Psalm 36
August 23, 2026
preached by Pastor Doug Cooper
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Time of Reflection Quotations

“A ruthless, sleepless, unsmiling concentration upon self… is the mark of Hell.”

~ C.S. Lewis (1898-1963)

“Sin comes when we take a perfectly natural desire or longing or ambition and try desperately to fulfill it without God. Not only is it sin, it is a perverse distortion of the image of the Creator in us. All these good things, and all our security, are rightly found only and completely in Him.”

~ Augustine (354-430), North African bishop and theologian

“Nothing humbles and breaks the heart of a sinner like mercy and love. Souls that converse much with sin and wrath, may be much terrified; but souls that converse much with grace and mercy, will be much humbled.”

~ Thomas Brooks (1608-1680), English preacher and author

“Love is the only fire that is hot enough to melt the iron obstinacy of a creature’s will.”

~ Alexander MacLaren (1826-1910), English minister

“Sovereign grace has pow’r alone To subdue a heart of stone;
And the moment grace is felt, Then the hardest heart will melt.”

~ John Newton (1725-1807), English clergyman

“In ‘religion,’ the purpose of repentance is basically to keep God happy so he will continue to bless you and answer your prayers. This means that religious repentance is selfish, self-righteous, and bitter all the way to the bottom. In the gospel, however, the purpose of repentance is to repeatedly tap into the joy of our union with Christ, to weaken our impulse to do anything contrary to God’s heart.”

“Disordered love leads always to misery and breakdown. The only way to ‘reorder’ our loves is to love God supremely.”

~ Timothy Keller (1950-2023), American minister, theologian, author

Sermon Passage

Psalm 36 (ESV)

To the choirmaster. Of David, the servant of the LORD.

¹ Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart; there is no fear of God before his eyes. ² For he flatters himself in his own eyes that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated. ³ The words of his mouth are trouble and deceit; he has ceased to act wisely and do good. ⁴ He plots trouble while on his bed; he sets himself in a way that is not good; he does not reject evil.

⁵ Your steadfast love, O LORD, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. ⁶ Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; your judgments are like the great deep; man and beast you save, O LORD.

⁷ How precious is your steadfast love, O God! The children of mankind take refuge in the shadow of your wings. ⁸ They feast on the abundance of your house, and you give them drink from the river of your delights. ⁹ For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light.

¹⁰ Oh, continue your steadfast love to those who know you, and your righteousness to the upright of heart! ¹¹ Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away. ¹² There the evildoers lie fallen; they are thrust down, unable to rise.