Steve Webb 0:00 It is probable that Jesus sang these songs when he made his journeys from Galilee to Jerusalem. Steve Webb 0:07 It's time for the Lifespring! One Year Bible once again and coming to you from Riverside, California, podcasting since 2004. I'm your OG Godcaster. Steve Webb, it's Psalms Wednesday, and our reading today is chapters 120 and 121. Plus, we'll have an essential segment and praises in prayer requests. The website is Lifespringmedia.com. and I'll have contact information at the end of the show. Before we read, let's pray. Our heavenly Father, Lord, we thank you for our time together. I pray God that as we read today, you would touch our hearts and open our minds. Teach us something today, Lord that we can use in our daily lives. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen. Okay, are you ready? Let's begin. Steve Webb 0:52 Psalm 120 is the first in a series of 15 songs that have the title of a song have a sense, nowhere in Scripture are we told the purpose for these 15 songs, but there are some ideas. According to James Montgomery Boice. Quote, The Talmud says that the 15 songs correspond to the 15 steps between the courtyards of the temple. Some of even suppose that the songs were sung by the Levites. From these steps, though this is pure speculation, unquote. Another thought is that the songs were sung as people made the trip to Jerusalem and the temple for the three feasts Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles. Why a sense? Well, of course to ascend is to go up and it is a trip up a hill to Jerusalem. It's very common to read that they went up to Jerusalem. Now, g Campbell, Morgan wrote, we shall consider them as songs sung by those pilgrims who went up to Jerusalem to worship. The songs of desire and hope and approach are appropriate for the Pilgrims use as they go up to worship. Unquote. Now with this in mind, it is probable that Jesus sang these songs when he made his journeys from Galilee to Jerusalem. Steve Webb 2:07 Psalms chapter 120. In my distress, I called to the Lord and he answered me, Lord, deliver me from lying lips and a deceitful tongue. What will he give you? and what will he do to you, you deceitful tongue, a warrior's sharp arrows with burning charcoal. What misery that I have stayed in me shack that I have lived among the tents of Kedar. I have lived too long with those who hate peace. I am for peace, but when I speak, they are for war. Steve Webb 2:39 Psalm 121 is the second of the 15 Psalms titled A song of his sense. and for those traveling up to Jerusalem, this would be appropriate because it deals with trusting God. Steve Webb 2:51 Psalms chapter 121. I lift my eyes toward the mountains, where will my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. He will not allow your foot to slip, your protector will not slumber. Indeed, the protector of Israel does not slumber, sleep. The Lord protects you. The Lord is a shelter right by your side. The sun will not strike you by day or the moon by night. The Lord will protect you from all harm. He will protect your life. The Lord will protect you're coming and going both now and forever. Steve Webb 3:29 Beloved, I really liked the short songs. Besides being sung on the journey up to Jerusalem, I can easily see these as songs that became popular to be sung as people went about their daily living, especially Psalm 121. I know I've got some favorite songs and choruses from church and I wouldn't be surprised if you do too. In my imagination. I can almost hear a man or a woman sing these songs to the Lord as they go through the day with the cares of the world weighing them down, or as they celebrate how God has blessed them in one way or another, can't you? I'd love to hear your thoughts. If you have a comment or question contact information will be at the end of the show. Or if you've got a modern podcast app, comment via Boostagram. Tomorrow will be poetry Thursday, and we'll read Proverbs 31. Steve Webb 4:24 This is number 18. In our series on the essentials of the faith. Going over the Essentials is a bit like reviewing and practicing the fundamentals in sports. The highest performing athletes never abandon practicing the fundamentals and neither should we. In our last essential segment, we finished discussing the fact that it is the privilege of all who are born again of the Spirit to be assured of their salvation from the very moment in which they trust Christ as their Savior. This assurance is not based upon any kind of human merit but is produced by the witness of the Holy Spirit who confirms in the believer the testimony of God in His written Word. Well, today we're going to talk a little bit more about the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a bit of a mystery to some people. But it doesn't have to be that way. The Bible has quite a bit to say about him. and yes, I said Him, the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity. He's not some amorphous force or essence or other sort of New Age idea. He possesses a mind emotions and a will. He's as much of a person as God the Father or Jesus, he was with the Father and the Son from eternity past and at the creation of the universe. So let's talk a little bit more about his purpose. Here is today's essential, you're ready. Here it is. The Holy Spirit has come into the world to reveal and glorify Christ, and to apply the saving work of Christ to men. He convicts and draws sinners to Christ, He imparts new life to them, and continually indwells them from the moment of spiritual birth in seals them until the day of redemption. His fullness, power and control are appropriated in the believers life by faith. As we've done on past essentials, let's take this a piece at a time, the Holy Spirit has come into the world to reveal and glorify Christ and to apply the saving work of Christ to men. He convicts and draws sinners to Christ. In John chapters 13 through 17, Jesus is talking to the disciples on the night before he was betrayed and taken to be crucified. This was his last night with him, and he was preparing them for what was to come. Now, they didn't understand most of what he said at the time, but the Holy Spirit reminded them what he said, As the days ahead unfolded. and that night in the upper room at the Last Supper with them, Jesus said this about the Holy Spirit, He will glorify Me, for He will take what is mine, and declare it to you. All that the Father has is Mine. Therefore, I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you. So one of the roles of the Holy Spirit is to reveal and glorify Christ. It is He who speaks to the heart of man of the reality of who Jesus is, and our need for him. Your faith in Jesus came through the work of the Holy Spirit. Let's take the next part. The Holy Spirit imparts new life to them. In John chapter three, the Pharisee Nicodemus came to Jesus in the night and he said, Rabbi, we know that you're a teacher have come from God, for no one can do these things that You do unless God is with them. and Jesus answered him and he said, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. and Nicodemus said to Him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born? and Jesus answered, Truly, truly I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God, that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. and in Titus three, verses four through seven we read, but when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the get this by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ, our Savior, so that being justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. So Beloved, we see here that it is the Holy Spirit who brings new life to us as we are born again into the kingdom of God. and in the next part of our statement, the Holy Spirit continually indwells them from the moment of spiritual birth and seals them until the day of redemption. Well, we talked about this last week. and as a reminder, listen to Ephesians, one verses 13 and 14. In Him, you also when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation and believed in him, were sealed with a promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it to the praise of his glory. So the mom and we believe the Holy Spirit comes to live in us and he is the seal the mark, the guarantee that we belong to Christ, right up to the day that we are in the presence of God. Okay, so let's wrap up with the last sentence. His fullness, power and control are appropriated in the believers life by faith appropriated. What does that mean? Well, it means to take to or for oneself or to take possession of. So in other words, the Holy Spirit's fullness, power and control becomes real in the believers life by faith. That means that when we put our faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit begins his work in us. But remember, whatever faith we have comes from God. We do not we cannot have faith unless he gives it to us. Ephesians two, eight As for by grace, you have been saved through faith. and this is not your own doing. It is the gift of God, not a result of works so that no one may boast. So by God's grace, we have faith. and once we believe the Holy Spirit begins his work in us, and Philippians one six says, and I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. So the Holy Spirit works in our lives right up to the end. He's working to conform us into the people God created us to be. Well, how do we know that he is at work in our lives, by the transformation from who we once were into the people who display the characteristics spoken of in Galatians chapter five? Here's what it says there verses 19 through 26. Now the works of the flesh are evident sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies and things like these. Beloved, if your life has taken up with those things, you don't have the Holy Spirit. But listen, Galatians continues here, I warn you, as I warned you before that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control. Against such things, there is no law in those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit, Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another. So if you see these things growing in your life, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control, then you know that the Holy Spirit is working in you. Now notice here that Paul finished with this exhortation, let us also keep in step with the Spirit that shows us that we do have a role in this we don't become robots under the control of the Holy Spirit when we become believers. We have to submit ourselves to Him willingly. We have to set our will our flesh aside, as the Holy Spirit leads us. As Paul said, in Romans, we have that part of us that his flesh, and we struggle against that to do what is right. But then remember the promise I shared with you just a minute ago, he who has begun a good work and you will bring it to completion. Like the old bumper sticker said, be patient with me. God is not finished with me yet. So glad. I welcome your comments and questions, contact information will be at the end of the show. Next week, we'll talk about the fact that Jesus Christ will come again to the earth personally, visibly and bodily to consummate history in the eternal plan of God. I'm looking forward to that day. How about you? Jingle 13:00 Lifespringmedia.com/support Steve Webb 13:07 We do praises and prayer requests every Wednesday and Sunday. We share praises for what God is doing in our lives and prayer requests for needs. and Scott sent this in my wife's aunt, her mom's sister has entered hospice. Her aunt has been like a second mother to my wife, I ask that God would ease the pain of our aunt and ease her journey home, and be with my wife as she works through the pain and the grief. So let's pray. Our Heavenly Father, we thank You for Your loving care and protection. As you put today's psalms in the heart of the writers, I ask that you put them in our hearts as well. We rejoice in you and we worship You. We thank You, Lord, for the Holy Spirit. We thank you for the promise that the work that you've begun in us will be carried through to completion. Thank you, Lord, for Your faithfulness, for your patience when we fail. Forgive us, Lord, when we do fail, and I pray that you would keep our hearts tender towards you, and that we would continually seek to be close with you. Father, we pray for this one who is now in hospice. Make this time as easy as possible for her, help her through the pain and may her final days be filled with peace as her time on Earth draws to a close and we pray that you would welcome her with open arms when she sees you face to face. We pray for Scott's wife that she would remember the wonderful times with her and and we pray that the Holy Spirit would comfort her as she says goodbye for now. Help her to remember that they will see each other again and help Scott to be a loving support for his wife help him to be sensitive and to be the husband she needs right now. I pray now for the Lifespring family Lord bless them father, in where there are needs. I pray that they would seek you and know that you are our provider, our rock and our shield. You are the God who loves us and who was aware of every detail of our lives. Bless them. Father, I pray in Jesus name, amen. Sunday will be our next time of prayer together here on the show if God is doing or has done something in your life that you would like to share, or if there's something that you'd like us to pray with you about, let me know. I'll tell you how right now. Steve Webb 15:21 If you have a comment or a question, a prayer request or a praise report, there are several ways to reach me, choose the one that works best for you. First, send to Boostagram with a modern podcast app, or to leave a voice message, call the Lifespring family Hotline at plus 1951732 at 511. Or if you have a prayer request or a praise report, go to prayer.lifespringmedia.com. and if you have a comment or a question about anything you've heard on the show today, go to comment dot Lifespringmedia.com. and last, my email address is Steve at Lifespring media.com. Steve Webb 16:03 Brother Scott did the album art for today's show. Thank you brothers God God bless you. and also thanks to Sister Denise Michael Haner, Jason Paschall and sister Brittaney. God bless you guys. and beloved I enjoyed our time together today. I'm looking forward to seeing you again tomorrow. Until then, may God bless you richly. My name is Steve Webb, bye Announcer 16:25 the Lifespring media family of programs are made possible by the generous support of listeners like you. Thank you Transcribed by https://otter.ai