941 O Lord , God of vengeance , God of vengeance , shine forth ! 2 Rise up, O Judge of the earth , Render recompense to the proud . 3 How long e shall the wicked , O Lord , How long e shall the wicked exult ? 4 They pour forth words, they speak arrogantly ; All who do wickedness vaunt themselves. 5 They crush Your people , O Lord , And afflict Your heritage . 6 They slay the widow and the stranger And murder the orphans . 7 They have said , "The Lord does not see , Nor does the God of Jacob pay heed ." 8 Pay heed , you senseless among the people ; And when will you understand , stupid ones ? 9 He who planted the ear , does He not hear ? He who formed the eye , does He not see ? 10 He who chastens the nations , will He not rebuke , Even He who teaches man knowledge ? 11 The Lord knows the thoughts of man , That they are a mere breath .
12 Blessed is the man whom You chasten , O Lord , And whom You teach out of Your law ; 13 That You may grant him relief from the days of adversity , Until a pit is dug for the wicked . 14 For the Lord will not abandon His people , Nor will He forsake His inheritance . 15 For judgment will again be righteous , And all the upright in heart will follow it. 16 Who will stand up for me against evildoers ? Who will take his stand for me against those who do wickedness ? 17 If the Lord had not been my help , My soul would soon have dwelt in the abode of silence . 18 If I should say , " My foot has slipped ," Your lovingkindness , O Lord , will hold me up. 19 When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your consolations delight my soul . 20 Can a throne of destruction be allied with You, One which devises mischief by decree ? 21 They band themselves together against the life of the righteous And condemn the innocent to death . 22 But the Lord has been my stronghold , And my God the rock of my refuge . 23 He has brought back their wickedness upon them And will destroy them in their evil ; The Lord our God will destroy them.
951 O come , let us sing for joy to the Lord , Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation . 2 Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving , Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms . 3 For the Lord is a great God And a great King above all gods , 4 In whose hand are the depths of the earth , The peaks of the mountains are His also. 5 The sea is His, for it was He who made it, And His hands formed the dry land . 6 Come , let us worship and bow down , Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker .
7 For He is our God , And we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand . Today , if you would hear His voice , 8 Do not harden your hearts , as at Meribah , As in the day of Massah in the wilderness , 9 "When your fathers tested Me, They tried Me, though they had seen My work . 10 "For forty years I loathed that generation , And said they are a people who err in their heart , And they do not know My ways . 11 "Therefore I swore in My anger , Truly they shall not enter into My rest ."
961 Sing to the Lord a new song ; Sing to the Lord , all the earth . 2 Sing to the Lord , bless His name ; Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day . 3 Tell of His glory among the nations , His wonderful deeds among all the peoples . 4 For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised ; He is to be feared above all gods . 5 For all the gods of the peoples are idols , But the Lord made the heavens . 6 Splendor and majesty are before Him, Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary . 7 Ascribe to the Lord , O families of the peoples , Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength . 8 Ascribe to the Lord the glory of His name ; Bring an offering and come into His courts . 9 Worship the Lord in holy attire ; Tremble before e Him, all the earth .
10 Say among the nations , " The Lord reigns ; Indeed , the world is firmly established , it will not be moved ; He will judge the peoples with equity ." 11 Let the heavens be glad , and let the earth rejoice ; Let the sea roar , and all it contains ; 12 Let the field exult , and all that is in it. Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy 13 Before the Lord , for He is coming , For He is coming to judge the earth . He will judge the world in righteousness And the peoples in His faithfulness .
14 And concerning you, my brethren , I myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness , filled with all knowledge and able also to admonish one another . 15 But I have written very boldly to you on some points so as to remind you again , because of the grace that was given me from God , 16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles , ministering as a priest the gospel of God , so that my offering of the Gentiles may become acceptable , sanctified by the Holy Spirit .
17 Therefore in Christ Jesus I have found reason for boasting in things pertaining to God . 18 For I will not presume to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me, resulting in the obedience of the Gentiles by word and deed , 19 in the power of signs and wonders , in the power of the Spirit ; so that from Jerusalem and round about as far as Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ . 20 And thus I aspired to preach the gospel , not where Christ was already named , so that I would not build on another man's foundation ; 21 but as it is written , " THEY WHO HAD NO NEWS OF HIM SHALL SEE , AND THEY WHO HAVE NOT HEARD SHALL UNDERSTAND ."
22 For this reason I have often been prevented from coming to you; 23 but now , with no further place for me in these regions , and since I have had for many years a longing to come to you 24 whenever e I go to Spain -for I hope to see you in passing , and to be helped on my way there by you, when I have first enjoyed your company for a while - 25 but now , I am going to Jerusalem serving the saints . 26 For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make a contribution for the poor among the saints in Jerusalem . 27 Yes , they were pleased to do so, and they are indebted to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual things , they are indebted to minister to them also in material things . 28 Therefore , when I have finished this , and have put my seal on this fruit of theirs , I will go on by way of you to Spain . 29 I know that when I come to you, I will come in the fullness of the blessing of Christ .
30 Now I urge you, brethren , by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit , to strive together with me in your prayers to God for me, 31 that I may be rescued from those who are disobedient in Judea , and that my service for Jerusalem may prove acceptable to the saints ; 32 so that I may come to you in joy by the will of God and find refreshing rest in your company. 33 Now the God of peace be with you all . Amen .
(Read Romans 15:14-21)
The apostle was persuaded that the Roman Christians were filled with a kind and affectionate spirit, as well as with knowledge. He had written to remind them of their duties and their dangers, because God had appointed him the minister of Christ to the Gentiles. Paul preached to them; but what made them sacrifices to God, was, their sanctification; not his work, but the work of the Holy Ghost: unholy things can never be pleasing to the holy God. The conversion of souls pertains unto God; therefore it is the matter of Paul's glorying, not the things of the flesh. But though a great preacher, he could not make one soul obedient, further than the Spirit of God accompanied his labours. He principally sought the good of those that sat in darkness. Whatever good we do, it is Christ who does it by us.
(Read Romans 15:22-29)
The apostle sought the things of Christ more than his own will, and would not leave his work of planting churches to go to Rome. It concerns all to do that first which is most needful. We must not take it ill if our friends prefer work which is pleasing to God, before visits and compliments, which may please us. It is justly expected from all Christians, that they should promote every good work, especially that blessed work, the conversion of souls. Christian society is a heaven upon earth, an earnest of our gathering together unto Christ at the great day. Yet it is but partial, compared with our communion with Christ; for that only will satisfy the soul. The apostle was going to Jerusalem, as the messenger of charity. God loves a cheerful giver. Every thing that passes between Christians should be a proof and instance of the union they have in Jesus Christ. The Gentiles received the gospel of salvation from the Jews; therefore were bound to minister to them in what was needed for the body. Concerning what he expected from them he speaks doubtfully; but concerning what he expected from God he speaks confidently. We cannot expect too little from man, nor too much from God. And how delightful and advantageous it is to have the gospel with the fulness of its blessings! What wonderful and happy effects does it produce, when attended with the power of the Spirit!
(Read Romans 15:30-33)
Let us learn to value the effectual fervent prayers of the righteous. How careful should we be, lest we forfeit our interest in the love and prayers of God's praying people! If we have experienced the Spirit's love, let us not be wanting in this office of kindness for others. Those that would prevail in prayer, must strive in prayer. Those who beg the prayers of others, must not neglect to pray for themselves. And though Christ knows our state and wants perfectly, he will know them from us. As God must be sought, for restraining the ill-will of our enemies, so also for preserving and increasing the good-will of our friends. All our joy depends upon the will of God. Let us be earnest in prayer with and for each other, that for Christ's sake, and by the love of the Holy Spirit, great blessings may come upon the souls of Christians, and the labours of ministers.
