The God of the Past is the God of the Present

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Video of this message, as well as music by Chandler Swartzell, may be found on YouTube.

Psalm 9

Would you like to know how to praise God no matter your circumstances?  Do you find yourself complaining to God rather than complimenting Him?  Let us learn how to offer up tremendous praise to God even while we are under terrible pressure as we study this 9^th Psalm!

As we examine this great portion of God’s Word let us take note of the way in which David praises God and we like David can offer the sacrifice of praise regardless of our circumstances!  

1. The Nature of Authentic Praise: Verses 1-2. Both Internal and External
   1. Beware of artificial praise.
   2. Beware of absent praise. 
   3. Mumbled hymn Singing
   4. Murmuring hearts
2. Praising God for His Past Deliverance
   1. Praise God for victory over our enemies in verses 3-6. 
   2. Praise God for the outworking of His divine justice in verse 7-8. 
   3. Praise God for being a strong-hold for the oppressed in verses 9-10. 
3. Pleading with God to Work in the Present: Verses 19-20.
   1. The mercy of God is foundational to getting our prayers answered in verse 13.
   2. Praising God for past deliverance is the foundation for pleading with God to work in our present circumstances.
   3. Applications:
      1. Praising His Name in faith because He has made the faithless nameless!
      2. The vital importance of living faithfully for God over the course of many years!
      3. The power of His testimony is the foundation for the power of my/your testimony! 
      4. Past deliverance from oppression and oppressors!

The God of the past is still God in the present and when we find our faith faltering we can return to the well-spring what God has done in our lives and find great encouragement knowing the God will work now as He did back then!