00:00 Welcome and Community Announcements

00:48 The Importance of Christian Community

03:01 Men's Retreat and Encouragement

03:52 Loving the Church as Christ's Bride

04:50 Daily Bible Reading: Psalms Overview

04:55 Psalm 102: A Prayer of the Afflicted

07:30 Psalm 103: Bless the Lord, O My Soul

13:20 Psalm 104: Creation and God's Glory

17:31 Closing Prayer and Final Thoughts

Find out more about Compass Bible Church.

Learn more about our Bible Reading Plan.

Questions or Comments? Email us podcast@compassntx.org

Hey, welcome back to another edition of the Daily Bible Podcast.

2

What's up?

3

It's Wednesday and we got youth tonight.

4

We've got yeah, we've got community

groups meeting every night pretty much

5

during the week, aside from Wednesdays.

6

So I was talking to somebody else this

morning about that and if you're not

7

part of a community group, we want you

to get involved in a community group.

8

It's a key part of what it looks

like to be a part of our church here.

9

And so Wednesday nights are unique.

10

Because we want our students to be

involved and we also need volunteers

11

to help with our student ministry.

12

And so we don't have small groups,

community groups that meet on

13

Wednesday nights for that purpose.

14

But Monday night, Tuesday night,

Thursday night, Friday night

15

nothing on Saturday either.

16

But Sunday, there's two or three

groups that meet on Sundays as well.

17

There's a plethora of groups out there

for you to join and get a part of.

18

And we'd love for you guys to do that.

19

We've got a great team of leaders

that that shepherd them and lead

20

our community group ministry.

21

Rod: Yeah.

22

It goes without saying, but I'm

gonna say it anyway, that if you're

23

going to live a faithful Christian

life, you have to do it in community.

24

Yeah.

25

There is no such thing as

a Christian who's doing it.

26

Oh, I'm just doing it, me and my

family, or I'm just gonna do it, on

27

online, or I'm gonna do it through books

and I'll commune with the puritans.

28

That's.

29

Not the good way to do it.

30

In fact, everything in the

Christian life, with few

31

exceptions is oriented corporately.

32

Let us consider how to stir up one

another toward love and good deeds.

33

And in fact, many of the things that you

see and you might think are singular.

34

Under the language is actually plural.

35

So when Jesus is saying for

instance the Lord's prayer, and

36

this is the one that comes to mind.

37

Even forgive us our debts

as we forgive others.

38

He's teaching them how to pray

and he's teaching them how to

39

pray corporately, which I mean, I

guess it is a corporate group of.

40

People, but he's talking to believers

who probably more naturally are inclined

41

toward a group communal mindset.

42

We as Westerners are just not that.

43

I love my alone time, I love

my quiet time, and we probably.

44

As a civilization idolize that

time more than we ever have in

45

probably our nation's history.

46

I think that's fair.

47

So yeah, be aware, th this

mindset is not Christian.

48

It is a worldly mindset, and you would

do well to fight against that tendency

49

and to stop being, I don't know to

stop imbibing the world's water and

50

saying, I just need my alone time.

51

I need my me time.

52

And that's, I guess that's true.

53

Get your sleep, get all the things that

you need to have, but man, prioritize pe.

54

Prioritize time with the body.

55

You need that?

56

PJ: Yeah.

57

And it's, it kind of building

off what you're saying.

58

I don't know that it's possible to be an

obedient New Testament Christian without

59

community, without the body of Christ.

60

When you look at the one another commands

that are given in scripture, those

61

are to be lived out with one another.

62

And that's a broader

context than your family.

63

It's a broader context

than, your closest friends.

64

It's meant to be lived out

amongst people that it.

65

Honestly, it's difficult to love that way.

66

In fact, that's part of God's design,

I think, is he puts us, we're difficult

67

to love, other people are difficult

to love, and he puts us all together

68

and says, Hey, love each other.

69

And to do that is gonna

make you more like Jesus.

70

'cause you're gonna have

to die to yourself a lot.

71

And you're also gonna have to

be humbled by other people who

72

love you when you're unlovable.

73

And there's just a lot

of elements to where.

74

To be like, Jesus requires

community and you can't do it.

75

You can't do it on your own.

76

Get in community.

77

Rod: Yeah.

78

That's why we started our first

men's retreat on the topic of a

79

brotherhood what do you call it?

80

Something about band of brothers.

81

Band of brothers.

82

That's the one we started that way.

83

'cause we knew that men, especially

more than women, have a tendency to

84

isolate and just do, Hey I got my wife,

I got my kids, I got my church friends.

85

Yeah.

86

Or I got my work friends

and that's good enough.

87

We need to fight the tendency

to be alone and to be isolated.

88

And that's why we're doing it again.

89

We're doing another

men's retreat this time.

90

It's not band of brother.

91

There's this one is a different topic,

but such a pivotal one for every man.

92

Ladies, gentlemen, if you're not signed

up yet, ladies, get your men signed up.

93

Men, if you're not signed

up, please do it now.

94

In fact, the sooner you do it, the

better because we need we need your

95

help planning this well and making

sure that we have sufficient food

96

and accommodations, yada, yada, yada.

97

Please sign up for that.

98

This is gonna help encourage

and deepen your relationships.

99

You need that, we need that, and we

promise you, you will not regret it.

100

It's always gonna be a good

101

PJ: time.

102

May 16th and 17th are the dates for that.

103

Yeah.

104

May 16th and 17th.

105

So be a part of that.

106

Yeah.

107

I remember one of my pastors

growing up made the comment.

108

He said you can't say I love

Jesus, but I hate the church.

109

It's equivalent to telling.

110

For example, you Pastor Rod hey, pastor

I love you, but I can't stand Kristen.

111

I don't wanna be around her.

112

Or you telling me that with Amanda,

it's at the end of the day, you're

113

gonna be like, then you don't love me.

114

If you're trying to argue with me

that you love me, but you hate my

115

bride, then we've got problems.

116

And the Bible makes it abundantly clear

that the church is the bride of Christ,

117

all of her warts and everything else.

118

But just like you wouldn't show up at

somebody else's house and sit there

119

and be like, Hey, you're a pretty cool

guy, but lemme tell you everything

120

wrong with your wife right now.

121

That's what we do to, to in, in

the presence of God when we sit

122

there and we're like Jesus, I love

you, but the church is full of

123

hypocrites in the church is, imperfect

for this reason, that reason.

124

And I'll never be able to

forgive the church for what they

125

did to me when I was younger.

126

And you're right, the

church is far from perfect.

127

But she's the bride of Christ.

128

And Christ died to purify her

and make her holy for himself.

129

And if we love Jesus, we

need to love his bride.

130

You can't have it any other way than that.

131

Let's jump into our daily

Bible reading for today.

132

Psalm 1 0 2, 1 0 3, 1 0 4 1 0 2.

133

The title of the psalm gives away

what it's gonna be about, and it

134

says A prayer of the afflicted.

135

And so here we have a lament

psalm again beginning focused

136

inwardly on the psalmist troubles.

137

But this one ends in great exaltation of

God and his mighty and sovereign power.

138

And the pivot point really for this

psalm is Psalm 1 0 2, verse 12.

139

So he's laying out his afflictions.

140

He's talking about everything

that is leading to his suffering.

141

I.

142

And then he gets in verse 12 and he says,

but you oh Lord are enthone forever.

143

So I highlighted the but you,

because it reminded me of in

144

Ephesians two the, but God.

145

And that's the psalmist

bemoaning his circumstances.

146

But then it turns right there in,

in verse 12 with this, but you oh

147

Lord, are enthone forever and rem

remembering that, reminding him.

148

Himself of that preaching to himself

of that changes his perspective

149

for the remainder of the Psalm.

150

Rod: Verse 17, he says, he regards

the prayer of the destitute.

151

He does not despise their prayer.

152

This sounds a lot like Matthew

chapter five, where Jesus says,

153

blessed are the poor in spirit.

154

This is not about your

financial situation.

155

This is about the humility of your heart.

156

And so if you want God to hear your

prayer, be sure that you are coming as

157

a destitute person who is desperate for

God to inter intervene on your behalf.

158

This is not a matter again

of financial resources.

159

It's a matter of the soul's resources.

160

And perhaps the greatest resource

that you can build up in your life.

161

The greatest resource that you

can bring to the Lord is humility.

162

He loves that God opposes the proud,

but gives grace to the humble.

163

If you want more of God's grace, man, be

sure that you are praying that God would

164

keep your heart humble, so that you are

drawn near to him as often as you're able.

165

PJ: Yeah.

166

And a great way to, to gain that

perspective and that frame of

167

mind is to meditate on who God is.

168

And that's what the psalmist does there.

169

Towards the end of the psalm

he praises God as the creator.

170

He says, you of old laid the

foundation of the earth, the

171

heavens are the work of your hands.

172

They will perish, but you will remain.

173

They will wear out.

174

You will change them like a robe

that will pass away, but you are the

175

same and your years have no ended.

176

So that's such a helpful frame of

mind for us to get to, to remember

177

that we are the creature, he's the

creator, and that will will pro produce

178

a lot, hopefully rightly understood.

179

Produce a lot of that humility that we.

180

We need to be modeling.

181

Rod: Yeah.

182

One more quick note on

the psalm here, verse 18.

183

He says, let this be recorded

for a generation to come.

184

In other words, he's not just thinking

about his own life as he reflects on how

185

God has been faithful to him and what

God has done for him and his generation.

186

He's thinking about the next generation

we as Christians would do well,

187

especially those of us who are older

in advance in years to say, okay,

188

what about the next generation?

189

How do I support them?

190

How do I love them?

191

How do I ensure.

192

That the people yet to be

created may praise the Lord.

193

That's future thinking.

194

That is future focus.

195

And that's the kind of mindset

that we ought to we ought to

196

cultivate as we go about our day.

197

PJ: Yeah.

198

Yeah.

199

Psalm 1 0 3 probably one

of my favorite psalms.

200

Just a encouraging psalm here.

201

It's, it praises the theme of this one.

202

So the last Psalm of affliction,

this one is a psalm really of praise.

203

And it's the theme of the Davidic

psalm here the psalm is David calling

204

on the reader to bless the Lord with.

205

All that is in him for all the glorious

and wonderful things that God has done.

206

It's an immensely encouraging Psalm, but

I, that jumped out to me in verse one.

207

Bless the Lord oh my soul

and all that is within me.

208

Bless his holy name.

209

It's a, it is a holistic

devotion to worshiping God.

210

For all the good things that he's

done, and he starts with forgiveness.

211

In verse three, who

forgives your iniquities?

212

He heals your diseases.

213

He redeems your life from the pit and

crowns you with steadfast love and mercy.

214

I'm often convicted reading the Psalms

about just how little David knew

215

compared to what we know and yet how

much what he knew still drove him

216

to his praise and worship of God.

217

And so when David talks about forgiveness,

man, how much more do we understand about

218

forgiveness, having the fullness of.

219

Revealed scripture and knowing the cross

and the empty tomb and everything else.

220

And so when he is talking about in

verse 10 saying, he doesn't deal

221

with us according to our sins, nor

repay us according to our iniquities.

222

And then he goes on and he says, as far

as verse 12, the east is from the west.

223

So far.

224

Does he remove our transgressions from us?

225

What an encouraging reality

and thought that is.

226

And how much more should we

worship him in response, if

227

David understood, but a, a, a.

228

The edges of his, the cloak of his grace.

229

With this, we have been able to

understand so much more and it should

230

cause us to worship him in response.

231

Rod: Yeah.

232

I think we ought to take verse

two to heart man, forgetting

233

not all his benefits.

234

And again, David's counting a

million, we can count 10 billion.

235

Yeah, we can count 10 trillion.

236

And it's a shame that

we often don't do that.

237

And what often prevents us

from doing that is not that.

238

There's not things we're just, especially

today, we're just so focused on everything

239

else, the short term things that are

in front of us, or the things that have

240

to get done, the dinner that has to be

made, the person that has to be called.

241

We're so consumed with the here and

the now that we don't have time really

242

to forget not all those benefits.

243

So one of the things that you

should do as you read through the

244

psalms is to read them slowly.

245

They take.

246

A good amount of time to get through

if you're reading them well and the

247

temptation that you have, especially

when you come up to, I think May

248

3rd, May 4th, lemme see here.

249

May 2nd, actually.

250

May 2nd.

251

You've only got Psalm 1 33 to read, and

the challenge for you will be not to say,

252

great, I've got, I've only 30 seconds

on my Bible reading today and I'm done.

253

A read it slowly and read it

meditatively because this will give

254

you opportunity to reflect on all

the benefits God has given you.

255

And secondly we're gonna suggest you

read something else on May 2nd as well.

256

So maybe throw in an epistle

or something else that would

257

be exciting for you to read.

258

As you make your way through the Old

Testament, find a New Testament chapter

259

small chapter book that would be good for

you to read or the whole New Testament.

260

Just read the whole thing.

261

Yeah, the whole Bible.

262

How long would that take?

263

I, somebody

264

PJ: mapped it out.

265

I need to find that graphic.

266

It's 50 hours I think for the whole Bible.

267

Yeah.

268

Something like that.

269

Yeah.

270

Yeah.

271

Great.

272

Yeah, great point.

273

I've been working on that myself,

just sitting down in the mornings,

274

going through the word trying not

to just focus on getting ready for

275

the podcast but really letting it.

276

M letting myself marinate in the

word of God and try to really

277

spend concentrated effort there.

278

And not just saying, okay, how

do I get ready for this podcast?

279

But how do I benefit from this,

280

Rod: This passage?

281

Dude, you always talk about

having coffee and a good bible

282

in your hand in the morning.

283

Yeah.

284

So I've been delaying my coffee intake

and I've been trying to minimize it.

285

Reading the Bible is much harder.

286

Yeah.

287

It's gonna tell you man.

288

Yeah, that's, the flesh is weak.

289

I don't like it.

290

I'm still doing it.

291

And it's working.

292

In fact, instead of having a coffee in

the morning, now I'll have a zip fizz.

293

Yeah.

294

Not the same.

295

No, it's gonna tell you now.

296

You could heat it up.

297

It's good.

298

Microwave it, fiz.

299

It's good.

300

It tastes like a Gatorade heated up.

301

I dunno, man.

302

I might, 'cause it's just not the same.

303

I might even get me some decaf coffee.

304

I'm just gonna tell you.

305

'cause I need the

306

PJ: Yeah.

307

Rod: That feeling like I'm doing it, yeah.

308

Yeah.

309

It's just not the same.

310

PJ: I, one of the missionaries that

I was reading about recently, he.

311

He had a place while he was growing up

in his dormitory that was just a, it

312

was a metal chair and a metal table,

and it was in an empty room, and that's

313

where he did his DBR as we call it.

314

That's where he did his time in the

word, and he said he ended up missing

315

it, such that later on his life he

revisited that dormitory and found that

316

space again and went up to, I think it

was CT stud, and went and found it again

317

and sat down back at that table again.

318

And it was just the sweetness of

recollection of that time there, but

319

he was like, it was a metal table

and a metal chair in an empty room.

320

And that's where he did his time in the

321

Rod: work.

322

That's the way to

323

PJ: do it, man.

324

Rod: That's the way to do it.

325

Yeah.

326

Hey, one quick thing to point out to you.

327

In Psalm 1 0 3, as you guys are reading

it look at verse 11, 13, 17, 18.

328

Okay.

329

I just wanna point that

out to you real quick.

330

You're gonna see a repeated phrase.

331

Notice that it is those who fear him.

332

Those who fear him, those who fear him.

333

God's benefits do not extend

to everyone on the planet.

334

This is huge.

335

God's benefits are primarily geared.

336

Toward those who are redeemed in Christ.

337

So verse 11, so great is his steadfast

love toward those who fear him as the

338

father shows compassion to his children.

339

Verse 13 says, so the Lord shows

compassion to those who fear him.

340

Verse 17, the steadfast love of

the Lord is from everlasting to

341

everlasting on those who fear him.

342

Verse 18, his righteousness to children's

children, to those who keep his covenant.

343

So everything that we're reading here.

344

Be reminded is a special and

incredible privilege for those who

345

are in Christ, those who fear him.

346

Now, let's remind ourselves real quick.

347

Pastor Pji, tell us about fearing God.

348

Am I supposed to be afraid of him?

349

Like I'm afraid of the dark?

350

PJ: Yeah.

351

Yes you are.

352

Rod: Yeah.

353

So

354

PJ: again, tomorrow, no,

it's it's a reverential.

355

It's that awe, it's the fear again.

356

We talk about it so often.

357

It's the fear that a child

has for their father.

358

They, it's not a fear that drives them

away, that the child still will run to

359

their father and be enveloped in a warm

embrace by their father and hugged by

360

their father and loved by their father.

361

The child has an awareness also of

the father's discipline that's going

362

to, in instill this recognition of

a need to respect and to obey and to

363

fear the consequences of disobeying.

364

So that's the fear relationship that

we have with God our heavenly Father.

365

It's not one that causes us to cower

or to be afraid to approach him.

366

That's right.

367

But we approach him in the right way.

368

That's it.

369

Yeah.

370

Psalm 1 0 4 is hits on another theme

that I often will talk about and that

371

often shows up in my own life, is

just the way that God encourages me.

372

And that is the way that

creation drives us to praise.

373

And in this Psalm, God is.

374

Pictured as the one that is creating, he's

stretching out the heavens, like a tent.

375

In verse two, we went on our camping

trip, and so those of you who got your

376

tent set up well, hey, God stretched

out the heavens just like a tent.

377

Verse five laid the earth on its

foundation, so it should never be moved.

378

We talked about flat Earth recently.

379

And I think in passages like this, we see

that there's artistic language applied to

380

the creation acts of God in a way to help

us understand things that we wouldn't say,

381

okay, this is exactly what happened here.

382

When it says that the heavens are like a

tent it's, there's no fabric in the skies.

383

There's no dome universal fabric with a

nylon, zip stop or nylon rip stop tent.

384

Fabric up there.

385

We know that this is poetic.

386

This is metaphorical language.

387

And and that's what the

psalmist is doing here too.

388

He's he's saying, this is like what

God has done and he's trying to

389

do that in a way that helps us to

understand what it is that God created.

390

I.

391

That we would in the end not attribute

the clouds to happenstance or the

392

clouds to the God of the clouds,

but that we would say, no, this is

393

the God of the universe who's done

394

Rod: this.

395

Yeah, the goodness of creation ought

to testify to us as it does, that God

396

is good and he does good things for us.

397

In fact, something stood out to me that I

always see, and I think I might understand

398

it better this time as I've read it.

399

I don't know how many

times before verse 15.

400

In fact, verse 14 he says, you cause

the grass to grow for the livestock

401

plants for man to cultivate that he

may bring forth food from the earth.

402

In verse 15 says, and wine to gladen

the heart of man oil to make his face

403

shine bread to strengthen man's heart.

404

So the psalmist here is celebrating

the fact that God made wine and

405

he didn't just make wine as a

Hey, do you better not enjoy this?

406

This is gonna taste funny.

407

He says no, he made wine and glad

in the heart of man, which I think

408

you might first think doesn't

the Bible say don't get drunk?

409

Yes it does.

410

But the Bible doesn't say,

don't enjoy God's good gifts.

411

You can enjoy and you can partake

in such a way that you can derive

412

the benefit without being enslaved

to and becoming inebriated.

413

And I think that's the idea here.

414

God gives us creation to enjoy

and Christians of all people.

415

Should be able to take creation and say,

I'm gonna enjoy this to the glory of God.

416

Of course there's illegal substances,

things that the government says, not good.

417

We're not gonna allow these things.

418

And we, by and large honor that.

419

But where scripture says you

should enjoy creation, we're

420

gonna say, man, we enjoy that.

421

We enjoy wine.

422

The glad in the heart of man everything

that God makes is for our enjoyment,

423

for our good, for our pleasure.

424

In so far as it not, it has not

become an idol, and it's not

425

breaking the law in some way.

426

So here's something to encourage you.

427

Enjoy God's creation.

428

Savor it.

429

Relish it because it's

God's goodness toward you.

430

PJ: How about verse 31 where it says,

may the glory of the Lord endure forever?

431

May the Lord rejoice in his works.

432

Do you think God rejoices in

beholding his creation, the beauty

433

of the things that he's made?

434

Rod: I heard I read a book once that,

and I can't even remember the book.

435

I just remember this particular part

where here's something fascinating.

436

Okay, so Hebrews chapter one

says, God upholds the universe

437

by the word of his power.

438

We attribute the natural

order of things to.

439

A mechanical oh, the sun rises, the sun

sets the moon rises, the moon sets, and we

440

have four seasons, and yada, yada, yada.

441

This is just how it works, and this

is the reason why gravitational

442

pull and waves and yada.

443

But this, I don't know if it's

a commentator or just a book.

444

He, he acknowledges that what Hebrews once

says is that God is actively involved in

445

creation to the point where he's willing

these things to continue happening.

446

And then he makes a connection.

447

What kind of person sees the

same thing over and over again?

448

And continues to delight in it.

449

And he pointed to the fact that

children tend to be this way.

450

Children can see the same

movie over a thousand times

451

and they wanna see it again.

452

The thousandth.

453

And first he says God has a child

likeness to his nature in that he wills

454

the same thing over and over again

because he rejoices in his creation.

455

It is good, even though

it's marred, it is good.

456

And God, like in childlike fashion,

is filled with wonder and awe at his

457

glory being displayed in creation.

458

Yeah.

459

And I think.

460

That perfectly encapsulates

what you just brought up.

461

PJ: That's awesome.

462

That's awesome to think about, man.

463

Just God watching the sunrise now.

464

God exists outside of time and yeah

there's layers there, but we also have

465

to reconcile, reconcile verses like

this that he rejoices in his works and

466

what you were just talking about too.

467

Such a cool concept of God, one

that we don't often entertain.

468

Yeah.

469

Amen of that.

470

Yeah.

471

Let's pray and then we will

be done with this episode.

472

God, we are grateful for the

depth of your character in all the

473

different shades of who you are.

474

And so many that we don't know at this

point, so many that we will come to

475

know during eternity and yet in our.

476

Creatureliness, our finiteness.

477

We will never fully

comprehend the infinite God.

478

We will never know everything

there is to know about you.

479

And yet, by your grace, you've revealed so

much to us already, and even in creation

480

as we were just reading about in Psalm 1 0

4 Lord, certainly through your word, your

481

written word that we read on a daily basis

and we come to to learn more about you.

482

We are grateful for these.

483

Measures of revelation

that we have of you.

484

Help us to marinate in them like

we were talking about earlier too.

485

Not to rush through anything, but to

really learn as much as we possibly

486

can about who you are and to take

that and apply it to our lives.

487

So we pray this in Jesus name.

488

Amen.

489

Amen.

490

Keep reading your Bibles.

491

Tune in, get tomorrow for another

edition of the Daily Bible Podcast.

492

See you.

493

Bye.

494

Thanks for listening to another

edition of the Daily Bible Podcast.

495

This is a ministry of Compass

Bible Church in north Texas.

496

You can find out more information

about ourChurch@compassntx.org.

497

We would love for you to leave a

review to rate to share this podcast

498

on whatever platform you happen to

be listening on, and we will catch

499

you against tomorrow for another

edition of the Daily Bible Podcast.

500

Yeah.

501

I would agree with

everything that you said