April 14, 2024
April 14 — 11 AM Worship
You can find the order of worship and songs here.
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In the book of Psalms our God teaches us how to worship him. The LORD also teaches us when to worship him. That is, when we see how many psalms are prayers to God during times of deep distress, when we see the psalmists praise God, not because his heart is at ease, but because he is deeply afflicted, we cannot help but learn some important things about worship, and about God.
First, worship is for hurting people. God appoints worship for hurting people, because worship is actually how God strengthens his people in their distress. Thus David cries in Psalm 4:1 "Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!" When we are in difficult seasons of life, one of the first things that happens is that we forget both God's goodness and wisdom. But David here remembers God's faithfulness during his past ordeals, and is encouraged to carry his burdens to God during his present hardship. Worship thus reminds us God's goodness in all the harsh experiences of life.
Second, Psalm 4 encourages us to trust God when we cannot untangle the frtustrating knots of our lives. Psalm 4:4–5 "Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the LORD." In David's case his anger was caused by unrighteous people tormenting his soul (see v.2). David's anger is a window into his realities. He was faced with injustice and evil that he himself had no power to correct. We, like David, find ourselves in frustrating circumstances we cannot manage. What, then, shall we do?
We do as David did. David put his trust in the LORD. And from the LORD he received joy (4:7) and peace (4:8). That is how we find our way through our afflictions. We do not so much need to control our circumstances as we need to trust in God's care. So we worship him when the days are long, when we are weary, when we are discouraged. Why? Because we trust in our good and faithful God.
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Growth Resources
12 for 24: Please see the full list of 2024 books as well as Bible reading plans on our church webpage.
April 2024: We are reading "The Lord of Psalm 23" by David Gibson.
This Week: We encourage you to make use of:
- We encourage you to make use of 12 for 24 and read 12 books that will help us grow.
- Past sermons are available on our church webpage: gracefallbrook.church/sermons.
Upcoming Events and Notices
April 14 (Lord’s Day): Please join us for fellowship lunch after the worship service.
April 14 (Lord’s Day): We will be sending gifts towards the Stoddards’ MTW work in Germany as well as to Chris Sandoval’s work with The Servant Church in San Diego. If you would like to add your gift to these funds, please designate your gifts with appropriate notation and contribute by April 14.
April 21 (Lord's Day): Please join us for Sunday School lesson on Assurance of Salvation.
April 28 (Lord's Day): Please join us for Sunday School lesson from "Essential Truths of the Christian Faith" Ch. 28 "The Sinlessness of Christ."
Thank you for your continued support of Grace Fallbrook (PCA). Your loving support makes the proclamation of the gospel and the building up of the saints possible. Please visit gracefallbrook.church/give and click on "Give Online Now." You will be directed to the PCA Foundation where you can give towards Grace Fallbrook (PCA).