Psalm 34 is quirky and fun. In Hebrew, it is an acrostic with each verse starting with the next letter in the Hebrew alphabet. Lots of little word games are in the Psalm. It is a Psalm attributed to David at a time when he was pretending to be a lunatic to survive his stay in enemy territory. The Psalm is about “hunger” and “satisfaction.” It is about the good and/or toxic things that come out of our mouths, (and since it is 2018 we can also include the good and/or toxic things we type into our devices). Ultimately, Psalm 34 hinges upon a statement recorded in the middle of the Psalm … “Turn away from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.” (Verse 14) A motto to live by, especially in a dark and conflicted era of time.

Dr. Jeff Beckett Sunday, October 28, 2018 Slides

Psalm 32 is known for its beauty. It touches our hearts because it is about the power of forgiveness that flows out of confession. The ancient song reminds us that God longs to embrace us in His grace and mercy, but He also demands that we humble ourselves and acknowledge our sin. Every great spiritual movement begins with a season of confession from God’s people … what if we began that movement today?

Dr. Jeff Beckett Sunday, October 21, 2018 Slides

David declares that he has a basic trust in God that has become a pillar of his life. It allows him to survive the hard times and comforts him as he waits on God to act. Psalm 31 is part prayer and part wisdom Psalm. Last week we talked about how “God is for us!” When we really believe this, trusting God is a lot easier. Do you trust God even when you cannot understand life’s difficulties?

Dr. Jeff Beckett Sunday, October 14, 2018 Slides

Psalm 30 is a majestic little song of joy out of sorrow, a beam of light that shines out of the darkness of a sad and difficult life. David uses the song to begin to list the reasons why God deserves all glory and honor from us, even when our times are hard. Today we study his list and agree … God deserves our praise regardless of our circumstances.

Dr. Jeff Beckett Sunday, October 7th, 2018 Slides

Our sermons in the Psalms continue this week with a look at Psalm 28. Psalm 28 is a little bit unique in that the first half of the Psalm is a prayer, and the second half of the Psalm is a celebration of the answer to the prayer. If you know what it is like to feel weary, burned out and overwhelmed, Psalm 28 is a good encouragement for you today. If you want to know the power of revitalization in God… this Psalm is for you! God is a source of strength and refuge that you can always rely on. He makes us strong! Super hero strong!

Dr. Jeff Beckett Sunday, September 30, 2018 Slides