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you everybody Welcome to Prairie Lakes Church this weekend. I'm delighted to be with you. My name is Chip urmacher. I'm the Cedar Falls campus pastor and really excited that you're here. So no matter if you're at one of our physical locations spread across Iowa or online campus all across Iowa and Beyond We Are One church and on many corners, welcome super glad that you are here and handle your weekend host probably already mentioned this we've had a lot to celebrate around Prairie League Church recently. We had a lot of baptisms the past few weeks and we got more this weekend and more coming at a pool party pretty soon. And so we we just celebrate that but I want to put an exclamation point on that and that over the last month across all of our campuses. We've had seven people across the faith line and Trust Jesus. Amen.

Yeah, that is good stuff. And so hey on behalf of those seven people their families and all the people that have been loving on them and praying for them. Thank you. Thanks for being generous. Thanks for giving to God. Thanks for serving and praying and making Prairie Lakes Church a no matter church because God is working powerfully through us. All right. Hey this weekend. We kick off a new four week series called Psalms in real life and we're gonna Journey Through the Old Testament book of Psalms for about a month together and here's full disclosure as we start this journey. I love the book of Psalms. It's my favorite books of the Bible. And here's why the Psalms get me.

I am all over the place emotionally. So I'm pretty good at like outwardly projecting calm and togetherness, but internally, I feel all kinds of stuff a lot very very strongly. And so do the authors of This Book of Psalms in additionally when I pray you need to know this some of my prayers are whiny I get pretty whiny when I pray sometimes and some of my prayers are really loud and yelly. I don't know if yeli is a word but I just made it up. So it's a word and man some of my thoughts and some of my prayers to God are full of doubt and anxiety and struggle. Some of my prayers are barely words that I can get out because my heart is so full of anxiety and worry some of my prayers are beautiful and full of joy and sometimes my joy prayers and my anxious prayers are like hours or minutes minutes apart.

And so I love the book of Psalms because it has empathy for me. It's got empathy for you because it's real and it's authentic and it understands us and it points us to hope it teaches us to remember and have hope no matter what so I'm excited to dive into this book of Psalms together starting this weekend because it's gonna help us feel. It's gonna help us be honest with God and it's gonna help us relate to other people more effectively and it's going to remind us to pray and live honestly and the Book of Psalms is going to read our hearts and that's one of the gifts that this book gives to us. So really excited for that. Now here's where we're going in this series. Okay for these four weeks. Here's the journey this weekend.

I'm gonna cover an overview. I'm gonna give you the 30,000 foot view of this book next week. We're going to talk about Psalms of lament then psalms of praise and we're gonna talk about the future hope that this book points us to over and over and over again. So here's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna take five minutes. I'm gonna give you a quick primer and overview of the book of Psalms because understanding who wrote it when they wrote it why they wrote it and the structure really does help us understand how This book wants to speak to us today and how God wants to use these poems.

To speak to us. So here's where I want to start. I want to start with the word Psalm. The word Psalm is a Greek word and literally means to sing. And the Hebrew title to Helene means to praise and so when you understand seeing and praise you start to get an understanding of here's the purpose of the book. It's about worship. It's about praise. It's about singing and here's what you need to know about. The structure Psalms is a collection of 150 different Hebrew poems songs and prayers that collected over a thousand years of time and they're written between 2500 and 3500 years ago. 73 of those are connected to King David and there's a whole bunch of other authors like a soft the sons of koraemon and Ethan Solomon and Moses and then 49 of them are Anonymous. So 49 of them don't have an author attached to them.

So as you hear those things, here's what you start to understand. This is an old book and it was written through different seasons of the nation of Israel's history some Seasons good some bad some of the Psalms talk about the present some Look Backwards and then some look forwards but there's a lot of different things in the Book of Psalms that are expressed for a lot of different reasons. And these 150 Psalms were were probably saying out loud often individually or collectively by the nation of Israel. In fact as we read through the Psalms, you're gonna find some of your favorite hymns and some of your favorite worship songs people like Hillsong and Bethel and Elevation Worship and Maverick City, they get a lot of their inspiration from these poems. And even though these poems were song A Lot the book of Psalms is not just a song book. It's actually a prayer book. It's meant to be prayed and a lot of these are actually prayers between the individual writing and God and as you look at the book of Psalms important to understand that within this giant Your palms 150 there's actually five smaller sections that are called books. So book one in Psalms is chapters 1 through 41 and chapters one and two are an intro that we're going to dig into in just a second book two is 42 to 72 book 375 to 89 book 4 is 90 to 106 and then book five is Chapters 107 to 150. The last five chapters really aren't exclamation point of Hope and praise. So that's the structure of the book and one of the really cool things about the structure. Is that the end of each one of these books in the last chapter. There is this refrain that gets mentioned in each one of them. It's this may the Lord the god of Israel be blessed forever.

Amen. And amen. So the person that collected Psalms the person that put them together did so on purpose to let you know that each section is about praise and each section is about worshiping God and God Alone should get the glory and the worship and as you read through the Psalms, here's what you're gonna see there's a lot of different types of Psalms that Express a lot of different.

Motions and a lot of different circumstances and smart people with phds behind their names will be like, hey, there's more than 10 different types of Psalms and I'm not going to go through all those so I'm going to make it really simple this week and there's two main categories of Psalms and we spend the next two weeks looking at and here they are first is poems of lament and poems a little lament are our poems in the Psalms that are full of pain confusion and anger and they point to what's wrong in the world and they ask God to do something about it. That's a Psalm of lament. Now Solomon prays is the opposite. It's a poem of praise that's full of joy and celebration it draws attention to what's good in the world and it retails the story of God's people and thank God that's what psalms of praise or all about and both of these types of songs lament and praise are important because both Express what it's like to be human and alive today and both are necessary.

So so that's kind of the structure. That's the type of songs. But here's what you also need to know. The book of Psalms takes us on a journey. It takes us somewhere as a book this collection of poems. You need to know. It's really front loaded with lament and it ends with more praise. So it starts a little bit more down and it ends very hopeful at the end.

Also, there's a diversity of emotions and a model of what prayer can look like Psalms as you read. It is a roller coaster and it goes like this and that's by Design and then lastly there's these Messianic songs that point to Future Hope of Jesus that are just beautiful and really really cool that really point to Future Hope. So that's my five-minute primer on the book of Psalms a 30,000 foot view. Now, we're gonna zoom in we're gonna dive down into the book and I want to start with chapter one Psalm 1. So I want you open your Bibles right now, if you got them Psalms is easy to find it's literally the middle of your Bible and find chapter one grab your phone or your iPad if you use that if you don't have either I'm gonna put these words on the screen.

So that you can follow along but we're going to read chapters one and two together. Because chapters one and two really do form this introduction to this book and they set the tone for the other 148 poems that follow. So here's how Psalm 1 starts. The author says blessed is the one and remember that word blessed means happy.

Blessed is the one who does not walk and step of the wicked or stand in the way that Sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but who's Delight is in the law of the Lord and who meditates on his law day and night that person is like a tree planted by streams of water which yields its fruit in season and his Leaf does not wither whatever they do prospers, but not so with the wicked for they're like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the Judgment nor sinners in the Assembly of the righteous for the Lord Watches Over The Way of the righteous, but the Way of the Wicked leads to Destruction that is Psalm 1 that's how the Psalms start and there's two really cool things that happen in that Psalm first. The psalmist says there's a there's a blessed life and a wicked life and the blessed life is marked by a person who meditates on God's word who meditates on his law who spends day and night Examining the Scriptures that leads to a blessed life and then he says the wicked people don't care about that. They don't live that way at all.

There's two ways to live blessed or Wicked. and then Psalm 1 also serves as a connector between all the books that come before in the Bible and all the books that come after it because before the The Book of Psalms in your Bible, there's a lot of Law and there's a lot of history then afterwards there's a lot of Prophecy and so the book of Psalms really does serve as a linchpin as a tie together between the Old Testament books that come before it and the books that come after it and he says blessed are you if Now, let's look at Psalm 2.

Psalm 2 starts this way Well, why do the Nations conspire and the people's plot in vain the kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed saying let us break their chains and throw off their shackles. And by the way, how often do we feel this way today? Like man World forces and pressures are against God and his people right then he says this the one Capital One God enthron in heaven laughs the Lord scoffs at them. He rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath saying I have installed my King in Zion my Holy Mountain. I will proclaim the Lord's decree. He said to me you are my son today. I have become your father ask me and I'll make the Nations you're inheritance the ends of the Earth your possession. You will break them with a rod of iron you will Dash them to pieces like Pottery. Therefore you Kings be wise and be warned you rulers of the Earth.

Serve the Lord with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling kiss his son or he will be angry and your way will lead to your Destruction for his wrath can flare up in a moment. But blessed are all who take refuge in him. Psalm 2 is all about the power of God. There's one king. There's one Lord. His name is Jesus and it also points us to Future Hope.

And at the end of Psalm 2 there's that word blessed again. So Psalm 1 starts with blessed are those who dwell on God's word who meditate on his word. They're gonna be like extreme trees planted by streams of water. Then Psalm 2 ends the introduction with blessed are those who take refuge in God. And that is the point of the Psalms and that theme is going to carry through the entire 150 poems. You're blessed if you spend time in God's word meditate it you're blessed.

If you find Hope and help and refuge in God that is what the psalmist wants us to see and to understand now, here's the question that we spend the rest of our time answering together this weekend because I think it's really important one for us today. Some of you're going hey these poems and their thousands of years old.

Written by Israelites written by people that are little culturally different the season of their lives were different. Like how is reading the book of Psalms for me today as a father Jesus formative. Why does it make a difference for me in my life today? And it really is about how we look.

In terms of how we see our vision and so I'm going to talk about a couple different ways to look and see that the Psalms teach us to do that are really really powerful. So I want you to write these things down. If you're taking notes this weekend. I want you to write these things down. Why is reading Psalms formative for us today? Here's the first thing that Psalms teaches us you ready?

The Psalms they teach us to express our hearts honestly before God and others by looking Within. Part of what this Psalms do they teach us to express our hearts honestly before God and others by looking within now I'm going to do a little quick timeout because some of you like the answer's not inside of you Pastor. I know that okay, I'm not talking about salvation. I'm not talking about New Age philosophy here.

But what I'm saying, is this a part of how we worship God as we have to look within to see what's going on. And then we express that to God through prayer. We share our life with God and he shares his life with us. That's what I'm talking about and part of the Psalms function for fathers of Jesus today is that they teach us how to express our hearts to God honestly before God and before others. Now as you read through the Psalms, here's what you're gonna find brutal honesty and vulnerability and as I mentioned at the beginning of this message, I love the Psalms because they get me they read my life. They've got empathy for me. They know what I experience and what I feel and and when I read the songs, I'm like, yes, that's how I feel sometimes because there's an authenticity And a transparency of the authors and how they pour their hearts out to God and it really is beautiful.

And I need you to hear this from me clearly this weekend and I need you to know that this is true. You need to believe this. Okay, here it is. It honors God to express to him how we feel. It honors God to express to him how we feel. I think so many of us. So often feel like well I can share with God these good things and when I feel good and when things are good, and I can praise him but you know gosh when I'm struggling when things are hard when it's bad. I just mmm I should probably zip it and be quiet.

And what the Psalms teach us is this hey, whatever's going on inside when you look within and you see that you need to express that to God and it's okay to express that to God and I would say especially when things are hard when things are bad when life is difficult it honors God to express them how we feel and here's the reality God already knows how you feel.

And so when we feel guilt or shame or fear or anger worried disappointment and doubt all of those are there in the Psalms and all of those are there within us and we need to authentically vulnerably express them to God because that's the model that the Psalms give us expressing. Those things to God is an act of worship.

And it's an act of trust to be honest with God about how you feel. And because the Psalms they teach us to express our hearts honestly before God and others. It's a model for emotional health. Listen, we're gonna look at this next weekend, but there's a lot of lament Psalms. There's a lot of Psalms when there is awful terrible things in the world and in people's lives that's happening.

And oftentimes it's because of things the psalmist did. Or this almost experience or things that happen to the psalmists and often when bad things happen the advice we get from people in our world and the self-help gurus is focus on the positive see the Silver Lining don't think about the bad think about the good and listen. There's a lot of times when that dishonors God Because there's times when things are awful and hard and difficult and sometimes we need to sit in those.

We need to sit in those seasons and sit in those remotions and you need to be reminded this weekend of this truth. That it's okay to not be okay. The Psalms teach us this over and over again that it's okay to not be okay and that God understands our pain and our Brokenness and we find that over and over again in the Psalms and I'm gonna give you some examples of this roller coaster ride that the Psalms take us on so Psalm 23 Almost Famous Psalms and a lot of us know this and some of us have this Psalm actually memorized starts like this. Here's Psalm 23 The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want he makes me lie down in Green Pastures. He leads me beside Quiet Waters.

He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name's sake and some of you want to keep going because you got it memorized right? This is the song when everything's good and everything's right with the world. That's like praise God now. Guess how Psalm 22 starts. Here's how some 22 starts.

My God my God. Why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me so far from My Cries of Anguish my God. I cry out by day, but you do not answer by night, but I find no rest. Just completely opposite Psalm 22 Psalm 23, and I think the author and the compiler of songs put these right next to each other to prove a point that this is us.

I don't know how many times I felt this way where it's like, where are you God? Why aren't you answering my prayer? Why do I have to suffer? Why am I going through this and Psalm 22 in Psalm 23 are connected I think because the the compiler wants us to know that just like him we get frustrated and we struggle one minute. We're singing worship car worship songs in our car or this or the shower and the next minute. We're yelling at our family members or the drivers around this like that's just the Human Experience and the Psalms give us give us permission to not be okay and they give us permission in one minute to be full of joy and the next minute be full of confusion and anxiety because that's what life is like, but then there's Psalms that Express repentance and Brokenness like Psalm 51 Psalm 51 is a Psalm of David and he wrote this right after he sin with Bathsheba and here's what he says have mercy on me. Oh God, according to your unfailing love according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin for I know my Instructions and my sin is always before me against you and you only have I sinned and done what's evil in your sight. So you're right when you with your verdict and Justified when you judge we've all been there, right?

We get that spot where we know that we've blown it. We've messed up. We've hurt somebody we send and we just feel the sense of remorse and guilt and we cry out to God God forgive me. I know I'm a sinner God. I know I screwed that up like we all get there. And some Psalms Express anxiety and fear here Psalm 55 this beautiful picture of anxiety and fear. He says my heart is in anguish within me the tears of death have fallen on me fear and trembling at beset Me horror has overwhelmed me I said, oh that I had the wings of a dove I would fly away and be at rest. I would flee far away and stay in the desert. I would hurry to my place of shelter far from The Tempest and the storm how many of us have felt this way before like if I had wings I'd be out I would fly away from my problems my situation this relationship. I want out I want away.

Anxious worried stressed tired of the spot that we're in crying out for Relief and peace. It's there in the Psalms over and over again. And my friends some of the Psalms are so honest, they're cringy and I don't say that lightly but there are some Psalms that are uncomfortable when you read them like like Psalm 137 versus 8 9. Here's how this song goes daughter Babylon doomed to destruction happy is the one who repays you according to what you have done to us. Happy Blessed is the one who sees your infants and dashes them against the Rocks yikes not gonna see this on a t-shirt at your Christian bookstore, right? Like it's it's brutal and it's cringy because it's so honest because all of us go. Yeah. I felt that way before like I've wanted Revenge I've spoken words of Revenge and evil and spite against people in my world like I've been there listen The Psalms teach us to express our hearts honestly before God and others.

And there are two beautiful outcomes of this when we read the Psalms and we see the vulnerability and the honesty and the transparency. There's two things that happen first. We prayed differently. When we read the Psalms and when we look within and say hey, this is in my heart. This is in my life. This is how I'm feeling. We begin to pray more honestly.

We're not afraid to give to God what he already knows is inside of us. And we begin to pray authentic transparent prayers. We share our heart with God and God gets to listen and hear our hearts and share his heart with us. You prayed differently.

As you read the book of Psalms and as you learn to look within and then second is this and it's really important when we follow this model of honesty that the Psalms lays out the breadth of Human Experience. when we do that, we live as no matter followers of Jesus and here's a no matter father of Jesus is somebody who lives their life in such a way that other people see Jesus alive and at work in you note for no matter follower of Jesus. Listen, there's authenticity and there's vulnerability to our lives that we have to be real and approachable and relatable and no matter followers somebody who allows themselves to feel all the emotions that God created and then Express them to him into others to be a real person with the entire range of human emotions who doesn't need to be fake or pretend and your little Iowa needs to see you.

All of you, not just the beautiful fun parts of you. They need to see what it looks like to follow Jesus through all seasons and all emotions. Not just the easy ones. In fact often in our worst seasons and deepest struggles. We can have the greatest impact on others for Jesus in spite of our difficulties.

Parents for your kids this truth that when you look in and you begin to express to God in others the depth of what you feel the depth of what life's experiences brought you through when you're honest transparent and vulnerable you model for your kids what it looks like to pray. You modify your kids what it looks like to follow Jesus even when in spite of faith and that is a beautiful beautiful thing.

About 20 years ago. I'll never forget this at a moment where this happened to me. I just lost my younger sister and I was in a season of intense grief and I was at a treatment center in Colorado as a worker that I was a counselor there and we had a staff Pastor named Jim and Jim sat me down about two weeks after my sister's funeral and he said hey chip. How you doing?

And I gave the standard answer right? I'm fine, Jim. And then he said this he said if you weren't fine, would you tell me I was like, oh, no, he sees he knows it's like no I probably wouldn't tell you Jim. I gave him the honest answer and he said why is that and I remember saying something to this effect Jim? I don't want to share with you what's going on inside of me because I'm afraid of what might come out.

like if I open this Floodgate Of grief and pain and sorrow it might not stop and I might break down and I might fall apart and I don't know what's gonna happen and then he looked at me and he said hey, that's exactly why you need to share that with me and with God and with others.

And it's as powerful lesson. I learned 20 years ago. It's the same lesson that the psalmist wants us to see that no matter what you're feeling no matter what your experiencing your job is to express that to God to share your heart with God and the people around you the psalmist teaches us.

To express our hearts honestly before God and others by looking within that's number one. Here's number two. Number two, why is reading Psalms formative for us today? The Psalms teach us to worship God in awe and amazement by looking up. So first we look within to see what's going on inside of expressed that they got another second this Psalms teach us to look up.

And all an amazement at God see there's a healthy perspective shift that happens in our lives when we give God credit. We're credit is due. It changes your perspective and your mindset when you remember God's bigness in God's power it leads to worship. It's all amazement and wonder and they reminded of God's bigness and power and creativity helps us right size our lives and our problems.

See friends so often we spend so much of our Lives looking down. We look at our problems our health challenges our country's problems our our politics our bank account our busy schedule our stress level our physical appearance our our popularity on social media. We spend so much time looking down at those things that we forget to look up and acknowledge. God is big and God is over my life.

And God is over those things the Psalms remind us over and over and over again to look up God is big God is able God is over us and he's over our problems. He's greater than anything we face or anything. We look. Walk through listen when we when we write sized life and we magnify God over our problems. It leads to worship and not worry.

And say that again when we write sides our life and we magnify God rather than our problems it leads to worship and not worry and the Psalms do this over and over again. They remind us to look up because as I'm gonna look up in fact 96, here's what the psalmist writes and this is beautiful.

He says sing to the Lord a new song. Sing to the Lord all the Earth. Sing to the Lord praises to his name Proclaim his salvation day after day declare his glory among the Nations His Marvelous Deeds among all peoples for great is the Lord and most worthy of Praise. He is to be feared above all gods for all the gods of the nations are Idols, but the Lord has made the heavens Splendor and Majesty are before him strength and Glory are in his Sanctuary ascribed in Lord. All you families of Nations ascribe to the Lord glory and strength ascribe to the Lord. The glory do his name bring an offering and come into His courts Worship the Lord and the Splendor of his Holiness tremble before him all the Earth.

The psalmist says look up. Look up remember the awe and The Wonder of our God remember his power remember his creativity remember who God is look up and some of you're going. How do I do that during my day? When your kids starts acting like a knucklehead when your co-worker says that thing again and your blood pressure starts to and you can just feel it part of how you look up is just to say a simple breath prayer.

There's a lot of phrases in the Psalms that when you say them will help you look up in an instant. Phrases like this God Is My Rock in my salvation? No matter what? I'm walking through. I can just go. Hey in 10 seconds. I can say this out loud God Is My Rock and my salvation. I'm gonna look up I'm not gonna dwell in all the stuff around me.

I'm gonna look up or saying phrases like this for great is the Lord and most worthy of Praise. I'm gonna look up I'm gonna look up it's dwelling on the song. It's grabbing Psalm 96 and just reading through it quickly and saying I'm not just gonna focus on my problems. I'm gonna work on them. Yes the real I got to live through them. But I'm gonna look up and be reminded that God is great. And God is good. This Psalms over and over again. They teach us to worship God in awe and amazement by looking up.

And here's the last one. Here's the last one. Here's what this Psalms teach us the Psalms teach us to look back and remember God's faithfulness and look forward to his promises. So not only do this almost teach us to look within and look up they teach us to look back to how God has been faithful and forward to how God is going to fulfill his promises.

This happens over and over again in the Psalms. Listen, it is so easy to forget that God is good and God is faithful. It's so easy. The only thing about this present moment in front of us right now when we get into a spot of struggle, whether it's Financial or relational or work we often forget how good God has been to us in the past and how good God's promises are for our future.

But our praise listen our praise and worship of God is not bound by circumstances because God is always good and he's always faithful God has done amazing things not the least of which is to love us and to save us and God is incredible things in store for us, eternally and the nation of Israel had to be reminded over and over again of God's faithfulness and his promises and that's what this Psalms do.

Psalm 136 goes like this. I love this song. It says give thanks to the Lord for he is good his love endures forever. I think there's a song there to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt his love into his forever and brought Israel out from among them his love and do is forever where the mighty hand and outriched arm, his love endures forever to him who divided the Red Sea asunder his love endures forever and brought Israel through in the midst of it his love endures forever, but failure in his army into the Red Sea his love endures forever to him who let his people through the Wilderness his love endures forever.

To him who struck down great Kinks his love endures forever and killed Mighty Kings his love endures forever and it goes on and on and on because the psalmist wants to remind you God has been so good and faithful to you in the past. No matter what and God's gonna continue to be faithful and fulfill his promises in the Future No Matter What?

Friends, one of my biggest struggles is anxiety I've struggle with anxiety since I was a kid. It's just been a part of my Journey part of my life, especially the last 15 years of my life. It's been more intense and here's what I've learned when I get anxious. I need to look back and I need to look forward when I get anxious and I'm sitting in it and I'm struggling I ask myself these questions here I go. Have I ever felt this way before Yes a thousand times. Yes.

Two has God seen me through and help me through each one of those moments. Yes. I'm still here is God present with me in the midst of my anxiety right now. Yes, he is has God promised that one day whether in this life or the life to come. I will be free from anxiety. The answer is yes in this life, Maybe.

In eternal life definitely. My friends the Psalms teach us to look back and remember Gus faithfulness and look forward to his promises no matter what and the outcome of looking back and looking forward is a growing trust and confidence in God's faithfulness today and tomorrow. He's been faithful Before He'll be faithful still we need that confidence to live Faithfully today.

In my friends far from some old dusty crusty irrelevant book of poems that were written thousands of years ago. The Psalms are powerful and their life giving today and they're so helpful for us because they read our hearts. And they read our lives they teach us to pray they teach us how to live authentically as no matter followers. They teach us to look within and be honest with ourselves and our God about our lives and our little Iowa. They teach us to look up to the bigness of God and his power and his majesty and not just look at our problems. They teach us to look back at God's goodness and forward to God's faithfulness and his promises that he is good and he always will be So my friends I want to encourage you to take the journey this month dive through the book of Psalms with us take the journey as the psalmist said in Psalm 1 and 2. You will be blessed if you do.

Hey, let's close with the word prayer together. He got thank you for the Psalms. God thank you that you want our worship and God you want our hearts. Thank you God that we can be completely with honest with you because we know that you already know it all anyway.

And so Lord teaches to look within and live out the entire range of what we feel what we walk through with you with others God teach us to look up and remember that you're bigger than whatever we Face teach us to look back at your faithfulness and forward to your promises. God give us vision and sight to see and to live accordingly God. We love you.

It's in Jesus name we pray. amen