This collection of divinely inspired songs was brought together into a rich anthology to help us have a realistic and artistic voice for understanding the complex relationship between God and His People. The collection is brought together for a purpose. For a people, both individual and corporately, to be able to navigate and make sense of the God, the world, their lives and hearts in a language that speaks deeply to the soul. Additionally, they teach doctrine and the give poetic voice to what is true about God and His people. What Path are we on? What obstacles do we face? We all regularly face crossroads of conflicts, crisis, and challenging circumstances. The speed and number of changes and decision points seem to be increasing rapidly leaving us a bit disorientate which can easily lead us to disillusionment or despair. There are times to take pause on the path in order to reorient ourselves on what is true and hopefully gain the resolve to walk the path before us with clarity and confidence. Where do we look for guidance and grace on the path?

What are you afraid of? What is your biggest fear? We live in a world ready to serve us up fresh fear on the daily. This collection of divinely inspired songs was brought together into a rich anthology to help us have a realistic and artistic voice for understanding the complex relationship between God and His People. The collection is brought together for a purpose. For a people, both individual and corporately, to be able to navigate and make sense of the God, the world, their lives and hearts in a language that speaks deeply to the soul. Additionally, they teach doctrine and the give poetic voice to what is true about God and His people. Psalms are about Jesus Fleeing from that which produces great fear towards the one worth of our trust where rest and refuge can be found. We will face fear, distress, and countless situations and seasons that can and will necessarily (and at times unnecessarily) cause us anxiousness and anxiety. All of us live in a broken world with seemingly endless events and influences that should lead us not only to worry but anxiousness. Take a moment to consider the condition of the world in it’s entirety and it is a miracle that we are not all in a constant state of anxiety. We are so connected to so much of what is happening that we try to process a world worth of worry. More information hasn’t led to more peace only more pressure.

Have you ever been hurt so bad that you thought it would be impossible to forgive? • Have you ever hurt someone so bad that you thought it would be impossible to be forgiven? • Are you experiencing a friend or family member who has abandoned their faith and is living in a way that constantly bring pain? • Have you lost a friendship because of repeated sin? Have you tried to forgive only to be hurt again? • Has the collateral damage of sin built up over the years to the point to where you don’t see any possibility of change? • How can we have healthy, God-honoring relationships between broken people when wounds of sin are fresh and deep? • Friends, there is hope. • There is freedom in forgiveness, both for the FORGIVEN and the FORGIVER.

Today we continue our series Psalms: Soundtrack for our Souls. Psalms are about Jesus - What has Jesus done for us? Why do we need Jesus in the first place. We talk about Jesus as our Lord, we praise Jesus as our savior but in order to understand this concept we have to know what are we being saved from and for. We were all created for a purpose to worship God and enjoy Him. But there is a separation, a tension, a conflict we experience that needs to be addressed. Our souls sing off key songs distorted from a rich harmony with the Song God is singing. This distortion is called sin and it takes many forms active disobedience, passive rejection of God direction, apathy and anger toward God. Sin separates and leaves our souls crying out for something that satisfies. Sin can leave us callous and hopeless but with God we have hope when our heart is contrite. Disposition matters. Psalm 51 the response of a heart of one who is aware of the depth and nature of their sin AND who has humbly appealed to God to do what only God can do, forgive sin and restore us to who we are meant to be. Written by David, to understand this Psalm almost more than any other, knowing what transpired to inspire its writing is necessary for our instruction. Not so we know more about David’s sin, but to understand how sin impacts us and how we heal.

If there is one thing that stands out to me about the Psalms is how honest the writers are about their thoughts and emotions. There is a depth to the relationship that is often missing in our relationship with God. As the authors interact with God, their hearts are opened and we see what is deep inside… And it’s not just the good parts. For example David cries out to God

Good Morning Welcome to Mercy Fellowship where we are Saved by Jesus Work, Changed by Jesus’ Grace, and Living on Jesus’s Mission. Today we continue our summer series Psalms: Soundtrack for our Souls. The Psalms are a rich anthology to help us have a realistic and artistic voice for understanding the complex relationship between God and His People as we learn how to think, act, feel and relate to God. The collection is brought together for a purpose. For a people, both individual and corporately, to be able to navigate and make sense of the God, the world, their lives and hearts in a language that speaks deeply to the soul. The Psalms are not a systematic theology, and they are not a science text book about the natural world, but they teach doctrine and the give poetic voice to what is true about God, His creation and His people. Key truths of God’s character and nature include God as the Creator of everything, Redeemer of His people, one who sustains, provides, and protects in the face of trials and opposition. We sing to God as warrior, King, Father, teacher, and judge, but most importantly… Psalms are about Jesus - Jesus is clear in Luke 24 that all of the Law, prophets, psalms point to him and are about HIM. Specifically, we see God as the Creator of transcendent beauty and glory permeating everywhere. We see God as the ultimate arbiter of truth which produces transformation in the life of his people, and how His transcendence and truth should lead us to a place of self-reflection, humility, and reliance on the God of truth and transcendence who reveals Himself through the person and work of Jesus. In Psalm 19 we will see how God has chosen to disclose Himself to humanity in general and His people specifically. How do we know there is a God? How do we know about God? How do we have clarity about God’s will? How are we to respond to God? How are we transformed?

Good Morning Welcome to Mercy Fellowship where we are Saved by Jesus Work, Changed by Jesus’ Grace, and Living on Jesus’s Mission. Today we continue our summer series Psalms: Soundtrack for our Souls. The Psalms are a rich anthology to help us have a realistic and artistic voice for understanding the complex relationship between God and His People as we learn how to think, act, feel and relate to God. The collection is brought together for a purpose. For a people, both individual and corporately, to be able to navigate and make sense of the God, the world, their lives and hearts in a language that speaks deeply to the soul. The Psalms are not a systematic theology, but they teach doctrine and the give poetic voice to what is true about God and His people. Key truths of God’s character and nature include God as the Creator of everything, Redeemer of His people, one who sustains, provides, and protects in the face of trials and opposition. We sing to God as warrior, King, Father, teacher, and judge, but most importantly… Psalms are about Jesus - Jesus is clear in Luke 24 that all of the Law, prophets, psalms point to him and are about HIM. One of the big themes is his Kingship: A huge concept though out the Psalms as David, a human king writes both about his experience as a king and serving God as King. These are like national anthems rallying and unifying a people around a shared national identity as citizens of God’s people under King Jesus. Psalm 2, is one of the most quoted in the New Testament, as the plot of the kings of this earth to rebel and be independent of God is met by the plot of God our King to lead, rule and care for His people through His Son. There is a tension between the collective counsel of humanity opposed to God and the wisdom of God to unite the diverse nations, cultures, and people of the world together under one banner for their blessing and His Glory. We believe freedom and flourishing come from declaring independence from the King where true joy comes from recognizing and embracing our dependance on Him.

We exist to make Disciples of Jesus Christ who Love God and Love People. Endurance matters- Disciples are disciplined and have some longevity. The Christian life is not lived as a one-time experience or conversion but a “long obedience in the same direction”. It is not how you start a race; it’s how you finish. This means endurance. To endure is to remain or continue even in the midst of great difficulty to a greater destination. Endurance is usually a sign of significant strength. Yet paradoxically we find ourselves both weary and weak the longer we endure difficulty. We need to find both comfort in the present and courage to continue not despite our weakness, but in our weakness. Seeking strength, we look within ourselves for affirmation or beyond ourselves for inspiration when in fact we have all we need in Christ. That doesn’t mean there isn’t going to be hindrances to endurance. Our journey will be long and will include difficulty. Two things hinder endurance. First, difficult seasons of division and disunity hinder our endurance like playing in a hostile arena. We’re not innocent in all things either. We will hurt others and be hurt by others. We will need to pursue humility and at times we will be humbled. When broken, restoration will require repentance and reconciliation. This is difficult, but necessary for endurance. The second thing hindering our endurance is our own sin, failure, and frailty. We’re trying to run a race, but we’ve done things or are actively doing things which are counterproductive at best or sinful at worst. If we are going to endure it means we will have to be courageous enough to risk transformation by confronting or correcting what is hindering us even when it’s uncomfortable. The alternative is convincing ourselves we’re comfortable being hindered, having our effectiveness minimized, joy reduced, and endurance hampered. Paul writing to the Corinthians is going to be very specific about the conditions in the Corinthian church using both clear and convicting language for the purpose of seeking repentance and restoration. While specific to them, the end of this letter is applicable for any church because it hits key principals about the importance and interaction of church culture and individual sin. So we will look at three key ideas from this conclusion to help us endure. #1: What hinders our endurance. #2: How the Gospel answers it. # 3: What our posture and disposition should be to foster endurance, and finally encouragement. While weak we can have courage to endure in the mercy and grace of God.