By Kenny Bruce
Pastor emeritus, Leawood East Baptist Church, Cordova

Focal Passage: Psalm 100:1-5 

Psalm 100 reveals to every Christian a protocol to follow when entering into God’s presence. 

I. APPROACHING GOD (vv. 1-2) God invites the whole earth to shout triumphantly to Him. When we enter the presence of God, we are to raise our voices to Him. It would be akin to raising our voice to get someone’s attention. We do not raise our voices to call attention to ourselves, but to express our joy in experiencing God. 

“Serve the Lord with gladness” (v. 2) in this context refers to a way of life as well as the specific activity of singing joyful songs to Him. Singing Scriptures of praise (choruses) or hymns of praise with pure hearts draws us into His presence. Music is an essential link between God and His children. There are over 500 references to praise, singing and music in the Bible. The danger of music is that it can become our god. The cleansed state of our hearts is far more important than what we sing.  [Read more…]

By Eric Taylor
Pastor, Cedar Hill Baptist Church, Cedar Hill

Focal Passage: Psalm 119:17-24

In May of 2010, the Kimyal people of West Papua, Indonesia received the first ever copies of the New Testament in their own language.

If you have never watched the actual video of the people receiving the Word of God, it is worth your time. I was convicted at how the people were genuinely overcome with emotion as they saw those copies of God’s Word being unloaded from a plane. There was dancing, shouting, and literal tears of joy over the long-awaited arrival of the Word of God in their heart language.

In our text for this week, I see a similar kind of emotion by the psalmist as he describes his desire for the Word of God to the God of the Word. [Read more…]

By Eric Taylor
Pastor, Cedar Hill Baptist Church, Cedar Hill

Focal Passage: Psalm 31:1-8

While most scholars attribute this Psalm to David during his trials with Saul, or the treason of Absalom, there are other scholars who do not agree on its authorship. Yet, it seems that there is strong evidence for the authorship of David. We can affirm the importance of this Psalm because it was quoted by Jonah, Jeremiah, and Jesus.

So, whatever one’s view on the authorship of this Psalm, it is clear that the author (David) is looking back over his life and remembering both the troubles of life and the grace of God. So, whether this Psalm was written by King David, King Hezekiah, the prophet Jeremiah, or some unknown Israelite, the author went through some trials that could bring any soul to a low place in life. [Read more…]

By Eric Taylor
Pastor, Cedar Hill Baptist Church, Cedar Hill

Focal Passage: Psalm 23:1-6 

The 23rd Psalm is probably the most well-known passage in the Bible. Psalm 23 is the “Amazing Grace” of the Word of God. Charles Spurgeon called it, “The pearl of the psalms.” Alexander Maclaren said that this Psalm, “Has dried many tears and supplied the mold into which many hearts have poured their peaceful faith.” James Montgomery Boice wrote, “If ever a Psalm could stand almost on a single line, it is this one —‘The Lord is my shepherd.’ ”

In other words, this Psalm is a cure for all that worries us and makes us anxious. Matter of fact, there are five reasons why the Good Shepherd enables us to overcome worry. [Read more…]

By Eric Taylor
Pastor, Cedar Hill Baptist Church, Cedar Hill

Focal Passage: Psalm 35:1-3, 13-18

There is no denying we live in a day and age filled with anger. You might even say some people are filled with rage. Which is even more reason for God’s people to resist the temptation toward anger, malice, rage, and wrath. In our lesson, we see that while David was facing the wrath and anger of his enemies (likely Saul), he chose to take the high road and not respond to his enemies in kind.

Matter of fact, there are four things we see in this verse that we can learn when facing or dealing with trials and troubles brought on by the enemies of God and His people. [Read more…]

By Eric Taylor
Pastor, Cedar Hill Baptist Church, Cedar Hill

Focal Passage: Psalm 91:1-6, 9-16

While many have heard of Psalm 91, it has become a favorite of many since the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic, as the psalmist touts the protective cover of the Lord who guards his people from the “destructive plague” (v. 3) and “the plague that stalks in the darkness, or the pestilence that ravages at noon” (v. 6). However, those words are a tiny part of a psalm intended to bring comfort and strength in the face of fearful forces that come against God’s people. They are a reminder that nothing can harm the child of God unless the sovereign Lord permits. [Read more…]

By Eric Taylor
Pastor, Cedar Hill Baptist Church, Cedar Hill

Focal Passage: Psalm 116:1-9; 15-17 

The focal point of our lesson for this week, is that God is with us and restores us in times of trouble, sorrow, and grief. In this great psalm the writer gives us at least four reasons why.

First, we see that the Lord hears our prayers in our sorrows. In verse 1, notice that the writer loves the Lord because, in “mercy” God “has heard my appeal.” Now while we do not know who wrote this psalm, speculation generally vacillates between King Hezekiah, King David, or Jonah. [Read more…]

By Eric Taylor
Pastor, Cedar Hill Baptist Church, Cedar Hill

Focal Passage: Psalm 99:1-9 

Psalm 99 is part of a group of five psalms (Psalms 95-99) that are called by most scholars, “Royal Psalms,” or “Coronation Psalms.” They are a group of Psalms that exalt God as Creator, the righteous Judge, and the Sovereign Lord who forgives and saves.

Well, in the last of these five psalms extolling the greatness of our God, we are taught that God is our King, and therefore, He is to be worshiped as King over all! The question is, are we committed to worshiping God as King over all? [Read more…]

By Eric Taylor
Pastor, Cedar Hill Baptist Church, Cedar Hill

Focal Passage: Psalm 119:1-11 

Remember the words: “I pledge allegiance to the Bible, God’s Holy Word, and will make it a lamp unto my feet, a light unto my path, and hide its word in my heart that I may not sin against God.” While we do not know who wrote Psalm 119, we can see that he was a person committed to God’s Word. 

Throughout this psalm, the author writes of his love for God’s Word, his hunger for God’s Word, his desire to obey it, and his need for the Word of God in his life. The words of Psalm 119 should be the heart words of every faithful follower of Christ.

In our text, we see several key thoughts as we think about our commitment to the Word of God. What these verses tell us is that there are some benefits to living a life committed to the Bible. [Read more…]