He will answer us

Psalm 86

v7

In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me.

Even when we have a hard time, and it seems like the Lord isn't answering us, we should keep calling on Him every day, because He will answer us.

Sweet Hour of Prayer

By Will­iam Wal­ford, 1845 and William Bradbury, 1861

Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!
That calls me from a world of care,
And bids me at my Father’s throne
Make all my wants and wishes known.
In seasons of distress and grief,
My soul has often found relief
And oft escaped the tempter’s snare
By thy return, sweet hour of prayer!

listen to mp3 file

what is good

Psalm 85

v12

Yea, the LORD shall give [that which is] good; and our land shall yield her increase.

The Lord gives good things. I should fear Him today, and do the best I can on some schoolwork I have to do.

How Good Is the God We Adore

By Jo­seph Hart, 1759 and Lan­ca­shire Sun­day School Songs, 1857

How good is the God we adore,
Our faithful unchangeable Friend!
His love is as great as His power,
And knows neither measure nor end!

’Tis Jesus the First and the Last,
Whose Spirit shall Guide us safe home,
We’ll praise Him for all that is past,
And trust Him for all that’s to come.

listen to mp3 file

walk uprightly

Psalm 84

v11

For the LORD God [is] a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good [thing] will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.

This is a great promise to encourage us to just walk uprightly.

Jesus, I Am Resting, Resting

By Jean Pig­ott, 1876 and James Mount­ain, 1876

Jesus, I am resting, resting,
In the joy of what Thou art;
I am finding out the greatness
Of Thy loving heart.
Thou hast bid me gaze upon Thee,
And Thy beauty fills my soul,
For by Thy transforming power,
Thou hast made me whole.

Jesus, I am resting, resting,
In the joy of what Thou art;
I am finding out the greatness
Of Thy loving heart.

listen to mp3 file

recall the Lord's works

Psalm 83

v9

Do unto them as [unto] the Midianites; as [to] Sisera, as [to] Jabin, at the brook of Kison:

When we have a hard time, we should remember the great things the Lord has done.

Our God, Our Help in Ages Past

By Isaac Watts, 1719 and Will­iam Croft, 1708

Our God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home.

listen to mp3 file

pray for the poor

Psalm 82

v3

Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.

We should pray for poor, fatherless, and troubled people.

Rescue the Perishing

By Fan­ny Cros­by, 1869, and W. How­ard Doane

Rescue the perishing, care for the dying,
Snatch them in pity from sin and the grave;
Weep o’er the erring one, lift up the fallen,
Tell them of Jesus, the mighty to save.

Rescue the perishing, care for the dying,
Jesus is merciful, Jesus will save.

listen to mp3 file

live by faith

Galatians 3

v11

But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, [it is] evident: for, The just shall live by faith.

We should live by faith.

Faith Is the Victory

By John H. Yates, 1891 and Ira D. Sank­ey.

Encamped along the hills of light,
Ye Christian soldiers, rise.
And press the battle ere the night
Shall veil the glowing skies.
Against the foe in vales below
Let all our strength be hurled.
Faith is the victory, we know,
That overcomes the world.

Faith is the victory! Faith is the victory!
O glorious victory, that overcomes the world.

listen to mp3 file

sing joyfully

Psalm 81

v1

Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob.

I should sing joyfully in the meetings.

I Sing the Mighty Power of God

By Isaac Watts, 1715; Ralph Vaugh­an Will­iams, 1906

I sing th’almighty power of God, that made the mountains rise,
That spread the flowing seas abroad, and built the lofty skies.
I sing the wisdom that ordained the sun to rule the day;
The moon shines full at God’s command, and all the stars obey.

listen to mp3 file

turn to Him again

Psalm 80

v19

Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.

When we're having a hard time, we should call on the Lord and turn to Him again.

We've a Story to Tell to the Nations

By H. Er­nest Ni­chol, 1896

We’ve a story to tell to the nations,
That shall turn their hearts to the right,
A story of truth and mercy,
A story of peace and light,
A story of peace and light.

For the darkness shall turn to dawning,
And the dawning to noonday bright; And Christ’s great kingdom shall come on earth,
The kingdom of love and light.

listen to mp3 file

the one-sentence gospel

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved!

Taken from Acts 16:31, I like this sentence because you can use it any time, like with a cashier, on the phone, etc.
I didn't actually post this message until 2009-01-09.

remember the Lord

Job 7

v5

My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust; my skin is broken, and become loathsome.

Remember that the Lord suffered for our sins. listen to mp3 file

help people have joy

2 Corinthians 1

v24

Not for that we have dominion over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for by faith ye stand.

Paul and Timothy were helpers of the joy of the saints.

We should be helpers of other people's joy.

listen to mp3 file

show pity

Job 6

v14

To him that is afflicted pity [should be shewed] from his friend; but he forsaketh the fear of the Almighty.

We should be kind to people who are having a hard time. listen to mp3 file

pray for the dying

Psalm 79

v11

Let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee; according to the greatness of thy power preserve thou those that are appointed to die;

We should pray for prisoners, and we should pray for the Lord to save people's lives.

His wonderful works

Psalm 78

v4

We will not hide [them] from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done.

When we're discouraged and tempted to complain, we should remember the wonderful things the Lord has done. That's what we should talk about.

Don't Go Back

The Lord fights for me and gives me the promise.
He drives my enemies out of my sight.
Keep the law, and don't turn left or right.
Cleave to the Lord. Love the Lord. Don't go back.
Cleave to the Lord. Love the Lord. Don't go back.

listen to mp3 file

cry to God with voice

Psalm 77

v1

I cried unto God with my voice, [even] unto God with my voice; and he gave ear unto me.

We should cry to God with our voices. It's an encouraging promise that He gives ear to us.

Unto You, Oh God

(From Psalm 75:1.)

Unto You, oh God, do we give thanks,
That Your name is near, Your wondrous works declare.
Unto You, oh God, do we give thanks,
That Your name is near, Your wondrous works declare.

Unto You, oh God- unto You, oh God,
Unto You, oh God- unto You, oh God.
Unto You, oh God- unto You, oh God,
Unto You, oh God- unto You, oh God.

God, the Lord, we thank You- that Your name is near.
We thank You for the wonders that You do.
God, the Lord, we thank You- that Your name is near.
We declare Your wondrous works, oh God, to You.

Unto You, oh God- unto You, oh God,
Unto You, oh God- unto You, oh God.
Unto You, oh God- unto You, oh God,
Unto You, oh God- unto You, oh God.

listen to mp3 file

be meek

Psalm 76

v9

When God arose to judgment, to save all the meek of the earth. Selah.

We should be meek.

This is from a verse about an enemy:

Fear him Not

Fear him not,
For I have delivered him into your hand,

And all his people,
And all his land.

Fear him not.

listen to mp3 file

maintain your integrity

Job 2

v3

And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that [there is] none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.

I thought Paul in 2 Corinthians was a lot like a New Testament Job.

The Lord said about Job, "still he holdeth fast his integrity..." One of my friends said, "He didn't buckle." We should hold on to our integrity and not buckle, even when we're distressed.

Call Upon Me

Call, upon me
And I will answer thee
And I will show you things
Great and mighty,
Great and mighty things
That thou knowest not-
That thou knowest not.

listen to mp3 file

when discouraged, worship

Job 1

v20

Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped,

Job worshiped.

When we're really discouraged, we should worship the Lord.

Call Upon the Name of the Lord

Call- upon the name of the Lord,
and you- will be saved.

Believe- on the name of the Lord,
and you'll have everlasting life.

listen to mp3 file

don't be proud

Psalm 75

v5

Lift not up your horn on high: speak [not with] a stiff neck.

We shouldn't be proud. We shouldn't imagine being like great people. We shouldn't think we have a good reputation with many people in high places. The important thing is to be acceptable to the Lord.

Save Your People

Oh, LORD- save Your people,
The remnant of Is-ra-el.
Oh, LORD- save Your people.
The remnant of Is-ra-el!

Hallelujah, shout Hosanna. Hosanna, Hal-le-lu-jah!
Hallelujah, shout Hosanna. Hosanna, Hal-le-lu-jah!

listen

God is my King of old

Psalm 74

v12

For God [is] my King of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth.

As we go throughout the day, we should remember to be really serious about serving the Lord and praising Him.

Life Water

If you are thirsty... (If you thirst, come unto me.)
Come unto me. (And I'll give you water for free.)
I'll give you water (and from it life will spring.)
Clear water, springing...
Up into everlasting life!

Life Everlasting!

mp3 file

don't envy the foolish

Treasure Vessels

My world is darkened.
My heart is broken.
My understanding flies away!

I'm only longing,
to show through the shadows,
this very vice,
in complete sacrifice!

We have this treasure,
in earthen vessels;
Some to be shattered,
some to be changed!

That we may cleave to,
a far more exceeding,
weight...

in eternal glory!

Psalm 73

v3

For I was envious at the foolish, [when] I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

We shouldn't envy foolish people. They end up with terror, but God is good to His people that have clean hearts.mp3 file

remember the poor

In thy presence is fullness of joy,
there's fullness of joy in thy presence.
There are pleasures
in thy right hand,
there are pleasures for evermore.

Psalm 72

v12

For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and [him] that hath no helper.

We should remember the poor. mp3 file

talk of His righteousness all day

Psalm 71

v15

My mouth shall shew forth thy righteousness [and] thy salvation all the day; for I know not the numbers [thereof].

This Psalm also talks about "great and sore troubles" that the writer had seen. This reminds me of the book of Job. Even when we have "great and sore troubles", we should bless the Lord, like Job. We should use our tongues to speak of His righteousness throughout the day. mp3 file

make haste to help me

Psalm 70

v1

[Make haste], O God, to deliver me; make haste to help me, O LORD.

It's OK to pray for the Lord to hurry up and help us. mp3 file

in much patience

2 Corinthians

Key Verse 2Cor6:4

But in all [things] approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses,

When we're distressed, we should have much patience, and be ministers of God. mp3 file

prayer unto Thee

Psalm 69

v13

But as for me, my prayer [is] unto thee, O LORD, [in] an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation.

When our situation is very hard and we feel overwhelmed, we should pray to God instead of being wicked. mp3 file

don't go on still in sin

Psalm 68

v21

But God shall wound the head of his enemies, [and] the hairy scalp of such an one as goeth on still in his trespasses.

We shouldn't just keep right on sinning. mp3 file

I live by the faith

Galatians 2

Outline

v1,2

how Paul communicated the gospel

v3-6

spies

v7-9

some apostles going to the circumcised people, Paul and Barnabas to the gentiles

v10

remember the poor

v11-14

walk uprightly, according to the truth of the gospel

v15-19

justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law

v20,21

Christ lives in me

Key v20

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

As we live throughout the day, we should keep believing the gospel, just like when the Lord saved us. mp3 file

be glad and sing for joy

Psalm 67

v4

O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth. Selah.

When we sing to praise the Lord, we should already be glad about what the Lord is going to do in the future. mp3 file

God has heard me

Psalm 66

v18&19

If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear [me]:

[But] verily God hath heard [me]; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer.

We should consider to make sure we don't have sin that isn't dealt with.

It's an encouraging promise that the Lord has heard me.

mp3 file

God hears and answers

Don't Go Back Psalm 65

v2

O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come.

v5

[By] terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us, O God of our salvation; [who art] the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off [upon] the sea:

(I added the emphasis.) The Lord hears and answers prayer. mp3 file