We welcome you to Stone's Hill today!

A typical Stone's Hill service has:

* music (so feel free to sing out);

* some announcements (things that are upcoming that you can be a part of);

* a message out of the Bible (God speaks to us through his Word);

* and an opportunity for you to respond to the message (either immediately in the case of a decision that needs to be made OR in the future as you live out the message in your daily life.)

So relax and enjoy your morning! We're so glad you are here!

MESSAGE TEXT
Psalm 103:1-22
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INTRODUCTION
Martyn Lloyd Jones, the medical doctor who turned into a Welsh preacher at Westminster Chapel in London – Jones says in his book Spiritual Depression - its Causes and Cures: “The main trouble in the whole matter of spiritual depression in a sense is this: that we allow ourselves to talk to us instead of talking to ourselves.” Then he poses this question: “Have you not realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you're listening to yourself rather than talking to yourself?”
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The Bible presents a number of passages that address what today would be called self-talk (Gen 17:17; Deut 7:17; 8:17; 9:4; 18:21; 1 Sam 27:1; Psa 14:1; Isa 49:21; Jer 3:17-25; Luke 7:39; 16:3; 18:4). On several occasions, David faced pressure in life that disrupted his mental state and he took control of His thoughts and directed them to God (Psa 13:1-6; 42:1-11; 131:1-2). In these instances, David was his own biblical counselor as he applied God’s Word to his own situation and effected stability in his soul. Biblical self-talk is where we deliberately and consciously insert God and His Word into our thought processes. The purpose is to produce mental and emotional stability as we orient our thinking to divine viewpoint.
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Poet-Warrior-King David found himself listening to himself too much later in his life – tired, hungry, and weary. Maybe he was in a season of complaining! Perhaps he was numb to God’s blessings or apathetic and unable to recognize how blessed he really was. He does something to reverse it. He preached to himself, to his soul. I think most of us listen to our hearts. We feel and think and process. And if we listen to our hearts too much, it can really discourage us because our hearts get hurt by life. So I know we all listen to our hearts. And sometimes, that can be dangerous because our hearts can be influenced by the lies we tell ourselves.
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MESSAGE
Have you ever stopped listening to yourself and preached to yourself instead, especially when you’ve been humbled by life? A monologue – one person talking to others. A dialogue – two or more people talking back-and-forth. A soliloquy – a person talking to themselves. King David did in Psalm 103. The first part of this whole psalm twice says, “O my soul.” “… O my soul … praise his holy name.” When he says, “O my soul,” who is the psalmist talking to? He’s talking to himself.
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Psalm 103 is David’s way of saying: “Soul, stop it! You need truth.” He’s not going to try to convince himself he’s happy when he’s really sad – kind of lie to himself. He’s going to tell himself the truth but it’s all packaged in the benefits of walking with God.
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PROPOSITION
There are mini-sermons to preach to yourself when you’ve been hurt by life. Tim Keller said it is praying the truth into your heart until it catches fire in the presence of God. If I assigned categories to these mini-sermons and grouped them into these broad areas, based on Psalm 103. - FOUR TRUTHS to preach to your heart: Remember that God…
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Deals with our sin (v.3a, 10-12)
Discerns our needs (v. 3b-5, 13-18)
Defends our rights (v. 6, 19-22)
Directs our lives (v. 7-9)
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David introduces his main themes in the first seven verses and then elaborates on them in the succeeding verses.
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CONCLUSION
Are you in need of a source outside yourself? Do you need a new life headline? You’re really tired of all the footnotes that have dropped into your story? Emily Freeman sets up our invitation: “The only way I know to do this is to confess, both my sin and Christ’s righteousness – to continually accept my capacity for sin, but embrace my potential for health, restoration, love, forgiveness, patience, and hope in Christ (186).” Don’t try to handle your anxiety. Bring your anxiety into the presence of Christ. Don’t try to fix your loneliness, hide your addiction, or change your attitude. Bring it into Christ’s presence. When you orbit around God, He fixes it. And this is good for your inner life.