Psalms 91

Psalm 91

I. Where do we dwell? Psalm 91:1

a. The Psalmist declares that his dwelling is in the secret place, under the shadow of the Almighty. The first word is “shelter” in verse one. This literally means “a hiding place – to cover, to hide covertly or secretly”. The King James translates the Hebrew words here “secret place”.

These same Hebrew words are translated “hiding place” in Psalm 32:7 – “You are my hiding place: you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.” Eg of mosquito cream hides us like God hides us from evil harms.

b. Later in verse 9, he declares that the Lord is his refuge and for those who have made Him their refuge, we have nothing to fear!

II. What will we say? Psalm 91:2

a. The writer tells us his faith confession, “I will say of the Lord…”

b. Hebrews 13:5-6

So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” (‭Hebrews‬ ‭13‬:‭6‬ NIV)

Paul says that he will confess what God says about him. God has said, so Paul will say will say in agreement (confession, affirmation).

c. Psalm 107:2

“Let the redeemed of the Lord say so!!” Don’t do what the members of a worship team used to do at a church I once pastored. When singing the chorus, “Let the redeemed of the Lord say so”, many of them would yell “SO!!!” This didn’t edify me or encourage the body, nor did it scare the devil.

d. What we need to say is: WE ARE THE REDEEMED OF THE LORD WHOM SHALL WE FEAR! (Isaiah 43:1) WE ARE REDEEMED FROM THE HAND OF THE ENEMY. (Psalm 107:2b).

III. Where have we set our love?

a. The Hebrew idea for the word love in this verse is “delight”.

b. Psalm 1:2…his delight is in the law of the Lord.

c. It is within the Word of God that we are going to find answers, direction and comfort in a troubled time.

IV. Who will we call upon for help?

Psalm 91:15

a. It is in a time of great tragedy or

conflict that we begin to discern within who or what have we placed our trust.

b. God promises that if we call upon Him, that He will answer and He will deliver. Psalm 50:15 puts it this way, “and call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, AND YOU WILL HONOR ME.”

c. Romans 10:13

for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (‭Romans‬ ‭10‬:‭13‬ NIV)

Jesus reinforced this insight when he said, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.” (John 15:7)

Conclusion: How do you answer these four questions? How you answer will either bring you great hope through Christ or you leave you with an awareness that you have built upon shaky ground.

Indulge the alliteration with this bird’s eye view of what this Psalm says DWELLING in God’s presence offers us:

V. 1 – REST in God’s shadow.

V. 2,4 – REFUGE in God’s fortress.

V. 3 – REDEMPTION from temptation.

V. 5-6 – RELIANCE upon His promises.

V. 7-8 – RETRIBUTION upon the enemy.

V. 9-10 – RESORT from wrath.

V. 11-12 – REINFORCEMENT from angels.

V. 13-14 – RESCUE from danger.

V. 15 – REQUESTS answered.

V. 16 – RESILIENCE promised.

NOTICE THE SEVEN “I WILL’S” OF THIS GREAT PSALM

Vs. 14 – 16

1. I will deliver him – vs.14

I am afraid today to live without this verse.

All people have times when they need God’s help.

Isa. 43:1-2 – apply to Noah and 3 Heb. Children

They all fit vs. 1 of our text.

2. I will set him on high – vs. 14

Maybe this means he will help him

Psalms 34

Psalms 34

34:1 I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.

Do we ever praise the Lord enough or give thanks too much? Is there ever a limit to our praise and thanks? No, never. Thanksgiving to God should be a never ending practice in our lives.

e.g. of looking things positivelysitively
When Robinson Crusoe was wrecked on his lonely isle, he drew up in two columns what he called the evil and the good, as follows:
– He was cast on a desolate island, but still alive—not drowned, as all his ship’s company were.
– He was divided from mankind and banished from human society, but he was not starving.
– He had no clothes, but he was in a hot climate where he didn’t need them.
– He was without means of defense, but he saw no wild beasts, such as he had seen on the coast of Africa.
– He had no soul to speak to, but God had sent the ship so near to the shore that he could get of it all things for his needs.
So he concluded that there was not any condition in the world so miserable but there was something positive to be thankful for in it.

I Thessalonians 5:18 “Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”
Give thanks in all circumstances. Or praise the Lord in all circumstances.
That doesn’t mean you like every circumstance of your life. It’s just you can see more than just the negative things in your life. You see the positive, the good and you praise the Lord for them.

Why praise the Lord? Why not? He blesses in many ways so why shouldn’t we be quick to praise Him? Specifically, what has the Lord done for us?
1- The Lord has answered my prayers (4)
2- The Lord saved me from my troubles (6, 17-19)
3- The Lord blessed me with good (7-10)

I. THE LORD HAS ANSWERED MY PRAYERS

4 I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.

e.g..- An English publication offered a prize for the best definition of a friend, and among the thousands of answers received were the following:
“One who multiplies joys, divides grief.”
“One who understands our silence.”
But here is the definition that won the prize: “A friend—the one who comes in when the whole world has gone out.”

The Lord is even more than just a faithful friend. He hears you when you pray and answers your prayers. And He delivers you from difficult situations. Can’t you think of some situations that would have been far worse had it not been for the Lord’s grace and help?

Matthew 7:11 “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”

John 14:13-14 “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.”

John 15:7 “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.”

The Lord is on your side and wants to give good things to you and bless your life. And all you have to do is ask and ask in the name of Jesus.

II. THE LORD SAVED ME FROM MY TROUBLES

6 This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles.

17 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. 18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. 19 A righteous man may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all;

e.g: A Jewish man, who was known to like liquor, explained that he drank only to drown his troubles. “After you drown them, why do you continue to drink?” he was asked. “You don’t know my troubles,” he sighed. “My troubles are excellent swimmers. I try to drown them, but they swim  right up again!”

Everyone experiences trouble in this life. It’s because we live in a fallen world where there is sin and evil and all kinds of negative things.

What kinds of troubles have you experienced in life? Did you ever get turned down for a job when you just knew it was going to work? Did you ever get fired from a job? Did you ever lose a good friend? Did you ever loan anyone some money which was never repaid? Did you ever have an accident which put you in the hospital? Did you ever experience a health problem that never seemed to go away? Did your family or kids ever cause you trouble? Did you ever have trouble with your finances?

I suspect that we all could sit and make a long list of troubles that we’ve experienced in this life.

e.g:.- A 73-year-old woman in Lutterworth, England was fined for driving south on a north-bound lane of a highway. She remarked to the officer: “I thought something was wrong. The traffic seemed to be coming the wrong way.” And someone said that in life, the traffic always seems to be coming the wrong way.

Matthew 11:28-30 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

e.g.- A teacher read to her class the text, “My yoke is easy.” “Who can tell me what a yoke is?” she asked. A boy said, “A yoke is something they put on the necks of animals.”

Then the teacher asked, “What is the yoke God puts on us?” A little girl said, “It is God putting His arms around our necks.”

God desires to put His arms around us and comfort us and give us help in life.

I Peter 5:5-7 “All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” Praise Him! Praise Him!

II. THE LORD BLESSED ME WITH GOOD

7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. 8 Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. 9 Fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing. 10 The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.

The Lord is good and He gives to us good stuff. “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights…” James 1:17

e.g.- An elderly lady was well-known for her faith and for her boldness in talking about it. She would stand on her front porch and shout “PRAISE THE LORD!” Next door to her lived an atheist who would get so angry at her proclamations he would shout, “There ain’t no Lord!!”

Hard times set in on the elderly lady, and she prayed for GOD to send her some assistance. She stood on her porch and shouted “PRAISE THE LORD. GOD I NEED FOOD!! I AM HAVING A HARD TIME. PLEASE LORD, SEND ME SOME GROCERIES!!” The next morning the lady went out on her porch and noted a large bag of groceries and shouted, “PRAISE THE LORD.”

The neighbor jumped from behind a bush and said, “Aha! I told you there was no Lord. I bought those groceries, God didn’t.” The lady started jumping up and down and clapping her hands and said, “PRAISE THE LORD. He not only sent me groceries, but He made the devil pay for them. Praise the Lord!”

Psalm 31:19 “How abundant are the good things that you have stored up for those who fear you, that you bestow in the sight of all, on those who take refuge in you.”

Psalm 84:11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.

Psalm 103:2-5 2 Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits– 3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, 5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

What good things has the Lord blessed you with? You need to stop and think, and consider all the good things the Lord has given to you and praise Him!

CONCLUSION

1 I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. 2 My soul will boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. 3 Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together.

e.g:.- It was said that Charles Wesley wrote his first hymn just three days after his conversion to Christ. That hymn was “O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing.” What a testimony to his salvation! As the years passed, he is said to have written 6,500 hymns and gospel songs on every conceivable subject.

Charles Wesley was apparently full of praise for everything God did for Him. What about us? Can we not praise Him for all the answers to prayer we’ve received? And for saving us from many troubles? And for blessing with good?

I will praise the Lord at all times. I would say that’s a very good practice. Every time you recognize something good in your life, why not pause and praise Him?! You just might be pleasantly surprised as to what will happen in your life.

Psalms 44

Psalms 44

The Introduction

e.g.: An 80 year old couple were having problems remembering things, so they decided to go to their doctor to get checked out to make sure nothing was wrong with them. When they arrived at the doctor’s, they explained to the doctor about the problems they were having with their memory. After checking the couple out, the doctor tells them that they were physically okay but might want to start writing things down and make notes to help them remember things. The couple thanked the doctor and left. Later that night while watching TV, the old man got up from his chair and his wife asks, “Where are you going?” He replies, “To the kitchen.” She asks, “Will you get me a bowl of ice cream?” He replies, “Sure.” She then asks him, “Don’t you think you should write it down so you can remember it?” He says, “No, I can remember that.” She then says, “Well I also would like some strawberries on top. You had better write that down cause I know you’ll forget that.” He says, “I can remember that, you want a bowl of ice cream with strawberries.” She replies, “Well I also would like whip cream on top. I know you will forget that so you better write it down.” With irritation in his voice, he says, “I don’t need to write that down I can remember that.” He then fumes into the kitchen. After about 20 minutes he returns from the kitchen and hands her a plate of bacon and eggs. She stares at the plate for a moment and says, “I knew you were going to mess it up – You forgot my toast.”

Sometimes we are better at forgetting than remembering
There are other times when we remember things we should forget

Body
A. The distant past (1-3)

1.    Remember What God Has Done – 1-3
A.    Creation
B.    Salvation (Raksha)
1 Peter 1:19-20 – 19But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish  and without spot: 20Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you
C.    Protection
Romans 8:1 – There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
D.    Inspiration
i.    The Scriptures
ii.    The Holy Spirit

B. The nearer past (4-8) – The Problems of the Present (44:9-22)

2.    Remember What God Is Doing – 4-22
A.    Preservation
1 Peter 1:5 – Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
B.    Transformation
God is in the process of changing us into the image of His Son
He is changing our minds to be more in line with His thinking
C.    Intercession
i.    Prayer: Ephesians 6:18, 1 Timothy 2:1
ii.    Christ interceding: Hebrews 7:25
D.    Preparation: John 14:2-3
Disaster during faithfulness

But read verses 17-22 carefully. “All this happened to us, though we had not forgotten you or been false to your covenant” (44:17). “Our hearts have not turned back; our feet had not strayed from your path” (44:18). Let these words sink down into our ears and hearts: disaster had struck Israel and sin was not the reason for the calamity. The people had not turned away from the laws of the Lord nor had their hearts left the Lord. Though the people had not broken their covenant with the Lord, they were being crushed and covered in darkness.
Too often we do not allow for ourselves that disaster can strike our lives though we have not committed sin. We especially do not allow room for this possibility in other people’s lives. Consider the strain of the words written in this psalm. The people of Israel are being destroyed by their enemies. They are being plundered and scorned by their enemies.
III. Prayer for the Future

3.    Remember What God Will Do – 23-26
A.    Vindication
i.    Some day all our enemies will be judged:     Revelation 20:11-15
B.    Acquisition
He will rapture us – 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
He is preparing a reunion feast for us – Revelation 19:7-9

C.    Purification
i.    We will become like Christ – 1 John 3:2-3
ii.    We will not have the presence of sin..
D.    Creation
Speaking of the New Jerusalem – Revelation 21:27
.    2 Peter 3:13
A. Continue turning to God for help

B. Trust in God’s unfailing love

Final Thoughts:

Sometimes there is no explanation for the suffering of the faithful.
Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ.
In all the things we suffer, we are made to be more than conquerors. We can and will be victorious and conquer all strife when we continue to place our lives in God’s hands. We will endure and will see that the present sufferings are not worth comparing to the glory we will have in the Lord.

Psalms 67

Psalms 67
How many of you would like God to bless your life? Should you ask God to bless your life? Or is that selfish.
Jabez prayer: 1 Chronicles 4:10

Fundamental reason is closely related to Psalms 67.
During this morning we will consider three questions about the psalm.

1. Why should God Bless You
Jabez 1 chronicles
Aaron numbers 6: 22-27

Look back at Psalm 67 and let’s look at WHAT the person praying did not ask for.

1st: He did not pray for things so that he would not have to go to work or to work less
He is not saying, “Bless me so that I can be comfortable.”
2nd: He did not ask for things that would make him to be envied by others
He is not saying, “Bless me so that I can be successful in the eyes of the world.”
3rd: He did not ask for things so he could be a blessing unto others. Although that does not sound bad.

Will we glorify God when He answeres our prayers?
Oh the people that I have heard, as they would promise God: “O God, make a way, heal me, provide for this need, save our marriage,…….. and God I will serve You and I will work for You as long as I live!” But after God answered their prayers they soon forgot and failed to glorify God with their lives.

What better purpose could we have in this life.
What better reason for living.
What better reason for getting up another day.
Living Testimonies That Offer Up To God Continous
Praise and Glory.

This was the spirit of the apostle Paul:

Philippians 1: 12-21 ’But I would ye should understand brethern, that the things which have happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel .. So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in

Paul’s entire purpose was to exalt and glorify and magnify God, even in his sufferings. Even in bonds he was known as one that gave God praise and exaltation. Recall the 16th chapter of Acts when he was placed in prison in Philippi, at midnight he praised God in song rejoicing. In his pain, he exalted God.

This psalm goes deeper than that.. Let’s read 1-2
This psalms begin by asking for blessing n finishes with blessing
1 kings 8:60: The Israelites have just completed the building of the temple. King Solomon offers a lengthy prayer, in part asking that God would meet His people’s needs. He then gives the reason why God should bless His people in this way: “so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is God and that there is no other.”
John 12:27-28 & Mark 14:32
e.g.: let us look to the greatest example there is to be found, Jesus.
Mark 14:32 ’And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane, and He saith to His disciples,….
Jesus came to earth to GLORIFY HIS FATHER and in His death, He did exactly that, even though it required His sufferings and His death.

“I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.”

So why should God bless you? God blesses you so that you might fulfill your chief end: to glorify Him

2. Glorify his name amongst whom?
Verse 2 n 3

God blesses us so that we might glorify His name among whom?
– Among those who are already believers?
– Among those who call themselves Christians?
– Among other Malayalees?
– Among those who are similar to yourself?

Why do you live?
What are your goals and desires?
Are they are selfish, self centered?
Do you truly desire to glorify God with you life and with whatever you have.

People / peoples… Grammar mistake?
Revelation 7:9-10
Thus, for us the task of missions is not complete until there is a true church among every people group on this planet. We must, therefore, reach out not only to those in our own culture, but also to those who are different from us; we must spread the gospel in our own neighborhoods, and also cross-culturally. With thousands of people groups yet unreached with the gospel – with millions of people having no Christian witness from anyone in their own culture – we must focus mission efforts on reaching these unreached groups.

Thus God gives us the mandate, and He promises to bring to empower us to fulfill that mandate, so that believers will come to Him from all the nations

3. What is the impact on the people’s?
Verse 3 n 4 answer this question,

note that verses 3 and 5 are not only parallel but identical.

verse 4 is the literary center of this psalm
Peter – ‘joy inexpressible’

Animists, Moslems, Buddhists, nominal Christians – all those who are without a vital relationship with the only living and true God – do not have what the Apostle Peter calls “joy inexpressible,” the deep gladness and joy of knowing God Himself.

For if God is at center of all things, if He is the most beautiful, most loving, most powerful of all beings, recognizing who He is, being in relationship to Him, being led and guided and governed by Him, is the source of the greatest joy imaginable.

Conclusion

In conclusion, let me ask you three more questions:

1) Do you know Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as Savior and Lord? For without him, all other blessings – health, wealth, life itself – are brief, temporary, of no lasting value. He is the only way to true blessings. If we reject Him, as the author of the book of Hebrews writes, our prospects are only a terrifying expectation of judgment. So recognize Him! Savor His goodness and beauty! Ask God to break through your thick head and tough skin! Ask Him to remove your heart of stone and replace it with a heart of flesh! Fall before Him, saying, “Could you save even me?” And He will do so; a broken heart He will never despise.

2) Those of you who do know Him, who recognize Him as your Lord and Savoir: Do you crave God’s blessings? I hope you do! Be like Jabez, knowing that unless God blesses you, you have nothing of value at all.

3) But why do you seek God’s blessings? Do you acknowledge that your chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever? Ask God to bless you in such a way that you can bring great glory to Him.

Ask God not to give you any temporal blessing that won’t give Him glory.

Ask God to bless you in such a way that peoples who have never praised the only living and true God might do so.

Ask God to enable you to witness boldly and lovingly to the thousands you encounter every month who are by nature children of wrath, who are walking in darkness, who are without hope, without God in the world.

Ask God, “Is it I, Lord? I will go, Lord, wherever You lead me.”

Ask God to help you send and support others.

Ask Him for all this, so that God might be recognized and proclaimed as supreme in every language on this planet, to the great joy of all the peoples.

Let the nations be glad and sing for joy

Psalms 47

Psalms 47

‘‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking into the sky?” Acts 1:11
Do you think the angels were really looking for an answer from the disciples when they asked that question? It doesn’t seem as though they were.

± The question appears to have implied that the disciples had no good reason for standing around looking into the sky. Jesus had returned to the right hand of his heavenly Father. Waiting around at the place were they last saw him wasn’t going to bring him back. And Jesus had told them what they should be doing. They were to wait for the Holy Spirit to be poured out upon them. Then they would become witnesses for Jesus in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

But for a moment let’s suppose the angels actually planned to allow the disciples to answer their question.
Why were they standing there looking into the sky?
Their teacher, their Lord, their Savior, their friend was gone. They were stunned and likely afraid.
“What are we going to do now?” was probably a question they were asking.
“How will we know what to say and where to go as witnesses for Jesus?”
“Who is going to lead us now that Jesus is gone?”

“Why do you stand here looking into the sky?” Although we aren’t literally doing that perhaps we are living our lives as though we were. When it comes to the work Jesus has given us we may frequently be afraid and confused. As we face the uncertainties of life we may often be looking into the sky wondering where Jesus is and what he is doing about our problems. In relation to our boldness in faith and Christian living we may feel as helpless as the disciples did when the angels caught them staring into the sky.

Today we ask the Holy Spirit to work through the verses of Psalm 47 to gently remind us of what the ascension means for us. We have no reason to live our lives like deer caught in a car’s headlights. (Read text.) In light of this Psalm may each of us be empowered to:

ASCENSION: the action of rising to an important position or a higher level. (ii) the ascent of Christ into heaven on the fortieth day after the Resurrection

“LIVE WITH AN ASCENSION ATTITUDE”
I. Celebrate the great things Christ has accomplished
II. Live with confidence in what Christ continues to do

It divides the Psalm into two logical parts.
For what occasion did the Holy Spirit breathe this Psalm into its writer? Some think it may have been when King David brought the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem. In a sense that would have meant that God “ascended” up into the capital city. But these verses may also have been written to commemorate a great military victory that God had brought about for his people.

I. Psalms 47: 1-4

“Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy. How awesome is the LORD Most High, the great King over all the earth! He subdued nations under us, peoples under our feet. He chose our inheritance for us, the pride of Jacob, whom he loved.”

The Psalm writer called on everyone in the world to give God praise for the great things he had done. The power and love that God had showed toward the Israelites was to be the reason for such a response from all nations. At no other time in the history of the world and never in such a dramatic way had God taken a nation to be his people. But as the Psalm writer reflected on what God had done for Israel he wanted the whole world to celebrate with him.
Starting with Egypt the LORD had subdued nations for his people. Through the Ten Plagues he broke the will of the Egyptians so that they begged the Jews to leave. They even loaded them down with gold and silver. That was victory number one for the LORD. And how could a group of slaves escape one of the greatest military powers of that time? Because God fought for his people in the desert and at the Red Sea. And how did that same ragtag group of freed slaves conquer the nations that occupied Canaan? Once again it was because of the LORD’s power. Psalm 47 could have been written about the victories that were won under Joshua or perhaps Samson and Gideon. The military successes of King David and his son Solomon would also fit under this Psalm.
And God did more than just win victories for his people. Because of his love for the Israelites he gave them a rich and bountiful land. Each tribe was given a portion of the Promised Land so that all their physical needs were satisfied. That was an inheritance that God wanted his people to pass on from generation to generation.
When we know some of the history of God’s people we can understand the attitude of worship and praise expressed in this Psalm. They appreciated what God had done for them in the past. Again and again he had shown them his power and his love. They worshipped him as the LORD of the nations and the one who gave them the many blessings they enjoyed.

I pray that Jesus’ ascension will produce that same kind of attitude in us.
Think about the celebration that took place when Jesus returned from his mission to save the world.
The moment the cloud hid Jesus from the sight of the disciples the party in heaven must have started. We can imagine the angels celebrating the fact that God’s Son was back were he belonged on the throne of God—at the Father’s right hand. He was back for good. And God the Father certainly must have had words of approval for Jesus. Yes, Jesus’ resurrection proved that he had paid for sin and conquered death. But his ascension strengthened the awesome truth that his victories were complete. If Jesus still had work to do for our salvation he wouldn’t have returned to heaven.

As we recall Jesus’ ascension may our knowledge of his victories give us the attitude expressed in Psalm 47. “Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy. How awesome is the LORD Most High, the great King over all the earth! He subdued nations under us, peoples under our feet.” That really does capture an ascension attitude.
We know and believe that Jesus has satisfied
our need for forgiveness,
he has crushed death for us, and
he has sent Satan away with no claim on us.  If we are going to look up into the sky like the disciples did at Jesus’ ascension let it be for the purpose of celebrating what Jesus has accomplished.
‘‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking into the sky?” The angels didn’t let the disciples answer that question. But one thing that might have been going through their minds was what Jesus had said about going to prepare a place for them. As that cloud came and hid him from their sight their thoughts may have returned to the night in the upper room when Jesus said,
“ 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” (John 14:2-3) Wow!

After all that they had seen and heard there was more to come. Jesus was ascending into heaven to get everything ready for their arrival. How could that not put a spring in their step and joy in their hearts?
Once again we are presented with a reason to pause and appreciate what Jesus accomplished.
He is preparing a place for each of us in heaven.
There is a space that belongs to you and me in glory.
Our eternal inheritance is secure. Heaven is our home.
Knowing that and believing that will give us an ascension attitude.

II. Psalms 47: 5-9

But practically speaking what does it mean to live with an ascension attitude?
It goes beyond knowing that Jesus accomplished everything for our salvation and that he has prepared a place for us in heaven. It also means that we live with confidence in what Jesus continues to do.
This ascension Psalm directs us to the ongoing work Jesus does on our behalf.
“God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the LORD amid the sounding of trumpets. Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise. God reigns over the nations; God is seated on his holy throne. The nobles of the nations assemble as the people of the God of Abraham, for the kings of the earth belong to God; he is greatly exalted.”
Since all the Scriptures point us to Jesus we can be confident that this Psalm too directs us to our Savior. Jesus now reigns over all things. He is seated on his holy throne. The powers of every government on earth belong to him. He is calling the shots each day.

a) What does it mean for us that Jesus reigns over the nations?
In his letter to the Ephesians the Apostle Paul stated that God the Father, “seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms,
21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” – Ephesians 1:21-23
We have no reason to wring our hands over the evils that our government is allowing and even encouraging. Jesus is in control of those who govern us. And when the powers of this world fight against Jesus and seem to win we can be confident that they aren’t. The great King still works history out for the good of his church.

b) And what does it mean for us that Jesus is seated on his holy throne?
The Bible tells us that he prays for us, he intercedes for us, and uses his power for our benefit. Hebrews 7:25 says, “25 Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.” 1 John 2:1 says, “But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.” Jesus didn’t ascend into heaven to take a long vacation. No, he is still working all things out for our good.

eg: Imagine if you were best friends with Carl Lindner. And he told you that if you ever needed anything you should just call. With his money and connections he could take care of just about any problem that you faced. Or imagine if your brother was the president of our country. And he told you that if you ever needed help you should just call him. Suppose a local government official was unfairly and illegally trying to take away your home. Do you think your brother the president could get him to leave you alone? Now take both of those imaginary situations and multiply them about a hundred times and apply them to the real situation you have under Jesus’ protection. All the resources of heaven and earth are at his disposal. Although some might say that Carl Lindner

Now let’s go back to the question that the angels asked the disciples when Jesus ascended into heaven. “Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking into the sky?” The ascension was not meant to take the wind out of the disciples’ sails. It was meant to empower them. They had no reason to hang around like lost children after Jesus had ascended into heaven. His victories were complete his reign over all things had resumed.
“Men, women, and children of Church, why do you stand around looking into the sky?” If a couple of angels asked us that question we could come up with all kinds of answers.
“We’re afraid! We want Jesus to come back and show us his power.”
“We don’t know what to do!”
“Everything in the world and everything in our lives seems to be against us. How will we survive?”
“We don’t know what the future holds. It’s scary.”
Yes, those may sound like legitimate reasons for standing around looking into the sky wishing Jesus were here. But Jesus’ ascension tells a different story. If we believe that Jesus rules all things for our good how can we possibly be standing around looking into the sky? He has promised to be with us always. He assures us that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to him. We can’t be defeated.

Friends in Jesus, may we never again be standing around staring into the sky. May we live with an ascension attitude.