A Leader Worth Following
Audio Recording
Sermon Outline
Speaker: Rev. Charles Drew
Sermon Series: Guest Preacher
Psalm 45 (ESV)
1 My heart overflows with a pleasing theme;
I address my verses to the king;
my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe.
2 You are the most handsome of the sons of men;
grace is poured upon your lips;
therefore God has blessed you forever.
3 Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one,
in your splendor and majesty!
4 In your majesty ride out victoriously
for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness;
let your right hand teach you awesome deeds!
5 Your arrows are sharp
in the heart of the king's enemies;
the peoples fall under you.
6 Your throne, O God, is forever and ever.
The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness;
7 you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness.
Therefore God, your God, has anointed you
with the oil of gladness beyond your companions;
8 your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia.
From ivory palaces stringed instruments make you glad;
9 daughters of kings are among your ladies of honor;
at your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir.
10 Hear, O daughter, and consider, and incline your ear:
forget your people and your father's house,
11 and the king will desire your beauty.
Since he is your lord, bow to him.
12 The people of Tyre will seek your favor with gifts,
the richest of the people.
13 All glorious is the princess in her chamber, with robes interwoven with gold.
14 In many-colored robes she is led to the king,
with her virgin companions following behind her.
15 With joy and gladness they are led along
as they enter the palace of the king.
16 In place of your fathers shall be your sons;
you will make them princes in all the earth.
17 I will cause your name to be remembered in all generations;
therefore nations will praise you forever and ever.
Sermon Outline
Psalm 45 blows like a fresh wind of hope into our gloomy social dysfunction, inviting our hearts to overflow with a pleasing theme (v. 1).
1. The Prince at the center of our hope
Supremely attractive:
v 2: The most handsome of the sons of men
2. The Prince at the center of our hope
His words:
v 2: Grace is poured upon your lips
3. The Prince at the center of our hope
His character:
vv 4, 7: In your majesty ride out . . . for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness; . . . You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness.
4. The Prince at the center of our hope
His victory:
vv.4-5: In your majesty ride out victoriously for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness; let your right hand teach you awesome deeds! Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies; the peoples fall under you.
5. The Groom
10 Hear, O daughter, and consider, and incline your ear: forget your people and your father's house, 11 and the king will desire your beauty.
Prayer of Confession
Lord Jesus, you are the Father’s great gift to us. You speak words we don’t deserve but gladly receive, words of healing and forgiveness, words that fill us with hope, words that change our motivations and appetites. You love us and our world and have done and will do all that is necessary to reverse the damage that we have brought upon ourselves. You desire us, eager for us to love you back. Forgive our tepid hearts. Forgive our ingratitude. Forgive our failure to listen carefully to what you say. Forgive our distractedness, our convenient reconstructions of who you are, and our divided loyalties. Please do not give up on us. We need and want more than forgiveness. We want to be better people, more like you, more responsive to you and to each other. How grateful we are for your promise to finish what you have begun in us. Alleluia. Amen.