Fellowship Group Notes – 10/11 April 2013 				        Psalm 72 – Reigning Right
AIM – To discover who God’s ideal ruler is, what he looks like and what this means for our lives.

Introduction - before you read this Psalm think about and share what qualities you look for in a world leader
Then Read Psalm 72
-	Who is the author of this Psalm and who is it written about?
-	This Psalm begins in verse 1 with a petition,  which reminds us of King Solomon’s petition to God for wisdom to be able to govern God’s people rightly (see 1 Kings 3v7-12) ... does Solomon’s reign also fit verse 10? (see 1 Kings chapter 10)
-	As we can see there are parts of this Psalm which could refer to an earthly king’s rule, but what verses point to this Psalm talking about a future Messiah? Discover and Discuss.

From the text it’s clear to see that this Psalm is a Messianic Psalm, as no earthly king like Solomon could ever fulfil everything that is written in it, only through Jesus Christ will this Psalm be ultimately fulfilled. 
So this Psalm answers the following questions for us: what is God’s ideal king like? What are his attributes? What are his qualities? What marks his character? What will his rule look like?

-	Looking at this Psalm in five sections (as seen below) write down / describe in your own words, what the rule of Jesus Christ (God’s ideal king) will look like: 
v1-4 – 
v5-7 –
v8-11 –
v12-14 –
v15-17 –
(In addition to Psalm 72 some other helpful texts which describe Christ’s future rule are: Isaiah 11, Zechariah 9v9-13, Philippians 2v9-11)
-	v18-19 appropriately closes this second book of Psalms with hope and praise, and we also look forward to that day when Christ will one day come again and fully establish his kingdom here on earth, a day when this Psalm will be completely fulfilled. Spend some time thinking ahead to that day and praise God for it.  
But what about the here and now?
-	Read 1 Timothy 2v1-2, then spend a moment praying for world leaders to display the kind of qualities described in this Psalm, thinking about how it would change the world if they did. 
-	Do we have a role in any of this? If Christ lives in us as Christian believers (Colossians 1v27) how can we display God’s kingdom here on earth right now? More specifically ... in what ways, as individuals and as a church do we help needy and afflicted people, the kind of people who are referred to throughout this Psalm? Could we do more, and if so what? How will we put this into action in our daily lives?

Prayer Points
Corporate Prayer at Surrey Chapel / Sizewell House Party (19th-21st Apr) / Surrey Seniors (19th Apr).                     
gmr