Description: The big idea of this week's sermon from Psalms 12:1-8 is that a deceived world will be saved by a divine word, that of Jesus Himself, the word who became flesh. Through the chiastic structure of Psalm 12, the Psalmist contrasts the words of the wicked with the words of the Lord. The wicked, who with smooth speech boast confidently of their ability to exploit others through the abuse of their power, are challenged by the words of the Lord, who answers with the promise of deliverance in response to the cries of the oppressed. But when did the Lord make good on this promise to rescue? The answer comes in the gospel according to John, where it explains that the Lord did arise to deliver his people by becoming the man Jesus, who through suffering the boasts and oppression of a broken world, defeated the power of sin and death, ultimately being raised in victory and now reigning in heaven.

Discussion Questions:
1) How have you seen deception in your life? How did God respond?
2) Are there things in your life that keep you from asking God to bring an end to wickedness? What do you think contributes to that?
3) How have you seen the power of God at work in your life or in other's lives?
4) What connections do you see between our society and that of the one being discussed in Psalm 12? What does the Psalm have to say about these things and what encouragement does it offer?
5) Is it possible that we are living in a society that needs saving? How would we know? How do we respond?
6) How does Jesus incarnation provide the most ultimate answer to the response of God in Psalm 12?
7) How have you seen God respond to the cries of his people?