Psalm 62 Worksheet

There are 3 Psalms that are to Juduthun – 39, 62, and 77 – one in each of the first 3 of the 5 books of the Psalms. Jeduthun’s name means “_____________________,” and he was one of David’s first praise leaders, leading one of the 3 main sections of musicians.

The main theme of Psalm 62 is ________________________ in God.

The 2 Selah’s help outline the Psalm neatly into three 4 verse sections.

God keeps me _______________________ when others want to topple me                                      V. 1-4

What 3 things does David say God is for him in verse 2?

What kind of position does David describe himself in in verse 4?

In contrast to the strong tower of refuge that God is for David, the things his enemies are relying on are ‘leaning walls,’ ‘tottering fences’ that easily ______________________ over.

What indications do we have in verse 4 that some of these people who would do David harm have been close to him before?

God will keep you who ___________________ Him from falling over also                                          V. 5-8

Verses 1-2 are almost identical with verses 5-6.

When you pray, do you have a sense of _________________________ of what God is going to do in your life?

Like David let’s ______________________ what God is to us!

David calls the nation to have the same kind of trust in God that he had, and to be in constant prayer to the God their _________________________ come from.

The ___________________ of trusting in anyone but God                                                                            V. 9-12

In verse 9 David brings to mind a scales you weigh things on. We are more impressed by people the world calls “somebodies” than by people the world calls “nobodies.” But neither has the substance to _______________________ the scales when compared to God.

David has already said God is our Glory! The root word for Glory is the same root word for ______________. Compared to people, God has REAL substance, real weight, real glory!

Wicked people making wicked decisions will relatively quickly lead to ___________________ of eternal significance – stick with God.

Note the once-twice device David uses in verse 11. This is a memory device in Hebrew. Two-Three occurs in Dt. 17:6; Three-Four occurs in Proverbs & Amos; Six-Seven occurs in Prov. 6:16. 

David emphasizes 2 key truths about God they can trust in and build their lives around: his power and His mercy.

Notice the Psalm doesn’t end there, though – it ends with a helpful reminder that we will each render an _____________________ to God for how we have lived – so live by trust in God, not by compromises made with the world.

Honoring Marriage

Every time I preach I want people to think and feel love, truth, and hope.

Jesus always extends kindness and grace to repentant sinners desiring to build and rebuild their lives around faith and the Bible’s truth. But He also allows unrepentant sinners to continue in their sin and experience the built-in consequences each sin has.

Matthew 5:27-32 Honoring Marriage

Josh McDowell taught us that behind every precept is a principle based on God’s Person.

So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him, male and female He created them. -Genesis 1:27

Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. -Genesis 2:24-25

The biblical plan for human flourishing includes the home as the foundational unit for the entire earth. Sex is only supposed to happen between a husband and his wife for bonding and possible procreation.

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the Kingdom of God. AND SUCH WERE SOME OF YOU. BUT YOU WERE WASHED, you were sanctified, your were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of God. -1 Cor. 6:9-11

All sexual sin dishonors marriage V. 27-28

The other commands spoke of the external things you can make a law about. But the 10th command and Jesus’ words here focus internally on what only God can see – what’s going on in your heart.

But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for Gods holy people. -Eph. 5:3

Get serious about fighting sexual sin at its root V. 29-30

Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. -1 Cor. 6:18

“You must always be a killin’ sin, or sin will always be a killin’ you.” -John Owen (1616-1683)

Don’t take a casual attitude about divorce V. 31-32

Sometimes in the Old Testament God regulated what He didn’t endorse so the most vulnerable in Israel would be protected by the hard-hearted actions of others.

The marriage vow is serious enough that you should not divorce your spouse and marry another unless your spouse committed adultery (Matthew 5, 19), has abandoned you (1 Cor. 7:15), or abused you.

I love the wisdom found in Philippians 3:13 & 16. Verse 13 says “forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead.” Verse 16 says “Only let us live up to what we have attained.”

3 Tips to bolster your marriage/ friendships:

“We” before me.

Wag.

Work.

Psalm 61 Worksheet

This is a simple Psalm of ________________________ and prayer

A sweet opening ________________________ V. 1-2

Synonymous parallelism like that in verse 1 is a frequent device in Hebrew _______________.

What do you think of when you think of God as a High Rock?

Verse 2 led William O. Cushing to pen the hymn “Hiding in Thee.”

O safe to the Rock that is Higher than I, My soul in its conflicts and sorrows would fly.

The Lord is my Rock and my Fortress and my Deliverer. -Psalm 18:2

Faith in Jesus and living according to His words will be a rock-like _______________________ in the believer’s life, getting us through the storms of life intact (Matthew 7:24-29).

A precious ___________________________ V. 3-5

What 4 kinds of refuge does David compare God to in verses 3-4?

Note the reflections of verse 3 lead to the ________________________ of verse 4!

God is everywhere, but these words mean even more to those who intentionally ________________ near to God and sense Him raising His “wing” to let us underneath!

Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.” -James 4:8a

David continues his testimony in the first person in verse 5, which is why I put it with verses 3-4 as testimony.

Vows are serious commitments made to the Lord that we want to carry out by faith in Him and through the _____________________________ of the indwelling Holy Spirit.

The Hebrew word for heritage is the word yerussa (H3425), and occurs 14 times in the Old Testament. It is translated as possession, inheritance, and heritage. It is used primarily of the Promised Land as _______________________’s possession.

According to Ephesians 1:3, how has God blessed believers in Jesus Christ?

With ________________________ spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.

A sweet ___________________________ V. 6-8

David led a hard life and then died when he was 70 years old (2 Sam. 5:4-5). That was a long life by their standards, but I think David has in mind __________________________ life, as in Psalm 23 – I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever!

David asks for God’s Hesed (mercy, steadfast love) and God’s Emets (Truth, faithfulness) to be given him and ______________________ him.

AHA! Here we see that one of David’s vows was to daily ________________________ the Lord! May we make that one of ours as well!

The Heart of the Matter - Matthew 5:21-26

Introducing one of Jesus’ teaching formulas - V. 21-22

In our last message, we saw Jesus call us to proper understanding of the Old Testament’s teaching as it points to faith in Him. In the rest of chapter 5, Jesus teaches us what He means by 6 times using the formula “You have heard that it was said, but I say to you.”

The Scribes and Pharisees focused their teaching on external obedience to God’s commands, but Jesus focused His lessons on internal obedience that comes from love for God from the heart.

Josh McDowell understood this when he wrote Truth Matters: Behind every precept is a principle based on God’s Person.

Jesus makes His disciples work harder by faith than the Pharisees did – because Jesus takes you beyond checklists of external obedience and makes you as His follower deal with root issues in your heart by faith!

Heaven finds you guilty of a type of murder - V. 21-22

Jesus’ teaching leads us to conclude that sinful anger inside our hearts is the root problem behind outward acts of violence and murder, and that letting sinful anger go undealt with is already liable to Heaven’s judgment.

In the Greek Jesus specifically says, “Whoever calls his brother, “Raca” will be liable to the Sanhedrin. When they said the word Raca they were calling them “empty-head,” someone with nothing inside their head.

This is the first time that Jesus compares Hell to Gehenna, the place in Jerusalem they burned garbage. Jesus is essentially saying, “If you call another person garbage, you’re the person who deserves judgment.”

Our problem is that even when we are right to be angry we usually don’t handle our anger in right ways. And because of our selfishness many times when we have felt our anger was justified, it really was not – it was just a sinful outburst.

Put relationship mending ahead of even your church obligations - V. 23-24

In the spirit of Family Feud, where is the number one place that verses 23-24 need to be applied? In the Home.

Resolve conflict ASAP before the consequences get worse - V. 25-26

“Be angry, and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger.” - Ephesians 4:26

If you hold on to anger and don’t try to restore broken relationships proactively, it will continue to cost you dearly, affecting spiritual health, physical health, emotional health, even financial health.

Some things are not going to get fully resolved. But we can agree to disagree on some matters and still agree in the Lord (as the 2 ladies were asked to do in Philippians chapter 4).

Practical tips for dealing with anger:

Be growing in your relationship with your Triune God. That is the only way you will have the spiritual resources to overcome sinful anger.

When you feel angry, PAUSE, count to three, and quote James 1:19-20.

“Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” -James 1:19-20

Pray about the underlying spiritual things going on in people’s lives.

Be proactive as God leads you.

React with God’s grace rather than nurse resentments.

Jesus Christ is Raised From the Dead!

Jesus Christ is alive in Heaven right now, and can relate to your hurt, pain and longings in ways you can’t even imagine. And while on earth He did everything it would take to meet your true needs and change you forever.

Isa. 52:13-53:12

The prophesy’s overview - 52:13-53:1

The prophesy of Jesus’ life - 53:2-3

The way Jesus came made Him relatable to every one of us – don’t miss this – if you have ever felt despised, rejected, full of sorrow and grief, not esteemed as you think you should be, Jesus can relate (Heb. 4:14-16).

The prophecy of Jesus’ death - 53:4-8

Jesus was rejected and disrespected and felt distress 60 ways in the 6 days between Palm Sunday and His execution on Good Friday.

“Eli, Eli, Lama Sabacthani” – “My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me?”

The question of whether or not Jesus cares for you was settled on the cross!

The prophecy of Jesus’ burial - V. 9

Believers refer to what Jesus was doing in His Spirit on ‘Silent Saturday’ as the Harrowing of Hell. Jesus ‘raided’ Sheol/ Hades, the place all departed spirits were, and brought all believers with Him to Heaven. All unbelievers were left there for the coming day of judgment (Rev. 20:13-15).

Therefore it says, “When He ascended on high He led a host of captives, and He gave gifts to men.” In saying “He ascended,” what does it mean but that He first descended into the lower regions (of) the earth? - Eph. 4:8-9

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, in which He went and proclaimed to the spirits in prison. - 1 Peter 3:18-19

And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. - Matthew 27:52b-53

The prophesy of Jesus’ resurrection and its implications - V. 10-11

God made Him who knew no sin to become sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. - 2 Cor. 5:21

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. - 1 Cor. 15:20

The prophecy of Christ’s present intercession - V. 12

Jesus’ resurrection was the dawning of eternal life and light to all who repent and believe in Him!

Consequently, He (Jesus) is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. - Hebrews 7:25

Psalm 60 Worksheet

It’s to the chief musician, as ______________ total Psalms are!

There is something unique in the heading, the words “for teaching.” This is the only occurrence of that in the Psalms! I wonder based on the tone of the Psalm if David wants to teach something to _________________, the General he had a complicated relationship with!

The events referred to in the heading probably refers to events described in 2 Samuel 8 and 1 Chronicles 18.

Victory feels like defeat when the Lord isn’t ______________________ V. 1-3

But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord. -2 Sam. 11:27b

And God was displeased with this thing; therefore He struck Israel. -1 Chr. 21:7

Those who are especially sensitive to things that displease the Lord need to remember to always start their evaluation with __________________________.

Help us to remember we represent you, Lord V. 4-5

Those who love the Lord are called to both fear Him and revere Him. The fear of the Lord helps us repent and line up with what He wants of us. That leads to a life where others can see us _______________ God reverently.

David doesn’t want to just wear a Star of David t-shirt here – he wants Israel’s talk to _____________ their walk – he wants to worship in Spirit and in Truth like John 4:24 calls for!

Help us to remember that You gave ________________ victories, Lord V. 6-8

The entire north of the country is sometimes referred to as Ephraim because of the importance of the tribes descended from Joseph. The other tribe that overshaded them all was Judah, the Kingly tribe. David’s point is that God is over ________________ part of Israel, all 12 tribes.

Moab is a neighbor to the east of Israel, Edom is a neighbor to the southeast, and Philistia were neighbors to the southwest. All had acted out in the past against Israel, and were rightfully subdued and paying ______________________ to Israel under David’s rule.

As God’s nation, it was even more ____________ for Israel to fear and trust God than it was to be military ready.

Help us to remember that You give the __________________ victory, Lord V. 9-12

As Obadiah indicates, Edom as a nation never got over Esau’s losing the blessing to Jacob, and as a people constantly made Israel it’s _____________________. David entrusts this ongoing mess to God’s help.

David asks God here to help them overcome trouble, some of which they may have brought on themselves by acting in the _______________________.

David ends the Psalm with a great prayer for God’s help in doing God’s right things in God’s right ways, acting valiantly through faith, and leaving the _____________________ to God.

No Time for Silence!

“It is a thing most expedient for the edification of the church to sing some Psalms in the form of public prayers by which one prays to God or sings His praises so that the hearts of all may be roused to make similar prayers and to render similar praises and thanks to God with common love.” -John Calvin, Worship Leader, 1537

Luke 19: 28-40

The Old Testament prophets predicted that the Messiah would be BOTH a conquering king and a suffering servant. In Jesus day Israel’s leaders had minimized the Suffering Servant passages like Isaiah 53 & Zechariah 9 and looked for the Conquering King passages like Isaiah 9 & Zechariah 14.

Donkeys, Lambs, and God’s Suffering Servant V. 28-35

Don’t miss that the donkey was unbroken (no one had sat on this donkey). We would have to break a donkey before riding it, but not Jesus! He who calmed the Sea by speaking to it, broke this donkey without sweating!

But why did Jesus ride into Jerusalem on a donkey instead of a conqueror’s white horse?

Because a donkey was a beast of burden, a working animal, and Jesus had work to do in this first coming – dying on the cross for our sins

“Fear not, daughter of Zion; Behold your King is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.” -Zechariah 9:9

In His first coming Jesus was the Suffering Servant riding in on a donkey, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world; At His return He will be the Conquering King riding a white horse, the Lion of the Trib of Judah.

Jesus hears the corporate praise He had experienced in Heaven V. 36-40

Think about this time of praising Jesus – I believe this is the one time a massive crowd praised Jesus on earth TOGETHER, a small picture of the way He was and is constantly praised in Heaven (see Jn. 17:5; Rev. 5:9-10).

Let me make a plea for the biblical value of congregational singing and for the appreciation of choirs!

Psalm 59 Worksheet

Psalm 59 is another Trouble and Trust Psalm within the series of 8 complaint Psalms from 52-59. This is the 3rd straight Michtam of David set to the tune “Do not destroy.”

David wasn’t going to kill Saul even though he had multiple _______________________ to do just that. He was not going to harm the ‘Lord’s anointed.’ In these unfair circumstances, David took his concerns to God in prayer.

What are the repeated verses?

First verse: Plea for God to arise and help David ____________________ V. 1-5

What vivid verbs does David use to ask for God’s help in verses 1-2?

Remember that David was a mighty warrior. He could defend himself and kill Saul. But he is ___________________________ not to act in his own strength because he believes that in this case that would be sin against God. And so he prays.

One key to understanding declarations like verses 3-4 in the Psalms is that David is not claiming to be without sin (remember Psalm 51:5), but he is stating his ___________________ in the matter at hand.

David really was powerless in this situation because of Saul’s incredible authority as king, and all he could do was ask the Ultimate Authority to _____________________.

What are the 2 things David asks God to “wake up” and do in verses 4-5?

Chorus: David compares his enemies to ____________________ dogs V. 6-7

What do you think David has in mind by saying his attacking enemies are saying, “Who hears?”

Verse 2: David’s plea for God to ______________________ this matter justly V. 8-13

What earlier Psalm does verse 8 remind us of?

Verse 8 reminds us that God will always have the __________________________ word!

What are some of the benefits of waiting on the Lord?

Verse 11 makes me think of how when Saul did die David mourned greatly for him and wrote a song about it in 2 Samuel 1:17-27

Chorus: David compares his enemies to ____________________ dogs V. 14-15

I get the feeling David is thinking here about how _____________________ Saul’s actions are when there are so many Philistines to deal with!

David’s final ________________________ of trust and praise V. 16-17

I fought the Law and…

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. -2 Timothy 3:16-17

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from His sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. -Hebrews 4:12-13

For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. -Romans 15:4

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth. -2 Timothy. 2:15

Read Matthew 5:17-20

I fought the Law and… the Law won! V. 17-19

Already in Jesus’ day there were those who abolished some or all of the O.T.. For instance, the Sadducees rejected everything after the Torah.

Every part of the Old Testament had a purpose to fulfill, and every bit of it will fulfill its purpose.

Here Jesus reinforces the verbal, plenary inspiration of the Bible. That phrase means that every WORD of the Bible (verbal) is inspired, as well as the ENTIRETY (plenary-fullness) of the Bible!

But more than anything else when referring to ‘Law’ the Old and New Testament both speak of the Law of Moses, also called the Law of the Lord and the Book of the Law, located in the first 5 books of the Bible.

After Deuteronomy the remaining Old Testament books are filled with stories, sermons, songs, and sayings illustrating Israel’s life as it did and didn’t follow the Law before the prophesied Messiah came.

For by works of the law no human being will be justified in His sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it. -Romans 3:20-21

For Ezra had set his heart to study the Law of the LORD, and to do it, and to teach His statutes and rules in Israel. -Ezra 7:10

Careful study shows the Law of Moses had 3 components:

Moral Law (applicable for all time)

Anything repeated as sin in the New Testament is Moral Law, it is always sinful.

The moral law STILL shows us our need of Christ.

The moral law becomes the Christian’s guide to faithful living.

Priestly Law (laws about priests, sacrifices, rituals- all fulfilled in Christ)

Civil Law (rules just for Israel at that time- made obsolete in Christ, although it still teaches us much about the character of God)

So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian. -Galatians 3:24-25

I fought the Law and… Grace won! V. 20

Whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of it all. -James 2:10

God made Him who knew no sin to become sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him! -2 Corinthians. 5:21

Under the law everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin. -Hebrews. 9:22

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us – for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree,” – so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith. -Galatians. 3:13-14

Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness. -Genesis 15:6

Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to all who believe. -Romans 10:4

Run John run, the law demands,

But gives him neither feet nor hands.

Far better news the gospel brings,

It bids John fly, and gives him wings!

-John Bunyan

Psalm 58

Psalm 58 is another Trouble and Trust Psalm within the series of 8 complaint Psalms from 52-59.

Psalm 58 has some of the most difficult Hebrew to understand in the Psalter, both in how specific words should be translated and the understanding of certain phrases.

Vivid description of what the wicked are like V. 1-5

The first hard to translate word is in verse 1, translated by the New King James as “silent ones.” It is the Hebrew word elem, and is only found here!

In cases like this, we have to be humble as to the meaning of the word, and make sure we make much of how the words around it and the context help us understand what is meant.

Instead of living by God’s truth about what is right, the wicked people David is referring to think that they are right because they have gotten away with what they have done, and nobody has stopped them. They embraced pragmatism, “the end justifies the means” and did not reallt believe God would hold them to account one day.

Psalm 58 has elements of chiastic structure in it. Chiastic structure has parallel words and/or thoughts at the beginning and end, and the verses unfold with parallel thoughts with a middle thought.

Notice the progression of wickedness in verse 2 – first wicked plots are made in the head, and then carried out with the hands.

According to verse 2, the sinful actions people think are okay because they get away with them are actually wickedness in God’s eyes!

We need to judge things using His standard of right and wrong, the Holy Bible – First for ourselves, and then as we call the wicked to repentance.

Verse 3 goes right along with what David taught in Psalm 51:5 – we all have a sin nature that leads to sin choices early in life. Instead of turning to God, the perpetually wicked keep living in sin.

Imprecatory prayer for the destruction of the wicked V. 6-11

A toothless snake or lion can still lash out and try to bite you, but can’t do you lasting damage. So David prays that God will de-fang the wicked, make them only able to ‘gum’ at the saints instead of devour them!

Notice David is turning vengeance over to the Lord, and not taking action himself. The Lord may lead us to fight in a just cause and defend ourselves and others, but Old Testament saints weren’t just looking to take matters into their own hands.

Interestingly, teeth are featured in almost all the Psalms in the Psalm 52-59 series – 52:2; 53:4; 55:21; 56:1-2; 57:4; 58:6; 59:7,12.

What do you think he has in mind by the figures of speech in verse 7?

What do you think he has in mind by the figures of speech in verse 7?

What do you think he has in mind by the figures of speech in verse 7?

Taken together, David is obviously praying for the wicked’s plans to be frustrated, his resources wasted, his instruments of harm to be rendered ineffectual, his movements to be stopped in their tracks, and for their judgment to come.

Verse 10 reminds us of the difference between the spiritual dispensation we are now living in compared to the age of Old Testament Israel. Israel had physical enemies that would do them harm, and it was a good thing when God gave His people victory over them, and the blood on their feet was the enemy’s blood, not their own. During this age of grace, Christians pray for their enemies to find the same salvation in Christ that they have.

This is also a good place to say that Baptists have always been right to reject the idea of the state and church being tied together in supposedly “Christian” countries.

Christians may serve their country to stop the Adolph Hitler’s of the world, and rejoice when they stop him. But we are leaving the physical defense of Christ’s honor to Christ Himself for when He returns to earth, and as Revelation 20 tells us, the blood of His enemies will again flow.

Shine, Christians, Shine!

Shine, Jesus, shine, fill this land with the Father's glory

Blaze, Spirit, blaze, set our hearts on fire

Flow, river, flow, flood the nations with grace and mercy

Send forth Your word, Lord, and let there be light

(Chorus of Shine Jesus Shine by Graham Kendrick)

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” - Jesus in John 8:12

Last time we saw that if we follow Jesus and His upside down teachings, we can expect trouble. Today we will see that as we follow Him, we will get to have a preserving and light giving influence in the world.

Read Matthew 5:13-16

Followers of Jesus ‘season’ life on the earth - V. 13

Can that which is tasteless be eaten without salt? - Job 6:6a

How do we do ‘salt’ the earth? By showing up and living out our faith in Jesus, loving others like He would if He was physically here. Jesus is spiritually present when His committed followers are physically present!

Make sure you see clearly that Jesus did not say you are just the salt of the church, but of the entire earth.

Walk in wisdom toward outsiders, making the best use of the time. Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person. - Col. 4:5-6

Make sure you don’t lose your ‘saltiness’ by damaging or ruining your testimony.

Interestingly, pure salt cannot lose its saltiness! Sodium Chloride is a stable compound. But Jesus knew that most salt they used came from salt marshes and contained impurities mixed in.

But Jesus puts this warning to us here to guard our testimonies, because He wants us to make the maximum impact we can on the lives of others, and have maximum reward when the Day of Christ comes!

Watch yourselves, so that you may not lose what we have worked for, but may win a full reward! - 2 John 1:8

Followers of Jesus ‘light up’ the world - V. 14-16

As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. - John 9:5

The path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. - Proverbs 4:18

Your Christian faith will never grow to maturity if your aren’t sharing good words and works with others. You will always just be a flickering flame.

These pews are filled with the light of the world – God’s plan for the world to see goodness, to hear truth, to learn about salvation through Jesus – don’t leave your light here – Shine, Christians, Shine!