's faithfulness.

Titles: When God Feels Distant in my Pain. The Psalm of the Cross. When We Feel Forsaken. When God Seems Far. The Silence and Salvation of God. Why have you forsaken me? Suffering well. Praying through your pain. The psalm of crucifixion. The Suffering Savior. The hope of a God-forsaken worm. I am poured out like water. Crucifixion of the King. From the Cross to the Crown to the City. The servant of God forsaken, rescued and triumphant. Keeping God between us and trouble. The descent and triumph of the Messiah. The suffering and the glory. From suffering to victory. From Pain to Praise. Through suffering into promise. The Easter Psalm. Jesus' Bible Footprints. The Suffering Servant Wins the Deliverance of the Nations. A prophecy of the crucifixion and the victory. The Messiah's Suffering and Reign prophesied by David (Psalm 22). Dr. Seth Postell.

Sermon Outline for Psalm 22

I. Introduction

• Introduce the significance of Psalm 22 as a prophetic psalm that delineates Christ in His sufferings as the propitiating sacrifice and the resulting praise to God from all mankind
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II. Part 1: The Agonized Prayer

• Discuss the anguished cry of the psalmist, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" and its relation to Christ's suffering on the cross
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• Explore the intense suffering expressed by the psalmist, feeling abandoned by God, surrounded by enemies, and in physical pain
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• Emphasize the importance of pouring the situation before God and coming to the realization that God is with us as a response to suffering
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III. Part 2: Ardent Praise

• Highlight the dramatic change in mood and tone as the psalmist transitions from agonized prayer to ardent praise
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• Discuss the psalmist's call for praise in the midst of the congregation and among those who fear the Lord
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IV. Application and Reflection

• Reflect on the relevance of Psalm 22 to the suffering and glory of Christ, as well as its significance for the history of the church and individual Christians
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• Emphasize the pattern of piety for the church and individual Christians, moving from suffering to glory
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• Discuss the persistent and necessary practice of faith in the journey with God through lament, as emphasized by Psalm 22
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V. Conclusion

• Summarize the key points of the sermon outline and encourage the congregation to find hope and strength in the example of Christ's suffering and ultimate praise.

This outline provides a structured approach to delivering a sermon on Psalm 22, incorporating the themes of suffering, abandonment, and praise found in the psalm, as well as its relevance to the suffering and glory of Christ.

Do you have a "Why" for your Life?

Logotherapy is a meaning centered psychotherapy. It is driven not by power or pleasure, but by meaning. Victor Frankl: Actualization is NOT the Goal.

The Perfect King (Psalm 72)

The NT nowhere quotes this as Messianic, but this picture of the king and his realm is so close to the prophesies of Isaiah 11:1-5 and Isaiah 60-62 that if those passages are Messianic, so is this.

1. Royal righteousness (Ps 72:1-4). Imitating God: the world and its people set to rights.
2. Endless reign (Ps 72:5-7). Endless abundance under the king.
3. Boundless realm (Ps 72:8-11). World dominion.
4. Compassionate king (Ps 72:12-14). The caring rule.
5. Endless blessing (Ps 72:15-17). The nations respond in devotion (Ps 72:15). Shared abundance under the king (Ps 72:16-17).
6. Doxology and conclusion (Ps 72:18-19). Reflecting God: the earth filled with his glory.

The portrait of the messianic king in the Psalms...awaiting fulfilment in Jesus:

• against world opposition (Ps 2:1-3; 110:1)
• he is victorious (Ps 45:3-5; 89:22ff)
• through the Lord (Ps 18:46)
• he establishes world rule (Ps 2:9-12; 45:17; 72:8-11; 89:25),
• based on Zion (Ps 2:6),
• marked by moral integrity (Ps 45:4, 6; 72:2-4, 7).

Hi rule is

• everlasting (Ps 21:4; 72:5),
• prosperous (Ps 72:7, 16),
• loyal to the Lord (Ps 72:18-19),
• preeminent in dignity (Ps 45:2-7),
• friend of the poor and enemy of the oppressor (Ps 72:2, 4, 12-14).

• The righteous flourish (Ps 72:7).
• He is remembered forever (Ps 45:17):
• his name is everlasting (Ps 72:17);
• he is the object of unending thanks (Ps 72:15) and everlasting blessing (Ps 45:2).
• He is heir to David's covenant (Ps 89:28-37; 132:11) and Melchizedeck's priesthood (Ps 110:4).
• He belongs to the Lord (Ps 89:18) and is devoted to him (Ps 21:7; 63:1-8, 11).
• He is his son (Ps 2:7),
• seated at his right hand (Ps 11):1), and is himself God (Ps 45:6).

Faith Without Hope as the Darkness Deepens (Psalm 88)

"...darkness is my closest [best] friend" (Ps 88:18).

No sadder prayer in the psalms. Psalm 88 is a poignant, unrelenting and intense psalm of lament, expressing deep distress, despair and a profound sense of abandonment. He pours out his soul in a raw and honest prayer. He describes his overwhelming suffering, both outward and inward, his physical and emotional afflictions, and a feeling of profound darkness and of being forsaken by both God and human companions. Throughout the psalm, he pours out his anguish, questioning God's apparent absence and the purpose of his afflictions. The tone remains bleak, and the psalm concludes with a sense of isolation, loneliness, despair and darkness, making it one of the most somber and desolate psalms in the Book of Psalms. Unlike many other psalms of lament, Psalm 88 lacks a clear resolution or expression of hope, highlighting the raw and unremitting nature of the psalmist's suffering.

How do you live when there is no light at the end of the tunnel?

How do you go on when you feel abandoned?

How do you live by faith when the future seems dark and bleak?

Outline:

1. Sleepless prayer (88:1-2, 9, 13).
2. Encroaching darkness (88:3-9).
1. Life ending without hope (88:3-5).
2. Under God's wrath (88:6-9, 16).
3. Facing the future without hope (88:10-12).
4. Darkness is my only friend (88:13-18).

How to Deal with Dark Times (Psalm 88 by Tim Keller)

1. Darkness can last a long time for believing Christians. Outer (Ps 88:3-5, 8) and inner (Ps 88:15-18) darkness.
2. There's no better place to learn about the grace of God than in dark times. Sarcastic (Ps 88:10-12).
3. There's no better place to be a person of greatness than in dark times. Job 1:9.
4. Darkness can be relativised.

Titles: A Cry of Pain and Sorrow. A Sermon for Sufferers. 

References:

1. Tim Keller. The Songs of Jesus. 2015.
2. Alec Motyer. Psalms by the Day. A New Devotional Translation. 2016.
3. Robert Altar. The Hebrew Bible. A Translation with Commentary. 2019.
4. Derek Kidner. Psalms 1-72, 1973. Psalms 73-150, 1975.
5. Affliction, Adversity, Anxiety and Anguish is Good for Me.

Sadness, Sorrow, Storms and Suffering; Trials, Troubles, Testings and Tribulations

What Hatred and Love Does to You

The Gift of Suffering (C.S. Lewis)