Mount Pleasant Baptist Church

Daily Nugget: Many Psalms start with the writer lamenting about the troubles he faced but end with remedies or help with his afflictions. This Psalm begins with gloom and ends with it as well. Apparently, the writer had a serious affliction since his youth (vs. 15). Because of it, he faced: many troubles and trials (vs. 3,) what seemed to be death looming over him (vs. 3). Either he or others thought he was headed to Hell (“Sheol”) because the wrath of God seemed to be poured out on him (vss. 4-7, 16-17), drained strength (vs. 4),  abandonment by friends (vss. 8, 18), attitudes of disgust by others over his condition (vs. 8), lack of being able to get around (vs. 8), depression because of his affliction (vs. 9). Through all the psalmist’s tribulations, he cried (vs. 1) and prayed to His God (vss. 9, 13-14). He begged for God’s intervention, but it seemed none arrived. He was at the point that he thought that he had to wait for death to receive God’s help (vss. 10-12) a

Daily Nugget: Zion is the highest point in Jerusalem. The world’s government will be centered there during the millennial (1,000 year) reign of Christ. “The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. 2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.” Isaiah 2:1-2 God loves Zion (vs. 2). It is referred to as the City of God (vs. 3). That should be taken into consideration when Muslims attempt to take it for their false religion. Zion will be the place where God will choose to dwell and certainly is not a place that will house false doctrines. However, during Christ’s reign, it will be a place that many nations will be united to God. It will not be anything like the place it is today. “Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the LORD.

One of the many proofs that the Bible is God’s word and not just a book is the many prophecies it foretells. Thousands of its prophecies have come true and have been verified by history. Unfilled prophecies are expected to be fulfilled shortly. A prophecy is absolute proof that the Bible is God’s Word. Only God can know the future. Those that claim to tell the future have been proven repeatedly to not be accurate in their guesses. God’s word has always been accurate. Of the many futuristic predictions within the Bible’s pages over 1000 foretold the Christ, way before Jesus was even born. They told of the One who would come and bear the sins of man; so, through his death, people could have their iniquities forgiven and have a way to heaven. They all came true as Jesus Christ lived and died. Although scripture is peppered with prophecies of His coming, there are many found in Isaiah 53. If you read it for yourself, you will find prophecies about Jesus’ life and death 712 years befo

Daily Nugget: God certainly should not need a resume or letter of referral, but if He did this Psalm from David would be the perfect one. Many of God’s attributes and experiences include: Listener (vss. 1, 5, 6)  Merciful (vss. 3, 5, 13, 15-16) Good (vss. 5, 10) Able to forgive (vs. 5) Helper (vss. 7-8, 10, 17) The only God (vss. 8, 10) Maker of nations (vs. 9) Teacher (vs. 11) Compassionate (vs. 15) Gracious (vs. 15) Longsuffering (vs. 15) Truthful (vs. 15) Encourager (vs. 16) Comforter (vs. 17) Today’s Thought:  There is nothing which God cannot accomplish. — Cicero Words to Understand: Preserve: keep in good condition Supplications: urgent requests Today’s Reading: Psalm 86 1 A Prayer of David. Bow down thine ear, O LORD, hear me: for I am poor and needy. 2 Preserve my soul; for I am holy: O thou my God, save thy servant that trusteth in thee. 3 Be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I cry unto thee daily. 4 Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for unto thee, O

I was looking for a church to attend and join, but I ran into some problems. “I shouldn’t miss church. Calling my Sunday time fishing on the lake is certainly not “church” as so many justify.   I need to find the church God wants me to attend so I can hear God’s Word and be encouraged by the fellowship of Christians. “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:   25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” Heb. 10:24-25 “I shouldn’t go to that church because they teach that salvation is earned by doing good deeds.   The Bible teaches that one’s being saved from the consequences of sin is given by God.   It is by believing and trusting that Jesus’ death on the cross is the only payment for sin.   “Wait, I can’t go to that church, that one, or even that one over there because they all teach the same thing.   Man, there’s a whole

Daily Nugget: Throughout the Psalms, there is much mention of God being angry at the heathen and their sin. In many of the situations, the psalmist pleaded that the ungodly sinners be strictly disciplined by God. Sin is always dealt with, and no one gets away with their iniquity. Unfortunately, there is another group that also deserves God’s judgment and discipline. It is His own people. At least ten times in the Psalms, it was mentioned that God was mad at Israel. Most of the time, when God was angry at His believers, it was concerning rebellion against Him and His commandments. “Turn us, O God of our salvation, and cause thine anger toward us to cease. 5 Wilt thou be angry with us for ever? wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations?” Psalm 85:4,5 Also: Psalms 6:1, 74:1, 77:9, 78:21, 78:38, 79:5. 80:4, 85:4-5, 90:7. Sadly, that rebellion continues in this church age. Many that call themselves Christians certainly are not Christ-like. The world’s thinking, actions, and

Daily Nugget: "For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.” Psalm 84:10 At the time of Psalm 84, there were still tabernacles (vs. 1: perhaps it was plural because as one tabernacle was in disrepair, it was repaired or replaced. It could have also been referring to the places of reflection built during the Feast of the Tabernacles). The temple must have existed at the time; perhaps it was being constructed as it had become a home (vs. 3) for nesting sparrows. For the Jew, the tabernacle or temple was where they met God. Those places were where He visited His people. It was also where Israel could be physically closer to God. Because of the nearness of their God, it was a special place. The writer declares it was a friendly place (vs. 1 — “amiable”). He was overwhelmed (vs. 2) to be where God had been, and where His commandments were obeyed. He envied the sparrows that bui

Daily Nugget: Being a Christian is not always easy. It can be very discouraging and even scary when it seems the ungodly have the upper hand in life. Sometimes it just does not seem fair that a Christian is doing as the Lord commands, yet it seems he is having more opposition than those that are directly in violation of God’s commandments. It can get to the point that believers desire God to deal with those people, and quickly. “That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.” Psalm 83:18 Asaph, the musician, felt that way. He wanted God to unleash His fury on the ungodly. “A Song or Psalm of Asaph. Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God.” Psalm 83:1 The music leader wanted God to persecute them (vs. 15), and allow them to be ashamed of their unrighteous living (vs. 16). Asaph also begged God to let them be confused and bothered by the sin they were committing (vs. 17). He even wanted God to tak

Daily Nugget: All of us, at times, are quick with our judging of situations and people. Most of the time our judgments are inaccurate because we know only a portion of the circumstances or what is happening in one’s life. “He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.” Prov. 18:13 Only God can judge justly. We too often take His position of judging and attempt to put ourselves in His place. We are not “gods” (vs. 1, 6), even though some assume God’s role of passing sentences on others. Our judgments and even our judicial professionals are “unjust” (vs. 2) much of the time. All should be treated the same, be they poor, fatherless, afflicted, and the needy (vs. 3). Personal gain or fame should not taint good judgment, but too often it does (vss. 4, 5). Man has failed miserably in the area of judging. Now, more than ever this is quite evident, as many judges are not even hiding their biased opinions, and ignore laws which should be guiding them

Daily Nugget: Although Psalm 81:8-16 reminds Israel of their sin against God, it is a chilling wake-up call of what can happen to Christians today. When believers get to the point they neglect God’s Words and do what they want, as did Israel, God may give them over to their demise. “But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me.12 So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust: and they walked in their own counsels.” Psalm 81:11-12 Romans 1 also recorded some in the early church with a similar “I’ll do what I want” attitude. Since some of the early Christians were determined to do their own will and way, God also gave them “gave them up” (Romans 1: 24,26, 28) to their sin. The ungodliness of those Romans worsened, and God let them reap the terrible consequences of their iniquities. In Romans 1:27-31, one can read how progressively more vile and immoral their iniquities became when God stopped His intervention, and they reaped the awful wages of the s

Daily Nugget: Similar pleas and fears found in Psalm 79:5, also appear in this Psalm. Asaph, the psalmist, felt that God was angry at Israel because He would not answer their prayers (Psalm 80:4). “LORD God of hosts, how long wilt thou be angry against the prayer of thy people?” Psalm 80:4 “How long, LORD? wilt thou be angry for ever? shall thy jealousy burn like fire?” Psalm 79:5 Because of God not answering their prayers and protecting His people, the ungodly neighbors again looked at Israel, lost respect for them, and laughed at them. In the previous Psalm, Asaph again (Psalm 79:4, 10), was concerned about what the observing heathens thought about Israel. “Thou makest us a strife unto our neighbours: and our enemies laugh among themselves.”  Psalm 80:6 “We are become a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and derision to them that are round about us.” Psalm 79:4 Aspah’s solution to the predicament his nation put themselves in was for God to help them. The psalmist knew if

Daily Nugget: Because of Israel’s sin, the protecting hand of God was withheld from them. God allowed Israel’s enemies to be His instrument to turn Israel back to Him by the hardships the enemy inflicted on God’s wayward children. Neighboring people looked at God’s people and had little respect for them. Israel may have been God’s people, but they lost their testimony and scarred the testimony of their God. “We are become a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and derision to them that are round about us.” Psalm 79:4 The nearby, ungodly neighbors most likely did not know why a people that were feared because of their God, now were such a poor example to His greatness. However, God’s people did understand why they were no longer a set-apart people. They knew God was angry at them for their sin (vs. 5). Humbly, they begged God to forget what they had done, “O remember not against us former iniquities: let thy tender mercies speedily prevent us: for we are brought very low.” Psalm

Too many claim “the Bible is too hard to understand” as their main reason for not reading the Bible. Actually, the King James Bible, according to Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level Indicator that measures reading difficulty, is rated at a 5.8 grade level average (1). Many of the newer "bibles” are even much more difficult to read. The New International Version has been ranked at a grade level of 8.4, and the New King James, which is really not a revised King James, is ranked at 6.9. The USA Today Newspaper is ranked at grade nine, and People Magazine is ranked at eighth grade. Grade level wise, the King James Bible should not be difficult to understand for most. However, there other factors that do make it appear as if it were “too difficult.” The Bible’s truths have to be shown to a person by God! Psalms 25:14 tells of one reason many have a hard time grasping the truths from the preserved Word of God as found in the King James Bible: “The secret of the Lord is with them that fea

Daily Nugget: Sometimes it is wondered, why does God repeat certain events? Why do preachers keep telling the same stories from the Bible? There is an important reason for that. It is commanded. “… 4 We will not hide them from their children, shewing to the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his wonderful works that he hath done. … 6 That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children:” Psalm 78:1-6 The stories about biblical characters and the lessons they learned need to be told and retold. They need to be repeated, so that future generations will know what God has done for his people and what happens when His will is not followed. Hopefully, if believers hear what God’s leadership has done and hear and obey His commandments, they will not have the same disasters and tribulations as did the disobedient before them. Hopefully, if God’s people hear history and the

Daily Nugget: Like so many, Asaph was troubled and pondered his situation as he laid down for sleep. Bedtime, while ove rwhelmed with concern, is a good time to talk to the Lord about your problems. Asaph did just that (vss. 1-3). However, as do most, the more he thought about his predicament, the larger the problem seemed. After the musician's constant contemplation of his calamity continued, more terrible thoughts added to his dilemma. “Will God no longer help me (vs. 7)? Will His mercy never intervene on my behalf (vs. 8) again? Because of God’s anger, will he never again be gracious (vs. 9) to me? Rather than letting his worrisome thinking make matters worse, his logic and memory returned, putting the situation back into perspective. He now recalled the years that God had helped in the past (vss. 10-19). God did such mighty deeds to help His own in the past; He could do them again! People need to pull themselves out of the worry-doldrums similarly. Instead of being fr

Daily Nugget: Psalm 76 glorifies three attributes of God. It reminds the reader of the: Reputation of God (vss. 1:3, 7-9). God’s deeds, including His protection of his people (vs. 3) are remembered in Judah, Israel, Jerusalem (“Salem”), and Zion. He is to be feared (vs. 7), especially because of His righteous judgments (vss. 8-9). Rebuking of God upon those that oppose Him and His people (vss. 4-6). His victories are glorious (vs. 4) and include triumphs over the most formidable opponents (vss. 5-6). Remittance due their Holy benefactor. Much is owed the great God, especially for his restraint in the exercising of judgment that is due sinful man (vs. 10). He is also owed kept promises made to Him and gifts and sacrifices showing the love He should receive (vs. 11). God is a mighty King to those that He loves and protects. We owe Him so much! Today’s Thought:  When God measures a man, he puts the tape around the heart not the head. — Author Unknown Words to Understand:

Daily Nugget: Asaph had learned from Israel’s history that the nation should be grateful for all God has done for and to them (“wondrous works declare” — vs. 1). However, God’s work on Earth is not finished. When Jesus comes again, things will be much different! He will: Judge uprightly (vs. 2). We have not seen righteous judgment for quite a long time, if ever. The measuring gauge for righteousness, God’s Word, has been tossed aside, so righteousness is not even recognized. Also, those “judging” are biased by their philosophies and opinions. “Right” is whatever they believe it to be, but usually not aligned with God’s commandments. Eventually, create a New Earth, and all creations and reminders of sinful man will be dissolved (vs. 3). “Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” II Peter 3:13 "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there