The Psalms

As summer is now upon us, typically we can expect a change in pace. Many families will take vacations, others will have new projects to complete, or some will simply enjoy the long nights sitting on their porch. The same is true here at First Baptist Church. Sure, this change of pace is reflected through our Wednesday and Sunday night schedules, camp and children’s opportunities, but we typically change our pace in our study on Sunday morning as well. For the past two years we have been in the gospel of Luke, but for this summer, starting next Sunday, we are going to walk through 10 Psalms in 10 weeks. There are many reasons why we are going through the Psalms on Sunday morning but let me share with you four of them as we approach the summer ahead of us.

First, the Psalms teach us to pray. In many ways, the psalms are the prayer book of the Bible. If we were honest with ourselves, we would admit that we need to be taught how to pray. In fact, we see this with the disciples when they ask Jesus to teach them how to pray (Luke 11:1, Matthew 6:9-13). Here then are the Psalms. They form some of the most significant prayers in the Scriptures and knowing them helps to shape how we ought to approach the Lord. In fact, Gary Millar says, “The Psalter as a whole provides us with the most detailed and sustained treatment of how God’s people can, should and must call on him.” It is no surprise then that the biblical writers and those throughout church history have treated the Psalms as a guide for their own prayers.

Second, the Psalms show us our hearts. In his writing on the Psalms, John Calvin said, “there is not an emotion of which anyone can be conscious that is not here represented as in a mirror,” for the Psalms show, “all the griefs, sorrows, fears, doubts, hopes, cares, perplexities” of which fill our minds and reflect in our emotions. In the Psalms, you often see the writer struggling through their faith as they wrestle through the circumstances of this fallen world resulting in conflicting thoughts on what emotions should look like, not only in worship, but in the Christian life. The Psalms teach us how to understand our reactions and how to place our hopes in the Lord.  

Third, the Psalms lead us to holiness. In teaching us to pray, the Psalms do not merely show us how to have a proper emotional response to the Lord, but rather they lead us to respond to God by walking in wisdom and understanding what it looks like the please the Lord. This is clearly seen in the way the Psalter begins in Psalm 1 with the contrast between righteous and wicked living. Here we see that the man who pursues righteousness is the one who is blessed (1:1), whereas the one who pursues wickedness will not be able to stand before God in judgement (1:5). This theme is carried throughout the rest of the Psalms and applied to the various circumstances of the writer’s life, showing us what it means to follow God.

Fourth, the Psalms point us to Christ. As we are shown the struggles of the Psalmist, we see their cry for redemption. Often this cry is seen in the hope of judgement upon the wicked and everlasting joy for the righteous, but it is left incomplete apart from a savior who is still to come. Much of this hope comes out through the longing of a future king who will rule the world (Ps. 2) through his everlasting kingdom (Ps. 145). Ultimately this king is Jesus, who is as Psalm 110:1 says, will press all his enemies under his feet. Therefore, as the Psalms teach us to pray through revealing our hearts to us, leading us to seek after greater holiness, they do so by setting the fulfillment of every longing for redemption in Jesus Christ.

I want to invite you to join us this summer as we walk through the Psalms together. Again, we often have a different pace during these few months, but I want to encourage you to make our times on Sunday morning a priority. I believe that as we look into the word of God together, the Psalms will not only allow us to see a picture of ourselves and where we might need to go spiritually, but how to get there with Christ being the means and the goal of our pursuit. Join us this Sunday as we begin with Psalm 1!

Serving Him with You,
Pastor Michael Nelson 

Written by Pastor
Michael Nelson

Fighter Verse for the Week

"Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength."
- Isaiah 40:28-29

Announcements:

Soccer Camp: Mark your calendar. This year, we will host a soccer camp in connection with Sports Crusaders on Monday, June 29th-Friday, July 3rd. There will be two sessions. Session 1 will be for those who completed kindergarten – completed 2nd grade from 9:00-11:00am. Session 2 will be for those who completed 3rd grade – completed 6th grade from 1:00-4:00pm. Cost is $25. You can register HERE.

Vacation Bible School: Mark your calendar. This year, we will host Vacation Bible School on Monday, July 6th-Friday, July 10th from 5:45-8:00pm. Dinner will be served at 5:15pm. Check out this year’s theme HERE. You can register HERE. We also need lots of volunteers. Sign up sheet will be up soon…

Family Discipleship Guides: These guides are designed to help equip parents further engage with what our children and youth are learning. You can find a guide for AWANA, HERE and for our Youth, HERE.

Men’s Study: Our Men’s study meets on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday nights at 8:00-9:15pm. The book for this study will be The Case for Christ. See Clint Blankenship for more information.

Building Remodel: If you would like to give to our remodel fund, there are commitment cards available in the welcome center. Feel free to pick up one and return it to one an available basket. If you would like to give a one time or a reoccurring gift, you can do so HERE and select “building remodel.” You can also give through one of the offering boxes at church. Be sure to mark your envelop, “building remodel.” Check out a video highlighting the work done so far.

Food Pantry: The food pantry is currently in need of some food items. For a complete list of food pantry needs, click HERE.

Awana Bible Club

Awana is officially on summer break. Clubs are typically held on Wednesdays throughout the school year. Dinner is at 6:00pm with Awana Clubs starting at 6:30pm. Children can be registered HERE.

Equipping Hour

We have three classes held at 9:15am on Sunday mornings. “A Survey in Church History” meets in the Sanctuary, a study in Hebrews in the Fellowship Hall, and a Ladies’ class studying the Old Testament meets in the classroom next to the nursery. You can find more information HERE.

Giving

To Give Online, Go HERE. 

You can also mail your offering to: 1416 Main Street, Grandview, MO. 64030

Home Groups

Home Groups typically meet on the first and third Sunday of each month. Please contact Pastor Michael if you would like to join a Home Group. You can find more information HERE.

Prayer

An updated Prayer Guide can be accessed HERE.

Prepare for Sunday

Guide for Worship can be found HERE.