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SCRIPTURE REFERENCES FOR THIS SERMON:
Psalm 140:1-143:12
140:1 For the music director, a psalm of David.
O Lord, rescue me from wicked men.
Protect me from violent men,
2 who plan ways to harm me.
All day long they stir up conflict.
3 Their tongues wound like a serpent;
a viper’s venom is behind their lips. (Selah)
4 O Lord, shelter me from the power of the wicked.
Protect me from violent men,
who plan to knock me over.
5 Proud men hide a snare for me;
evil men spread a net by the path.
They set traps for me. (Selah)
6 I say to the Lord, “You are my God.”
O Lord, pay attention to my plea for mercy.
7 O Sovereign Lord, my strong deliverer,
you shield my head in the day of battle.
8 O Lord, do not let the wicked have their way.
Do not allow their plan to succeed when they attack. (Selah)
9 As for the heads of those who surround me—
may the harm done by their lips overwhelm them.
10 May he rain down fiery coals upon them.
May he throw them into the fire.
From bottomless pits they will not escape.
11 A slanderer will not endure on the earth;
calamity will hunt down a violent man and strike him down.
12 I know that the Lord defends the cause of the oppressed
and vindicates the poor.
13 Certainly the godly will give thanks to your name;
the morally upright will live in your presence.
141:1 A psalm of David.
O Lord, I cry out to you. Come quickly to me.
Pay attention to me when I cry out to you.
2 May you accept my prayer like incense,
my uplifted hands like the evening offering.
3 O Lord, place a guard on my mouth.
Protect the opening of my lips.
4 Do not let me have evil desires
or participate in sinful activities
with men who behave wickedly.
I will not eat their delicacies.
5 May the godly strike me in love and correct me.
May my head not refuse choice oil.
Indeed, my prayer is a witness against their evil deeds.
6 They will be thrown over the side of a cliff by their judges.
They will listen to my words, for they are pleasant.
7 As when one plows and breaks up the soil,
so our bones are scattered at the mouth of Sheol.
8 Surely I am looking to you, O Sovereign Lord.
In you I take shelter.
Do not expose me to danger.
9 Protect me from the snare they have laid for me
and the traps the evildoers have set.
10 Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
while I escape.
142:1 A well-written song by David, when he was in the cave; a prayer.
To the Lord I cry out;
to the Lord I plead for mercy.
2 I pour out my lament before him;
I tell him about my troubles.
3 Even when my strength leaves me,
you watch my footsteps.
In the path where I walk
they have hidden a trap for me.
4 Look to the right and see.
No one cares about me.
I have nowhere to run;
no one is concerned about my life.
5 I cry out to you, O Lord;
I say, “You are my shelter,
my security in the land of the living.”
6 Listen to my cry for help,
for I am in serious trouble.
Rescue me from those who chase me,
for they are stronger than I am.
7 Free me from prison
that I may give thanks to your name.
Because of me the godly will assemble,
for you will vindicate me.
143:1 A psalm of David.
O Lord, hear my prayer.
Pay attention to my plea for help.
Because of your faithfulness and justice, answer me.
2 Do not sit in judgment on your servant,
for no one alive is innocent before you.
3 Certainly my enemies chase me.
They smash me into the ground.
They force me to live in dark regions,
like those who have been dead for ages.
4 My strength leaves me;
I am absolutely shocked.
5 I recall the old days.
I meditate on all you have done;
I reflect on your accomplishments.
6 I spread my hands out to you in prayer;
my soul thirsts for you in a parched land.(Selah)
7 Answer me quickly, Lord.
My strength is fading.
Do not reject me,
or I will join those descending into the grave.
8 May I hear about your loyal love in the morning,
for I trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
because I long for you.
9 Rescue me from my enemies, O Lord.
I run to you for protection.
10 Teach me to do what pleases you,
for you are my God.
May your kind presence
lead me into a level land.
11 O Lord, for the sake of your reputation, revive me.
Because of your justice, rescue me from trouble.
12 As a demonstration of your loyal love, destroy my enemies.
Annihilate all who threaten my life,
for I am your servant.