June 11, 2020, Psalms 92, John 10

Psalms 92

A psalm. A song. For the Sabbath day. 

Sung during the time of the morning sacrifice. 

It is good to praise the Lord. 

and make music to your name, 

O Most high, 

proclaiming your love in the morning 

and your faithfulness at night, 

to the music of the ten-stringed lyre

and the melody of the harp. 

For you make me glad by your deeds, 

Lord; I sing for joy at what your hands 

have done. 
How great are your works, Lord, 

how profound your thoughts!

Senseless people do not know, 

fools do not understand, 

that though the wicked spring 

up like grass, and evil doers flourish

they will be destroyed forever. 

But you, Lord, are forever exalted. 

For surely your enemies, Lord, 

surely your enemies will perish: 

all evildoers will be scattered. 

You have exalted my horn like that 

of a wild ox; 

fine oils have been poured on me. 
My eyes have seen the defeat of my adversaries; 

my ears have heard the rout of my wicked foes. 

The righteous will flourish like a palm tree. 

They will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; 

planted in the house of the Lord, 

they will flourish in the courts of our God. 
They will bear fruit in old age, 

they will stay fresh and green, 

proclaiming, "The Lord is upright; 

he is my rock and there is no wickedness in him. 

The Fate of the Wicked  

( A five minute meal may be edible but it may not be healthy. It is somewhat silly but its real; King David confesses it too. So its common to man to think something is wrong when we see the wicked flourish. But the writer tells us the wicked do flourish. Don't think the wicked is suffering and doing bad. Sometimes they do well.  The writer says the wicked spring up like grass but do not be deceived destruction is the end result.                                     

Senseless people do not know, 

fools do not understand, 

that though the wicked spring 

up like grass, and evil doers flourish

they will be destroyed forever. 

The Fate of the Righteous 

(The writer calls the righteous like a cedar tree. A cedar tree is a large tree and it takes years to grow to full maturity. It does not spring up like grass. Grass also withers and dies easily; we don't want to be like the grass.  The writer says the righteous are like a palm tree. It is a huge tree and it is strong.)

For example a palm tree grows two to three inches a year and in good conditions it takes about ten years to reach its full potential ( or destined height). This is how it grows under good conditions so if conditions are bad it can delayed in growth. 

The righteous also flourish in the courts of God. 

Growth takes time, its not always quick. 

The righteous will flourish like a palm tree. 

They will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; 

planted in the house of the Lord, 

they will flourish in the courts of our God. 

They will bear fruit in old age, 

they will stay fresh and green, 

proclaiming, "The Lord is upright; 

he is my rock and there is no wickedness in him. 

John 10

The Good Shepherd and His Sheep 

"Verily, verily I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 

The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice. Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them. Therefore Jesus said it again, Verily, Verily I tell you, I am the gate keeper for the sheep. 

All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal, kill, and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and it to the full. 

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep. 

I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me-just as the Father knows me and I know the Father-and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life-only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father. 

The Jews who heard these words were again divided. Many of them said, "He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him? But others said, "These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind? 

Jesus is.......................

 the gate keeper

 the good shepherd

He has hired hands

He cares about his sheep

Most importantly he owns the sheep

His Father loves him because he laid down his life for the sheep. 

Have a great Day!