The retreat will take place at the spectacular Wildcatter Ranch in Graham, TX.

This year’s theme is “Mirror Image” based upon Colossians 3:2-3, “Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.  For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.”

MEET OUR TEAM OF WORSHIP LEADERS

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“The more we focus our thinking on the things of God, the more we realize the fullness of Christ in Us, the more we can become a mirror image of Him!” – Elizabeth Mahusay

The cost for the retreat is $225 per person, with a deposit of $75 due by October 28th.  Final payment is due February 4, 2019.  This weekend promises to be a wonderful time of fellowship, worship, and study of God’s word.  Contact Carrie Mosley  or Brenda Isom for more information.

Sent By Jesus – part 2
Luke 9:1-9 (3-9)
September 2, 2018

We started on this text last time
Regarding Jesus sending out the twelve apostles.

To pull us back into focus you’ll remember:
• For 18 months Jesus has been traveling all through Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and performing miracles.
• However, after the parable of the soils He warned them that they are in danger of losing this access.

That will be true in:
Luke 9:51 “When the days were approaching for His ascension, He was determined to go to Jerusalem;”

And so the time for Galilee is short.
• From reading Mark’s gospel we know that after raising Jairus’ daughter, Jesus then returned one last time to Nazareth, but they refused to believe.
• He then began traveling one more time through Galilee
• However since their time is almost up, Jesus is about to engage in a saturation campaign.
• So now He is sending out the 12.
• Later in chapter 10, He’ll send out the 70
• And then that will be it.

It really is a picture of the long-suffering of our Lord.

And many of us are so grateful that He is so patient,
For we have a lot in common with the stubborn Galileans.

I don’t know that any of us can boast that
We readily followed Christ without any struggle whatsoever.

For many of us, faith began as an argument with the Lord,
And where it not for the Lord’s persistence and sovereign grace,
We would have rejected Him.

So none of us have a problem with
Jesus making one final push here in Galilee.

There are 5 points to be made in this text, and we looked at the first 2 last week.
#1 THE CALL
Luke 9:1

Here we simply pointed out that for the first time
Jesus pulled the twelve out from the midst of the rest of the disciples.

Here He gave them “power and authority”
They were endowed with the same power and authority that Jesus had.

What Jesus has done, they now have authority and power to do.
• They could heal the sick
• They could cast out demons
• They could raise the dead
• They could cleanse lepers
• They could restore paralytics

Jesus just called them and subsequently equipped them.
(You’ve been equipped to, with the word)

And then we saw the second point
#2 THE COMMAND
Luke 9:2

This is the “what to” of missions.
Which is to say, if you wonder what you are supposed to do,
Then read this passage, for Jesus is not cryptic here.

He could not be more straightforward.
“And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing.”

We again recognize that the mission required them to be “sent…out”.

We know that the unregenerate world is not coming to us.
• At least not unless the church consents to corrupt their worship and make it
something that is gratifying to the flesh, as many churches have done.
• But if we aspire to keep worship sanctified and holy, and gratifying only to the
Spirit and not the flesh, you can rest assured that the lost have no interest.

So getting the gospel to them requires us to go to them.
That is why Jesus sent them out.

We also remember what He sent them out to do.

PRIMARILY “to proclaim the kingdom of God”

That is, they were to preach that God has a kingdom
And men can now enter it.
Included in this is the necessity of repentance of sin
And humility before God.

That is why Mark’s gospel says:
Mark 6:12 “They went out and preached that men should repent.”

Man is not fit for the kingdom of God in his sinful condition.
He must repent of that sin and be made clean
Through the atonement which is found in Jesus Christ.

THE SECOND ASPECT of their ministry was “to perform healing”

And we talked extensively about this.
• This was validity, this was proof.
• The apostles had no New Testament that they could turn to and preach from.
• This miraculous power was to prove to the crowd that what they were saying
was the message of God.

Today we don’t need these powers
Because we have something more powerful,
Which is the apostle’s teaching; better known as the New Testament.

These are the very words of God
Which separate soul and spirit, joints and marrow
And are able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Whereas miraculous demonstrations may in fact return void,
God’s word never returns void.

So we now stand on that for our validity.

But that wasn’t the only reason they were commanded “to perform healing”.

Also included there is the call for COMPASSION.

Jesus forced the 12 to get up close and personal with people’s pain.
• It is very easy for a preacher of divine truth and a holy standard to grow callous toward sinful men when he is never around them.
• Even our Lord, that He might sympathize with our weaknesses, put on flesh and dwelt among us.

Jesus wanted this same compassion from His preachers,
And we learn that as well.

We go, we preach the gospel and the necessity of repentance,
And we do it with compassion.

These are broken people
These are lost sheep

Another good verse that summarizes that mentality so well is:
Matthew 9:36-38 “Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and dispirited like sheep without a shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. “Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”

“distressed” there is SKULLO (skoo-lo) in the Greek, it means “to skin” or “to flay”
“dispirited” is RHIPTO, (rdip-to) it means “to cast or throw off”

• These people weren’t just sheared sheep, they were skinned sheep.
• Life had skinned them and thrown them aside.
• The religious leaders had exploited them and cast them out.

And the response of our Lord to this was is clear.
“Seeing the people, He felt compassion for them”

And He ended up commanding His disciples to pray
That the Lord would send out more workers into the harvest.
Compassion for sinners leads to preaching of the gospel.

Jesus wanted both from the 12.
And that’s where we ended up last time.
This morning we move forward.

The Call, The Command
#3 THE CONDITION
Luke 9:3-4

I’m quite certain you are most likely familiar with this command
Especially since it is recorded in all 3 synoptic gospels.

However, focusing in on it, is bound to give you a little pause,
For it is somewhat of a PECULIAR COMMAND.

Jesus is sending these 12 out throughout Galilee.
• In Matthew’s gospel Jesus specifically tells them NOT to go to the region of the Samaritans, but only to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

And as we said, Galilee is not that big.
It’s only about 25 miles by 50 miles.
That’s not that much bigger than Dickens county.

And Jesus tells them specifically NOT to take preparations with them.

“Take nothing for your journey, neither a staff, nor a bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not even have two tunics apiece.”

• Travelers would usually take “a staff” to help them walk, and even a second smaller club in case they got in danger.
• They would take a “a bag” in which to hold the things they might buy
• They would take “bread” to make sure they did not get stranded without food
• They would take “money” in case they needed to buy something
• They would take “two tunics” in case it got cold and they had to sleep out in exposure.

And none of that sounds bizarre for a traveler.
If you travel, I’m betting you do at least that.

Why did Jesus tell them not to take it?

Furthermore he tells the apostles “Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that city.”

• There were no hotels in Israel, and inns were commonly nothing more than brothels.
• When you traveled you counted on the hospitality of other Israelites.

And Jesus says when you get somewhere, “stay there”.
Don’t move around from house to house.

Show up at a house with no provisions, stay at that house,
Go out and preach, and return back there every night
For your meals and lodging.

What is the point to all of this?
Well, there are several.

The FIRST, is to teach the THE VALUE OF THEIR MINISTRY.

Let me read it to you from Matthew’s gospel.
Matthew 10:7-10 “And as you go, preach, saying, ‘ The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give. “Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts, or a bag for your journey, or even two coats, or sandals, or a staff; for the worker is worthy of his support.”

Matthew’s gospel spells it out: “for the worker is worthy of his support.”

I think this hits to a very real insecurity and deception
That runs through the minds of believers far too often.

When you live in a wicked society it is all too easy for the culture to convince Christians that their preaching is a nuisance and a bother.

Jesus says just the opposite.
Jesus says what you are doing is valuable and worthy of compensation.

I don’t think believers really think that way anymore.
(Now certainly I’m not saying you should expect a $20 bill every time you talk about Jesus to someone, obviously)

What I mean though is that far too often
Believers seem to think that witnessing to someone
Is almost inappropriate and rude.

“Excuse me, I don’t mean to bother you, but…”
“I hate to take up your time, but if you have just a second…”

Now look, I’m not advocating rudeness or anything like that,
But Christian do you realize that what you are doing is not wasteful?

No one could possibly be bringing
Anything more worthy or valuable to them
Than you are when you bring them the gospel.

What the Bible say about people who preach the gospel?
Romans 10:15 “How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, “HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!”

I think Christians today see themselves more like hovering furniture salesmen that are really more irritating than helpful.

AND THAT IS NOT TRUE.
The Bible says those who go and proclaim the gospel have beautiful feet!
They are the most welcomed sight in the world.

And Jesus wanted the 12 to know this.

Don’t feel guilty about going into a city or town and preaching the gospel
Like you’re some sort of traveling medicine show
That is wasting people’s time.

• No one has ever brought anything more valuable into a city than what you are
about to bring.
• In fact, they ought to compensate you for taking the time to bring it to them.

Considering the value of this message, take a look at the early church immediately after Pentecost.
Acts 2:43-47 “Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

Surely you’ve recognized that scene before.
It almost reads like socialism.

What was going on there?
• Well, at that time you only had 1 church in the entire world, and it was in Jerusalem.
• And 3,000 of these Jews who came from out of town to celebrate the feast of weeks (remember Acts 2:9 – Parthians, Medes, Elamites, etc.) and while they were there, they got saved.
• And there was only 1 place in the world to hear the gospel.
• There was only 1 place in the world to fellowship with believers.
• And these travelers didn’t want to go home, but their resources had run out.

But understanding the value of the gospel, and the value of fellowship,
People were selling everything just to keep it all together.

The point?
It was valuable.

Jesus taught is in that parable of the treasure in the field
And again in that parable of the pearl of great price
That the gospel is worth everything a person has.

He is reiterating that to the 12 here.
• They should not enter a city feeling like men who would be a nuisance.
• They should enter a city feeling like men with the greatest offer ever.

As Paul would later say:
1 Corinthians 9:11-14 “If we sowed spiritual things in you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? If others share the right over you, do we not more? Nevertheless, we did not use this right, but we endure all things so that we will cause no hindrance to the gospel of Christ. Do you not know that those who perform sacred services eat the food of the temple, and those who attend regularly to the altar have their share from the altar? So also the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel.”

The point is, what you are doing is valuable.
Christian, don’t forget that.
And you may have to remind yourself of that at times.

Every week, after I finish with my sermon notes, Peggy puts them in a binder for me, and when it gets full she brings it to my office.

I’ve been preaching for 17 years, and from a physical perspective,
The sum total of all that I’ve accomplished fits on 2 shelves in 20, 3-ring binders.
That doesn’t look like much for 17 years.

15 years of that has been here in Spur.
This church has paid my salary for 15 years, that’s quite a chunk of money.
In exchange, all you got was about 18 of those binders.

Preaching the gospel may not feel like much, or look like much.
BUT GET PAST THAT THOUGHT, IT IS VALUABLE!

That’s part of what Jesus is saying here.

ANOTHER part, also requires Matthew’s gospel to better understand it.
Matthew 10:7-8 “And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give.”

As I told you earlier, one of the things Jesus told the apostles
Not to take with them was “a bag”.

Certainly this had to do with carrying essentials,
But even more than that it had to do with
BRINGING BACK THE THINGS YOU RECEIVE OR BUY.

And the point of Jesus here is the other side of the coin.
• Your ministry is valuable, it’s a blessing, it’s worth all the support you receive.
• It’s worthy free lodging, it’s worth free food, it’s worth compensation.

BUT…
Do not assume that you are going on this venture to make money or get rich or obtain the things of this world.

As Matthew recorded, “Freely you received, freely give.”

Can you imagine the human impulses and temptations that would have entered the minds of these apostles now that they had been empowered with the ability to heal the sick and cast out demons and raise the dead?

It would have been very tempting to start adding a price to their services,
And you and I both know people would pay it.
We see that type of corruption today with our “so-called” faith healers.

Peter said it best:
2 Peter 2:13-16 “They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, as they carouse with you, having eyes full of adultery that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children; forsaking the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; but he received a rebuke for his own transgression, for a mute donkey, speaking with a voice of a man, restrained the madness of the prophet.”

Peter knew that they were only in it for the money.
• They were modern day Balaam’s and Peter (because he learned it from Jesus)
was warning about these types of greedy false prophets.

This also explains Peter’s admonition to the elders of the church.
1 Peter 5:1-3 “Therefore, I exhort the elders among you, as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is to be revealed, shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness; nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock.”

I like the King James there which calls “sordid gain” – “filthy lucre”

Don’t do it for the money!

There is ALSO a measure of contentment expected here.
Jesus told the 12, “Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that city.”

What if the first house you stay in is the house of a poor man?
• And after a few days a tax collector gets saved and invites you to his house?
• The accommodations would certainly be more comfortable.

And some preachers certainly did this.
They made the circuit, jumping from house to house, preaching exploiting and moving on to collect all they could from everyone.

DON’T GO OUT AND USE THIS POWER TO GAIN THE WORLD.

And certainly a third point to be made here is the expectation of TRUST.

These men would have to go out and be faithful to the calling
As their first priority and let Jesus deal with all the logistical details.
When you set out without a reservation or even any food in the cooler,
You are certainly placing all the trust in the Lord for provision.

It sort reinforces His famous teaching:
Matthew 6:33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”

The apostles were to remember where their focus was to be.
They were going to preach the kingdom of God.

They weren’t going to get rich…
They weren’t going to get applause…
They weren’t going to get souvenirs…

Just preach the gospel, trust Jesus to provide,
And know that what you are doing is valuable
So don’t feel like some sort of intruder when you arrive.

For balance sake, however, we also read later in their ministry:
Luke 22:35-38 “And He said to them, “When I sent you out without money belt and bag and sandals, you did not lack anything, did you?” They said, “No, nothing.” And He said to them, “But now, whoever has a money belt is to take it along, likewise also a bag, and whoever has no sword is to sell his coat and buy one. “For I tell you that this which is written must be fulfilled in Me, ‘AND HE WAS NUMBERED WITH TRANSGRESSORS’; for that which refers to Me has its fulfillment.” They said, “Lord, look, here are two swords.” And He said to them, “It is enough.”

The point is, that making plans to go on vision is not a sin.
Jesus was teaching trust to the disciples,
But even later He reminded them that in this world, provisions must be made.

But hopefully you get His point.
These were the conditions for their missionary journey
It speaks to the true purpose and value of their mission.

Understand that Christian when you go as well.

The Call, The Command, The Conditions
#4 THE CONTINGENCY
Luke 9:5-6

Here is an interesting verse,
And one that certainly addresses an issue
That would have been on the mind of the apostles.

I know You said our ministry is valuable, and people should be willing (even eager) to meet our needs, but what if they don’t?

What about when you encounter those who are hostile to the message?

“As for those who do not receive you, as you go out from that city, shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”

WELL IT SOUNDS BAD, BUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
To fully understand it, you have to understand something of the Jewish (and even global) understanding of the value of land.

Do you remember the story about Naaman the Leper?
• He was the commander of the armies of Aram, who was sent in to Israel to be
healed by Elijah of his leprosy.
• Elijah told him to dip in the Jordan river 7 times and he’d be cleansed.
• He did, and he was.
• After being healed, he wanted to pay Elijah.

2 Kings 5:15-17 “When he returned to the man of God with all his company, and came and stood before him, he said, “Behold now, I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel; so please take a present from your servant now.” But he said, “As the LORD lives, before whom I stand, I will take nothing.” And he urged him to take it, but he refused. Naaman said, “If not, please let your servant at least be given two mules’ load of earth; for your servant will no longer offer burnt offering nor will he sacrifice to other gods, but to the LORD.”

Naaman wanted that so that He could worship Israel’s God on Israel’s dirt.

There was a mentality about land and how it was tied to worship.

Commonly when a Jew had to travel through Gentile regions,
• Before crossing the border into Israel they would stop and shake the dirt out of their sandals before transporting pagan dirt into Israel.

It was a sign of reproach, it was a sign of disdain.
We don’t want your pagan dirt contaminating our worship of the true God.

And that is what Jesus is referencing here.
• If they won’t hear you…
• If they won’t listen to you…
• If they want you to leave…

Then as you go, “shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.”

Basically, right there in their presence, with them watching,
You perform this ritual of disdain and reproach.

You will in effect be saying, “You are a pagan. You are not a worshiper of the true God, and I don’t even want your dirt, effecting the rest of Israel.”

That’s contempt isn’t it?
That’s seemingly intolerant isn’t it?
But that’s what Jesus commanded.

You say, “Wow, that doesn’t really sound much like Jesus.”
Well, how about this one?

Later, in Luke 10 when Jesus commands the 70
Luke 10:10-12 “But whatever city you enter and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your city which clings to our feet we wipe off in protest against you; yet be sure of this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’ “I say to you, it will be more tolerable in that day for Sodom than for that city.”

That’s even worse!
• Not only are we shaking the dirt from you yard off our feet to protect against
cross-contamination,
• But we’re getting out of here like Lot fleeing Sodom!

And all of this is done publicly
All of this is done “as a testimony against them”

And if you’ll remember, Paul did this on a number of occasions.
Acts 13:50-52 “But the Jews incited the devout women of prominence and the leading men of the city, and instigated a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district. But they shook off the dust of their feet in protest against them and went to Iconium. And the disciples were continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.”

Acts 18:5-6 “But when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul began devoting himself completely to the word, solemnly testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. But when they resisted and blasphemed, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”

WHAT DO WE TAKE FROM THIS?
I think it’s pretty clear.

When you go out and preach, not only is your message valuable, BUT IT IS NOT OPTIONAL.

• You’re not offering people a new alternative…
• You’re not offering people a different way to try something…
• You’re not just throwing something out there to consider…

You are preaching the message of God about how to enter His kingdom.
• If you repent you and submit to God’s King, you enter the kingdom.
• If you don’t, you remain outside the kingdom, and enemy of God, and under certain condemnation and promised destruction.

How is this for a picture?
• An army approaches the city gates, and it is clear that they have the man-
power and the fire-power to destroy your city.
• Before attacking, the commander of that army sends delegates to the city to
offer terms of peace.
• Those delegates come in, you show them around the town, you give them a
Spur Bulldogs cap and T-shirt, you invite them for supper,
• They express the opposing general’s terms.
• You must apologize to the commander of the army, for having rebelled against
him, and you must submit yourselves to his authority, or he will crush your
city.
• And you say, “Tell him to get lost, and you get out of here too”

The delegate says, “Ok”, but before he leaves, he takes off the Spur hat, and Spur T-shirt, throws it down and says, “Judgment is coming.”

THAT IS WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE.

Look, Jesus wasn’t rude…
And Jesus certainly wasn’t cruel…

But let me also remind you that Jesus never budged
On the requirement of the kingdom.

• He didn’t send the 12 into a city to organize a town forum to see if there was some sort of middle ground where they could compromise.

• He sent the 12 to go and graciously offer peace based on a few non-negotiable requirements.

And that is part of evangelism.
Is that present in your evangelism?
• Do you offer the gospel as though it is the greatest offer ever?
• And if people reject it, do you make sure they understand the grave implications of their rejection?

That is what Jesus taught the apostles to do, and they did it.
(6) “Departing, they began going throughout the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.”

That is the “What To” of being sent by Jesus.

But there is one more point, and one that I’m going to have to make very quickly.
#5 THE CULMINATION
Luke 9:7-9

Here we run across a text that really seems to stick out as not belonging.
But it does.

Herod is a mini-picture of the response of Galilee
To the preaching of the apostles.

• Not only does Herod hear about these 12 and what they are doing,
• Herod also summarizes for you how the people are responding to the message.

I don’t have the time to give you all the background on Herod,
Just know that this is the guy who beheaded John the Baptist.

And here we find that Herod “was greatly perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the prophets of old had risen again.”

SO
• The apostles went out and preached the kingdom.
• They went out and worked attesting miracles of healing.
• They told of King Jesus, and the necessity of submission to Him.

And after hearing the sermons, who did Galilee say that Jesus was?
“John” or “Elijah” or “one of the prophets”

Certainly they recognized the supernatural abilities of Jesus,
But they still refused to honor Him as was demanded.

They all saw Him as a powerful delegate from God,
But none saw Him as God’s King whom they must serve.

And even though it says that Herod wanted to see Jesus,
We all know that in 18 months he will get his chance, and all he will do is mock Jesus.

In fact in
Luke 13:31 “Just at that time some Pharisees approached, saying to Him, “Go away, leave here, for Herod wants to kill You.”

Herod didn’t want to submit to Jesus either.

Despite the apostles preaching, everyone missed the point.
THE GENERAL CONSENSUS OF THE REGION WAS
To give credit to Jesus for His power,
But to refuse submission to Jesus as their Lord.

THAT’S NOT WHAT JESUS WANTED

Fast forward to an accurate response:
Luke 9:18-20 “And it happened that while He was praying alone, the disciples were with Him, and He questioned them, saying, “Who do the people say that I am?” They answered and said, “John the Baptist, and others say Elijah; but others, that one of the prophets of old has risen again.” And He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” And Peter answered and said, “The Christ of God.”

When Peter was asked, Peter named Jesus as God’s King,
God’s Messiah, God’s Christ.
Do you see the difference?

This is what we are shooting for when we take the gospel to the world.
• We are NOT JUST trying to get people to be amazed at Jesus’ ability…
• We are NOT JUST trying to get people to believe in Jesus’ power…
• THE GOAL IS for rebels to repent and submit their lives to God’s King!

AND WE’LL SAY MORE TO THIS LATER.

However this morning we come to the TABLE OF THE LORD
Where not only do we understand the need for repentance before God,
But we also remember the price of our pardon before Him.

God allows men into His kingdom, even unworthy men,
But not before a penalty is enacted against the rebels who defied Him.
This is the necessary requirement of a holy God.

We celebrate because Jesus paid the price of that rebellion.
• He was treated as the rebel that we are,
• So that we can be accepted as the Son that He is.

2 Corinthians 5:21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

THIS MORNING WE CELEBRATE THAT.

Before we do, we have a time of preparation to once again bow our hearts to our King and to thank Him for His great sacrifice.

The Real Avenger
Psalms 9
September 2, 2018

I. DAVID’S PRAISE (1-2)

A. Praise Expressed (1-2)

B. Praise Explained (3-10)

1. You Make My Enemies Stumble (3-6)

a. They Stumble Justly (4)

b. They Stumble Totally (5)

c. They Stumble Permanently (6)

2. But For Me You Are A Stronghold (7-10)

a. A Stronghold Eternally (7)

b. A Stronghold Justly (8)

c. A Stronghold Effectively (9)

d. A Stronghold Thoroughly (10)

C. Praise Expected (11-12)

II. DAVID’S PRAYER (13-16)

A. His Personal Request (13-14)

B. His Personal Reminder (15-16)

III. DAVID’S PROCLAMATION (17-20)

A. The Wicked Won’t Always Be Free (17)

B. The Needy Won’t Always Be Forgotten (18)

C. The Nations Won’t Always Be Fearless (19-20)

If you’ve followed the theatres at all in the last decade
Then you know that Hollywood has repeatedly returned
To the same franchise over and over.

Marvel’s Avengers have already produced 20 films
With 12 more in various stages of production.
They are advertised as “Earth’s Mightiest Heroes”
And it’s safe to say that our culture loves them.

But long before Stan Lee was writing stories about Captain America and the Incredible Hulk, there was an Avenger present.

HE IS NONE OTHER THAN OUR GREAT GOD.

• NO, that doesn’t mean that our God runs around in a shiny suit with special
powers and fights mythical creatures in cosmic battles.

• RATHER, our God reigns as the sovereign Judge of the universe and
promises that a day is coming, when He will in fact avenge His people from all
the wrongs they have suffered from the wicked.

The battle has not yet been fought,
But when it is (and it will be) it won’t even be difficult.

Our God will simply destroy forever
All those who rebelled against His rule, and who afflicted His elect.

This is a fact.
And it is this fact that inspires the 9th Psalm.

• I passed you out an outline tonight, namely because outlines are often times the product of my understanding and perhaps it will help you in understanding this Psalm as well.

• I am not going to hit each detail of that outline in the sermon tonight, because detailed outlines that run that deep make for good reading, but horrible preaching.

Tonight I want to hit the big points,
And you can refer to the outline if you want something more detailed.

3 main points tonight.
#1 DAVID’S PRAISE
Psalms 9:1-12

The Psalm begins, like many Psalms begin
And that is simply with a passionate statement of exaltation to God.

When you read these first 2 verses, the thing that pours over you
Is the reality that David is “all in”

He’s not just thankful.
“I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart;”

Just so we’re clear,
The “heart” in Bible times was not the seat of emotion (that was the gut, or the bowels).
The “heart” was the seat of reason or thinking or the mind.

And so David here is not just singing as loud as he can,
But he is also racking his brain
To make sure he remembers all that he is thankful for.

This is a mental exercise for him.
• He’s contemplating on the LORD
• He’s remember God’s benefits
• He’s recounting what God has done

And as he remembers them, he says, “I will tell of all Your wonders”

That’s commitment right there.
Not only to do the mental work to explore the depths of God,
But to also commit to share what you find.

What is also true is all that David finds fully satisfies him.
“I will be glad and exult in You;”

Not just rejoicing in what God has done, but rejoicing in who God is.

And of course the external fruit of this mental labor and inner rejoicing is that it comes out of his mouth in song.

“I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.”

We read it in Ephesians:
Ephesians 5:18-20 “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father;”

Paul speaks of the spirit-filled life,
• And it is evidenced by those who speak to one another “in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” and by those who engage in “singing and making melody with [their] heart to the Lord”

That is David.
• He has searched the depths of God
• He is satisfied in what he has found
• He is grateful for what he has learned
• And He can’t wait to reveal that in songs of tremendous praise.

In short, you just see that David
Is filled with wonder and gratitude and praise for God.
IT’S OBVIOUS.

The question we again ask, is: WHY?
• David, what did you learn in your inner mental quest?
• David, what did you see as you sought out God?
• What is it about God that has made you so overwhelmingly joyful and grateful?

And the answer:
GOD IS MY AVENGER

You may not actually see the word in your text,
But in vs. 12 we read, “For He who requires blood remembers them;”

Literally translated “He who avenges bloodshed”

This is what David discovered about God.
GOD IS MY AVENGER.

I suppose we should begin with
At least a brief understanding of WHAT THAT MEANS.

In the Old Testament, you are certainly aware of the significance of bloodshed to God.

He hates the shedding of innocent blood.
• When Abel was murdered by Cain, God called out to Cain that his brother’s
blood was crying out to Him from the ground.

• When Noah got off the ark, it was the first command he received that man
should not take the life of another man because he is created in the image of
God.

• In fact, in the Old Testament, if you randomly found a dead body in the field,
you had to measure which city was closest to the man. The elders had to
come out to that man with an unworked heifer, break it’s neck, and wash their
hands over it declaring, “We did not do this!” (Numbers 21)

The point being, shedding innocent blood is a big deal,
And justice must be made when it occurs.

And so, in Bible times, if someone was murdered,
There would typically be a person who would set out to cleanse the land of that innocent blood, by killing the one who committed the murder.

That person was called “the avenger”

TURN TO: Numbers 35:9-34
That gives you a bit of an understanding.

What I’m telling you is that GOD IS AN AVENGER.

Psalms 99:8 “O LORD our God, You answered them; You were a forgiving God to them, And yet an avenger of their evil deeds.”

1 Thessalonians 4:3-6 “For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God; and that no man transgress and defraud his brother in the matter because the Lord is the avenger in all these things, just as we also told you before and solemnly warned you.”

And this Psalm praises God for that.

And so let’s see what David says.

A very telling statement comes in verse 3
“When my enemies turn back, They stumble and perish before You.”

You understand the statement.
• David has come to the realization that he’s never had a single victory because of the strength of his arm.
• Every victory he has ever accomplished has been because of the strength of his God.
Goliath didn’t fall before David.
Goliath fell before God.

But that is also true for all those who would attack David and seek to supplant him.
• Whether that is Saul or Absalom or the Philistines or any other foe.
• It is God who has come to David’s defense and delivered him from his enemies.

It is God who has made his enemies stumble.

And you’ll notice that DAVID IS QUITE EXPLICIT about how they stumble.
THE STUMBLE JUSTLY
(4) “For You have maintained my just cause; You have sat on the throne judging righteously.”

That is to say, they deserved what God gave them.
God wasn’t showing partiality, God was demonstrating justice.

No one likes it when the guilty go free,
And David says that before God, they never do.

THEY STUMBLE TOTALLY
(5) “You have rebuked the nations, You have destroyed the wicked; You have blotted out their name forever and ever.”

• God didn’t just discipline them.
• God “destroyed” them.
• God “blotted out their name”

David saw this as intense and decisive judgment.
God attacked and destroyed David’s enemies.

This is actually a promise we find in the New Testament.
2 Thessalonians 1:6-10 “For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed — for our testimony to you was believed.”

Do you pick up on those same themes?
• “it is only just…”
• “God to repay…”
• “dealing out retribution”
• “penalty of eternal destruction”

This is no idle observation by David.
God does this for His elect.
He causes their foe to totally stumble.

THEY STUMBLE PERMANENTLY
(6) “The enemy has come to an end in perpetual ruins, And You have uprooted the cities; The very memory of them has perished.”

I’ve heard of people being “ancient history”
I’ve heard of people being “a distant memory”
But David says “The very memory of them has perished.”

It’s over, they’re gone, they aren’t coming back.

David saw that God had done such a work on his behalf with his enemies.
GOD HAD AVENGED HIM MANY MANY TIMES.

And while God was avenging David’s enemies,
God was also busy protecting David.

In verse 9, David refers to God as “a stronghold”

HE IS AN ETERNAL STRONGHOLD
(7) “But the LORD abides forever; He has established His throne for judgment,”

The reason God is an eternal stronghold is because God “abides forever”
There will never be a time when He is not our avenger.

HE IS A JUST STRONGHOLD
(8) “And He will judge the world in righteousness; He will execute judgment for the peoples with equity.”

Again, He will never condemn the innocent or acquit the guilty.
He judges with “equity” or “uprightness”.

He is perfectly just.

HE IS AN EFFECTIVE STRONGHOLD
(9) “The LORD also will be a stronghold for the oppressed, A stronghold in times of trouble;”

He’s not just a stronghold when there is no threat.
He’s not phony rock.

When times are the hardest.
When trouble is the most real.
That’s when God shines forth the brightest.

He is “A stronghold in times of trouble.”

HE IS A THOROUGH STRONGHOLD
(10) “And those who know Your name will put their trust in You, For You, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.”

If you’ll remember up in verses 4-6 David listed 6 things that God had done.
All marked by “You have”.

But equally important is the one thing that God has never done.
And that is that He has “not forsaken those who seek You.”

Psalms 37:25 “I have been young and now I am old, Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken Or his descendants begging bread.”

And David is just calling it like he sees it.
• As he goes on this mental journey to discover who God has been for him,
• David is lifting his voice in praise because God has been the constant avenger
of all his enemies,
• And a constant stronghold for him in ever trouble.

And David just can’t stop singing about that.

Think about it believer.
• How has God ever failed you?
• At what time did He abandon you?
• When did He ever let the enemy fully defeat you?

David can’t think of a time, and he is amazed at that.

So much so that HE CALLS FOR CORPORATE PRAISE
From everyone who would realize this as well.

David is singing and he wants the church to sing with him.

(11-12) “Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion; Declare among the peoples His deeds. For He who requires blood remembers them; He does not forget the cry of the afflicted.”

David says, “Church you ought to be singing praises to God. Specifically because He is the avenger God who avenges you before the enemy and remembers you and never forgets your cry”

Sing to Him about that!
Praise Him for that!

“The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose, He will not, He will not desert to his foes. And though even hell should endeavor to shake, He’ll never, no never, no never forsake!”

“Through many, dangers, toils, and snares, I have already come. Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead will me home.”

• Sing of how God silenced the enemy and delivered you from his grasp.
• Sing of how God was a great stronghold for you in distress.
• Sing of how God has avenged you from the evil one.

That is David’s praise and his command for the church to sing.

1 Peter 4:3-5 “For the time already past is sufficient for you to have carried out the desire of the Gentiles, having pursued a course of sensuality, lusts, drunkenness, carousing, drinking parties and abominable idolatries. In all this, they are surprised that you do not run with them into the same excesses of dissipation, and they malign you; but they will give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.”

Praise God for that!
Praise Him that He avenges His own!
This is a blessing of being God’s child!

BUT THERE’S MORE.
Again, we are reminded why sound music is so important.

Because the song we write on the day of victory
Is also the song we’ll lean on in the valley of despair.

That song blesses your heart and causes you to sing, and you memorize it, and you love it, for it is true.

And then when life takes a difficult turn,
That truth has been embedded in your heart, and you sing it again,
But this time you sing it in faith that it is still true.

David does both.
• In verses 1-12 he sings the song in gratitude.
• In verses 13-20 he sings it again in faith.

David’s Praise
#2 DAVID’S PRAYER
Psalms 9:13-16

Do you see how what David has learned about God not only inspired his praise, but also inspired his prayer?

It is so valuable to search out the person and work of God.
Not only will it lead you to praise, but it will also lead you to prayer.

David just realized that God had many times avenged him.
And so after singing praises because of that,
DAVID NOW TURNS TO PRAYER FOR HE STILL HAS ENEMIES.

(13-14) “Be gracious to me, O LORD; See my affliction from those who hate me, You who lift me up from the gates of death, That I may tell of all Your praises, That in the gates of the daughter of Zion I may rejoice in Your salvation.”

David has a prayer request.
He is hated, and his life is in danger.

And he is asking God to do again as He has always done
And be a stronghold and an avenger once again.

And he asks it that he may continue to “tell of all Your praises.”

But I’ll tell you what I like about the way David words this prayer.
He simple asks God to “see my affliction from those who hate me.”

David doesn’t ask God to avenge him.
David doesn’t ask God to defend him.

But that’s because David knows he doesn’t have to.
All he has to do is make sure God knows about it.

My dad was a man with many flaws. The one he battled most of his life was his temper. But despite his flaws my dad was a fierce protector and defender of his family. And my sister and I knew that if anything ever happened to us, we didn’t have to tell my dad how to respond, we just had to make sure he knew about it.

I remember a time when Alaina and I could not have been more than about 6 and 10 years old and we were at a horse sale in Brownwood, TX. And an impatient alley worker wasn’t too happy with how long it was taking Alaina to cross the alley and so as soon as she reached the fence, he sent the horses down the alley. It could have been really bad. We told dad, and to this day I remember how the roof of the entire sale barn rattled when he kicked the pipe gate around into the fence, and I distinctly remember the long line of “yes sir’s” and “no sir’s” he was receiving from that man.

We didn’t have to tell him to avenge us,
We just had to tell him what had happened.

That’s all David does here.
Because he already knows that God is an avenger.

And as an added reality, David even reminds himself of the fact.

(15-16) “The nations have sunk down in the pit which they have made; In the net which they hid, their own foot has been caught. The LORD has made Himself known; He has executed judgment. In the work of his own hands the wicked is snared. Higgaion Selah.”

(“Higgain” – perhaps resounding music or meditation – who knows?)

David announces how “the nations have sunk down in the pit which they have made”

We learned that back in Psalms 7 didn’t we?
How the wicked dig a pit for the righteous but then fall into it themselves.

The question is, WHO IS DAVID REMINDING?
Certainly not God, God knows that.

David is reminding himself of who God is
And how God deals with the wicked
SO AS TO STRENGTHEN HIS OWN FAITH.

David knows that the Lord often times snares the wicked in his own snare.

• Do you remember when we spoke of Haman, building gallows for Mordecai and then being hanged on them himself?

• Do you remember Pharaoh’s edict to drown all the Hebrew baby boys, and then that Pharaoh was himself drowned in the Red sea?

• Do you remember that Jacob had a propensity for lying, even dressing up at times to deceive, and then we remember his wedding night with Leah?

We read it:
Galatians 6:7 “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.”

Or how about this story:
Judges 1:3-7 “Then Judah said to Simeon his brother, “Come up with me into the territory allotted me, that we may fight against the Canaanites; and I in turn will go with you into the territory allotted you.” So Simeon went with him. Judah went up, and the LORD gave the Canaanites and the Perizzites into their hands, and they defeated ten thousand men at Bezek. They found Adoni-bezek in Bezek and fought against him, and they defeated the Canaanites and the Perizzites. But Adoni-bezek fled; and they pursued him and caught him and cut off his thumbs and big toes. Adoni-bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and their big toes cut off used to gather up scraps under my table; as I have done, so God has repaid me.” So they brought him to Jerusalem and he died there.”

You get the idea.
David is reminding himself of this very thing
THAT HIS FAITH MAY ENDURE
Even though now currently in a difficult predicament.

And David’s prayer of faith is made possible by the song of praise which he had learned.

Sound music is so important.

David’s Praise, David’s Prayer
#3 DAVID’S PROCLAMATION
Psalms 9:17-20

We’ve heard David singing, we’ve seen David praying,
AND NOW DAVID IS PREACHING.

He’s sharing what he knows about God with the rest of the nation
That their faith might also be encouraged.

And his truths are so important for every believer to know.
THE WICKED WON’T ALWAYS BE FREE
(17) “The wicked will return to Sheol, Even all the nations who forget God.”

I know at times it feels as though wickedness abounds.
It feels like we are drowning in the corruption of the world.

And certainly this was promised.
2 Timothy 3:1-9 “But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these. For among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men of depraved mind, rejected in regard to the faith. But they will not make further progress; for their folly will be obvious to all, just as Jannes’s and Jambres’s folly was also.”

We know wickedness will rise, but we also know that it won’t last.
“the wicked will return to Sheol, even all the nations who forget God.”

They won’t survive, remember that.

THE NEEDY WON’T ALWAYS BE FORGOTTEN
(18) “For the needy will not always be forgotten, Nor the hope of the afflicted perish forever.”

And of course they aren’t really ever forgotten.
Verse 10 made that clear.

It’s just that at times it feels that way.
• At times it feels like the Devil is already taking a victory lap.
• At times it feels like this whole thing is headed down the gutter.

But it won’t always be this way.
God hasn’t forgotten and our hope is not a foolish one.

The day of God’s vengeance is coming.
• He will avenge His children on their enemies.
• He will fulfill their hopes.

Remember this story?
Luke 16:19-25 “Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day. “And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores. “Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. “In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom. “And he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.’ “But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony.”

It was bad for Lazarus for a while, but it didn’t end that way.

THE NATIONS WON’T ALWAYS BE FEARLESS
(19-20) “Arise, O LORD, do not let man prevail; Let the nations be judged before You. Put them in fear, O LORD; Let the nations know that they are but men. Selah.”

Today men strut about continually.
• Boasting of atheism and paganism
• Boasting of immorality and iniquity
• Relishing foul language and lewd behavior
• Laughing at the grossest of immoralities

And men do this because there is no fear of God before their eyes.

But there will be…
There is coming a day when the whole world will emphatically learn
That there is a God and it is not them.

Revelation 6:12-17 “I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

There is coming a day when fear of God will be reinstated.
Men will know who He is and will shudder.

And this is David’s encouragement to the church.
• Sing to God – He is the Avenger!
• Pray to God – He is the Avenger!
• Trust God – He is the Avenger!

BUT LET ME TAKE IT ONE STEP FURTHER.
Because, while the New Testament doesn’t quote this Psalm,
It does reference the doctrine behind it.

We are given a very real and practical application
To how we are to respond to the fact that God is our avenger.
TURN TO: Luke 18:1-8

Do you see that?
“will not God bring about justice for His elect cry to Him day and night, and will He delay long over them?”

And the implied answer is no.
“I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”

But what is the application to the story?
It’s seen in verse 1.
“That at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart”

• Trust God.
• Don’t lose heart, just pray
• Know that God is the Avenger
• He brings about justice for His elect
• Know this, trust this, lean on this, and rejoice in this!
It is a blessing for the church.

D-NOW 2018!!!

2018 RULES VIDEO

2018 HIGHLIGHT VIDEO

Dan Tarr's Friday night Sermon (audio picks up at minute mark) 
(right click to download)

Dan Tarr's Saturday morning Sermon (right click to download)

Dan Tarr's Saturday night Sermon (right click to download)

Kaylin Adam's Testimony

(SONG) "Let My Light Shine Bright" (Scott Cunningham)

Dan Tarr's Sunday School Sermon (right click to download)

Sunday Morning Worship (Scott Cunningham)

Scripture Reading: Acts 2

Dan Tarr's Sunday Morning Worship Sermon (right click to download)

FOUNTAINS SKIT

[2jslideshow 5523]

How Great Is Our God
Psalms 8
August 26, 2018

You are probably aware that
Our society is greatly a society in love with our selves.
We are as self-absorbed as any society ever in the history of the world.

In 2009 there was a book written called “The Narcissism Epidemic” by Jean Twinge and Keith Campbell. They wrote:
“Perhaps nowhere in human history has human pride run freer, and we all see it, to our shame, than on the internet with the “me” generation. It began with blogs and myspace, then came facebook, which now has 5 hundred million users worldwide (as of 2018 that number is over 2 billion). And of course there is youtube which blatantly invites us all to “broadcast ourselves”. And twitter has given everyone the chance to broadcast a running commentary on their lives. It gives the illusion that there are dozens, perhaps even hundreds of people, who really care what you’re doing right now.”

You know it and I know it, we live in the land of “selfies”
• Constantly promoted are things like “self-love” and “self-care”
• Advertising for years has played to this dilemma constantly telling us to “Have It Your Way” and “Just Do It” and “Because You’re Worth It”

We might expect that from an unredeemed world,
This has even swept into the world of Christianity.

Probably nowhere more noticeable than in the realm of Christian music:

In 2011 a band Mikeschair released their hit song “Someone Worth Dying For”
“Am I more than flesh and bone? Am I really something beautiful? Yeah, I want to believe, I want to believe that I’m not just some wandering soul That you don’t see and you don’t know Yeah, I want to believe, Jesus help me believe That I am someone worth dying for.”

Or Hillsong’s “What A Beautiful Name”
Which sought to teach us: “You didn’t want heaven without us, so Jesus you brought heaven down.”

Or the Avalon song released in 2000 which taught us:
“We were the reason that He gave His life, we were the reason that He suffered and died”

The obvious problem is that it makes Christianity
About the worth of the sinner instead of the worth of the Savior.

It just reflects the self-love of our culture, now infiltrating the church.

And based on that love of self
It certainly makes sense why we would develop music
All about why God would want to save us,
“I mean look at us, we’re cuter than the puppies on the Sarah McLachlan commercial.”

Why wouldn’t God do whatever it takes just to have a relationship with us?

After all, He’s often described as eternally lonely, desperately wanting (even needing) a relationship with you.

After all, it was Max Lucado who taught us in his book “God So Loved You”
“On the eve of the cross, Jesus made his decision. He would rather go to hell for you than go to heaven without you.”

You get it right?
It’s all about the worth of the sinner.

Well let me be the first to tell you
All of that makes for HORRIBLE CHURCH MUSIC.
• That’s one of the reasons we study the Psalms.
• These are God-Inspired (God-breathed) worship songs that God gave for the
church to sing.

And in them you most certainly won’t find any songs
About how great or worthy or loveable or important man is.

You will however find the very heart of worship music,
Which is the glory of God.

That is what we find here in Psalm 8.
• It has been widely titled as “The Astronomer’s Psalm”
• It could certainly be called “The Humans don’t deserve saving, but God did it anyway Psalm”

This Psalm does nothing to inflate the human ego,
But rather magnifies the majestic God of the universe
Who chose to elevate men who most certainly didn’t deserve it.

I just called it (to be nice) “How Great Is Our God”

Let’s work through it together.
• 4 things David recognizes about God

#1 GOD’S UNLIMITED DISPLAY
Psalms 8:1

Now before we get to the specifics about God’s display of majesty,
We do first recognize that this Psalm comes with bookends.

Verse 1 begins and Verse 9 ends with the same phrase.
That’s how you know what the song is about!

“O LORD, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth”

Just a brief explanation of what is being said here.

“LORD” is the covenantal name of God.
• You’ve also heard it as Yahweh.
• It was the name that the Jews so revered that they wouldn’t even say it out loud,
• Thus they called Him “LORD”. (For your benefit, it’s often translated in all caps)

David is addressing this Psalm to the “LORD”

David also calls Him “our Lord”,
• That is the word ADONAY, which is a title only used of God which designates God as our God and Lord and master.

So obviously David is referencing the God of the universe,
Who also happens to be our God.

If you want more there go and study Psalms 95
(since it will be a couple of years before we get there)

And then David makes the statement of the Psalm.
“How majestic is Your name in all the earth”

You should simply know that the reference to God’s “name”
Is the reference to His character and His attributes.

It is all that God has revealed Himself to be.

Entire sermon series have been preached on these names, but I can give you a brief explanation to help you see what we mean.

You were already exposed to YAHWEH, which is the covenantal name given to God. It speaks of his eternal and unchangeable nature.

Beyond those, you’ve heard:
YAHWEH YIREH (Jehovah Jireh) which is the name Abraham gave when finding the ram caught in the thicket, “The Lord Provides” (Genesis 22:14)

YAHWEH NISSI which is a name coming from Moses as the Israelites went into battle, “The Lord is My Banner” (Exodus 17:15)

YAHWEH ROHI is the famous name given by David, “The Lord is My Shepherd” (Psalms 23:1)

YAHWEH SHALOM is a name ascribed by Gideon, “The Lord is Peace” (Judges 6:22-24)

YAHWEH SHAMMAH was given by Ezekiel after witnessing the glory of God depart from the temple and then through a vision, seeing Him return, Ezekiel ascribed this name, “The Lord is There” (Exodus 48:35)

YAHWEH TSIDKENU came from Jeremiah as he lived amidst a wicked people, “The Lord is Our Righteousness” (Jeremiah 23:5-6)

YAHWEH MEKADESH comes from Moses, “The Lord who Sanctifies You” (Lev. 20:8)

YAHWEH ROPHA also comes from Moses, “The Lord who Heals” (Exodus 15:26)

Beyond those names, we are familiar with:
YAHWEH SABAOTH – “The Lord of Hosts” or God of angel armies

EL ECHAD – “The One God”
EL ROI – “The God who Sees”
EL ELYON – “God Most High”
EL SHADDAI – “God Almighty”
EMMANUEL – “God With Us”

All of those names give insight into who God is,
And how God reveals Himself to His people.

When David says, “How majestic is Your name in all the earth”
He is saying,
• “How amazing You are God!”
• “How Great Thou Art”
• “How Great Is Our God”

This is also the implication in the Model Prayer when Jesus commanded:
Matthew 6:9 “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.”

• As you pray, take a moment and hallow all that God is.
• Recognize His greatness.
• Contemplate exactly who it is you are coming before.

David is doing that.
• This Psalm begins and ends with that statement of exaltation.
• This Psalm is all about the unmeasurable magnificence of God.

That is what is implied in the statement “How majestic”.
It is undefined, it is incalculable, it is beyond comprehension.
We get that.

But THE QUESTION of the Psalm is – Why do you say that David?
• Why do you say that God is so majestic?
• Why do you say that God is so great?

Good Christian music should fill both of those roles.
It should extol the greatness of God and explain why we think that.

Well here is why David thinks that.
It’s his first reason.

GOD’S UNLIMITED DISPLAY
“Who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens!”

The “heavens” David speaks of is the first heaven which we see by day,
And he is referencing what is above that.

We know that because in verse 3 David references what he is looking at, “The moon and the stars, which You have ordained;”

That is why they often call this “The Astronomers Psalm”
David is out gazing into the star-filled night.

And that alone is enough for David to stop
And talk about the majesty of God.

Do you want to know something about the majesty of God?
Then look at the stars.

Want some help?

First of all, they were created by God.
Genesis 1:16 “God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also.”

They are magnificent to us, but even more magnificent
When you learn things like the fact that our sun is a star.
That should tell you something of the magnificence of a star.

Then we learn things like, most of the stars in the heavens
Aren’t even visible from earth, even with powerful telescopes.

They are literally an unlimited display.
A ball of light and power and beauty and they are without number.
And God made them all.

Not only that, but He named and sustains them.
Psalms 147:4-5 “He counts the number of the stars; He gives names to all of them. Great is our Lord and abundant in strength; His understanding is infinite.”

To know the names of every star, how incredible is the intellect of God?

Isaiah 40:26 “Lift up your eyes on high And see who has created these stars, The One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name; Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power, Not one of them is missing.”

God sustains those stars as well.
Often people speak of “falling stars” but those aren’t stars.
Those are meteoroids falling into the earth’s atmosphere and burning up.

The stars God made, are all there, every single one of them.

In fact, they are sign of God’s faithfulness.
Jeremiah 31:35-37 “Thus says the LORD, Who gives the sun for light by day And the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar; The LORD of hosts is His name: “If this fixed order departs From before Me,” declares the LORD, “Then the offspring of Israel also will cease From being a nation before Me forever.” Thus says the LORD, “If the heavens above can be measured And the foundations of the earth searched out below, Then I will also cast off all the offspring of Israel For all that they have done,” declares the LORD.”

They are a fixed order which will not depart and cannot be measured,
And that is a sign of God’s faithfulness to His people.

They won’t move until God Himself moves them in the end times.

The stars are also a means by which God measures His own goodness to humanity.
Genesis 15:5 “And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”

And of course that phrase is repeated many times over.
It is God’s way of saying to Abraham
That His grace and goodness is without limit.

Stars are brilliant indicators of the limitless majesty of God.

And yet, even stars fall short of His glory.
Job 25:4-6 “How then can a man be just with God? Or how can he be clean who is born of woman? “If even the moon has no brightness And the stars are not pure in His sight, How much less man, that maggot, And the son of man, that worm!”

Compared to God the moon and the stars have no brightness at all.

And that’s just a brief glimpse of what David is talking about here.

“O Lord my God, when I, in awesome wonder, consider all the worlds Thy hands have made. I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, Thy power throughout the universe displayed. Then sings my soul, my Savior; God; to Thee, How Great Thou Art! How Great Thou Art!”

That is what David is doing.
And His point is that God has put His majesty on tremendous display!

And even from the New Testament we know that
This revelation reveals to us enough about God
That even the pagan born in the remotest parts of the earth
Is condemned by it.

Romans 1:20 “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.”

The great “invisible attributes” of God
The “eternal power” and “divine nature” are “clearly seen” there.

David certainly could, and for that he is singing
“How Great is Our God”

Now, I am aware that “science” (we should say “fallen science” or “deceived science” or “dishonest science”)
Seeks to give other explanations to the wonder of creation,
But as David points out, their arguing is pointless.

God squashes the atheist argument continually.

You’ve seen God’s Unlimited Display
#2 GOD’S UNDENIABLE DEFENSE
Psalms 8:2

This is how God continually squashes the atheist
And defends Himself in a fallen world,
It is also the second reason David cries out, “How Great Is Our God”.

How does God defend Himself from those who would seek to argue away His existence and explain away His creative power?

He does it through the mouths of infants and babes.

“From the mouth of infants and nursing babes You have established strength because of Your adversaries, to make the enemy and the revengeful cease.”

I found this both remarkable and hilarious!

Look at a child, talk to a child.
• You may have indeed spent time in your life teaching children truths about God, but I’m willing to bet that you’ve never had to enter into a debate with a child about whether or not God was real.

• The only exception would be a child who has already been taught by the enemy.

But a child with no “education” or “brain washing”,
I’ll tell you how they come from the womb.

They are born with a knowledge of God.
They know He is real.

It must frustrate the enemy to no end,
To know that he must continue his work of deception ever harder because every time a child is born, the burden falls to him to disprove what that child already knows; that God is real.

You say, how can you say that?
How can you say that children know that at birth?

Because God wove that knowledge into the very fabric of their DNA
Romans 1:18-20 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.”

The issue is not that men don’t know about God,
It’s that through deception and their own sinful desires,
They refuse to honor Him as such.

• Today we have Atheists who deny the existence of God
• We have Agnostics who just sort of claim they don’t know if He is real or not.

Neither of those actually exist.
What they should actually be called is “Anti-Theists”.
They know there is a God, they’ve just chosen to rebel against Him.

God placed that knowledge in their heart; they were born with it.

Not only that, but God also imprinted His Law in their hearts.
Romans 2:14-16 “For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.”

That is called the conscience.

Point is, every child born knows of God
And knows of His righteous standards.

And this is a continual and baffling defense to a world that seeks to deny Him.
• That’s why atheists have to work so hard.
• That’s why the devil has to prowl around seeking someone to devour

The work falls to them.
And David marvels at that.

You may remember that Jesus quoted this verse as a testimony to His own deity.
Matthew 21:14-16 “And the blind and the lame came to Him in the temple, and He healed them. But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that He had done, and the children who were shouting in the temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they became indignant and said to Him, “Do You hear what these children are saying?” And Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read, ‘OUT OF THE MOUTH OF INFANTS AND NURSING BABIES YOU HAVE PREPARED PRAISE FOR YOURSELF’?”

The children naturally praised Jesus.
I love that when the Pharisees are shocked by this and ask Jesus if He hears them (presumably that He should be shocked at such blasphemy).

Jesus just says, “Yes, I hear them. What do you expect, they’re children, and children know who God is. Sorry…”

And that also causes David to sing, “How Great is Our God”

Not only has He created the splendor of the heavens
And put Himself on display there,
But He has also poured the knowledge of Himself
Into every human heart.

That is greatness isn’t it!

But even those AREN’T THE MAIN REASONS
For this song of how great God is.

God’s Unlimited Display – God’s Undeniable Defense
#3 GOD’S UNMERITED DECISION
Psalms 8:3-8

Now here is where David hits the crescendo of unmitigated worship.

He says, (3) “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained;”

• When I think about your majesty spread all over space
• And then I think about how You have poured knowledge of Yourself into every human being and made Yourself known to him,

Then I have a question.
(4) “What is man that You take thought of him, and the son of man that You care for him?”

This is where David’s mind is blown.
God it just doesn’t add up.
I don’t get why You would take such interest in man.

That’s a far cry from “something worth dying for”
Or “we are the reason” isn’t it?

David says I just don’t get it.

Presupposed here is David’s doctrine of man.
And it is important for you to have a right doctrine of man.

In fact, if your doctrine of man is wrong,
You’re doctrine of God will never be right either.

Let me remind you just a moment about man.

We already heard Bildad in Job 25 call man a “maggot” and a “worm”.
Those really aren’t that far off.

Let’s talk about man for a moment.

We certainly know that man, like the stars, was created.
• But unlike the stars, we know exactly what man was created from.
• We know what raw materials God used…DIRT

Genesis 3:19 “By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return.”

And the fact that man will return to dirt speaks volumes of his frailty and insignificance.
James 4:14 “Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.”

Psalms 144:3-4 “O LORD, what is man, that You take knowledge of him? Or the son of man, that You think of him? Man is like a mere breath; His days are like a passing shadow.”

Man is mortal.
Hebrews 9:27 “And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,”

He is hardly significant or hearty.
No wonder the common analogy from God about man was “sheep”.

Beyond that the ignorance of man is well document. We aren’t the sharpest knives in the drawer.

David even confesses in Psalm 139 about God’s works.
Psalms 139:6 “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it.”

Job 37:5 “God thunders with His voice wondrously, Doing great things which we cannot comprehend.”

Psalms 94:11 “The LORD knows the thoughts of man, That they are a mere breath.”
That is to say, “they are hot air”

How about regarding the knowledge of God?
John 1:10-11 “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.”

John 14:17 “that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.”

1 Corinthians 2:14 “But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.”

In other words, for all the things that we know and have “figured out”,
Man never figured out how to get to God.
If God hadn’t caused man to know, they wouldn’t know.

God had to literally “spell-it-out” for us.
Man is not intelligent.

But I’ll tell you what they are: they are rebellious!
Genesis 6:5-6 “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.”

Romans 3:10-18 “as it is written, “THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS, THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD; ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.” “THEIR THROAT IS AN OPEN GRAVE, WITH THEIR TONGUES THEY KEEP DECEIVING,” “THE POISON OF ASPS IS UNDER THEIR LIPS”; “WHOSE MOUTH IS FULL OF CURSING AND BITTERNESS”; “THEIR FEET ARE SWIFT TO SHED BLOOD, DESTRUCTION AND MISERY ARE IN THEIR PATHS, AND THE PATH OF PEACE THEY HAVE NOT KNOWN.” “THERE IS NO FEAR OF GOD BEFORE THEIR EYES.”

And because of this, we are even called enemies of God.
Romans 5:10 “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”

And if being called enemies isn’t bad of enough.
Jesus refers to mankind as “sheep”, “vipors”, “stubborn”, “obstinate”, “foolish”, “wicked”, “evil”, etc.

Certainly Paul had a handle on what we are:
Titus 3:3 “For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.”

Ephesians 2:1-3 “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.”

Perhaps Solomon gave the best summation of humanity:
Ecclesiastes 9:3 “This is an evil in all that is done under the sun, that there is one fate for all men. Furthermore, the hearts of the sons of men are full of evil and insanity is in their hearts throughout their lives. Afterwards they go to the dead.”

They are just puny, ignorant, wicked, insignificant, maggots in the dirt.
It’s like showing up at a garage sale after lunch,
There’s just nothing there of any value at all.

And David knows this, which is why His mind is currently blown.

With you being God, and man being man, why do you care?

Well you say, what do you mean David?
What has God done for man that has so blown your mind?

Aside from the fact that
God revealed Himself to man in creation and the heart,
There is also the little fact that above all of His creation,
God chose man to be the pinnacle. God elevated man to the top.
God set glory on man.

(5-8) “Yet You have made him a little lower than God, And You crown him with glory and majesty! You make him to rule over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, All sheep and oxen, And also the beasts of the field, The birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, Whatever passes through the paths of the seas.”

David saw that God had given man dominion.
And he couldn’t figure out why.

• Certainly we remember God giving Adam charge and the right to name all the animals.
• And even now David sees that man rules the earth, and not lions or hippos or horses or gorillas.

WHY?
It’s not because we’re stronger or smarter or nobler.
We already established that.

Why would God give man dominion over all things?
And there is only 1 possible answer: GRACE

It is because, He is “our Lord” which David announced in verse 1.
He has set His favor on us,
And chosen to do for us what we do not deserve.
AND THIS BLEW DAVID’S MIND.

But I’ll go you one even greater than that.
David marvels that God has put unworthy and insignificant man in charge of all things,
But if you’ll remember, the writers of the New Testament
Saw a problem with that.

Hebrews 2:5-8 “For He did not subject to angels the world to come, concerning which we are speaking. But one has testified somewhere, saying, “WHAT IS MAN, THAT YOU REMEMBER HIM? OR THE SON OF MAN, THAT YOU ARE CONCERNED ABOUT HIM? “YOU HAVE MADE HIM FOR A LITTLE WHILE LOWER THAN THE ANGELS; YOU HAVE CROWNED HIM WITH GLORY AND HONOR, AND HAVE APPOINTED HIM OVER THE WORKS OF YOUR HANDS; YOU HAVE PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER HIS FEET.” For in subjecting all things to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him.”

The writer of Hebrews just called it like it is.
• Psalm 8 says “You have put all things in subjection under His feet”,
• But we don’t see it that way today.

The Bible may say that man hos dominion, but creation is still a dangerous place for man.
• Wild animals will kill him
• The ocean will kill him
• The mountains will kill him
• The desert will kill him
• Bacteria and disease will kill him

What gives?
And you know the answer.
Adam transgressed against God, and the usurper stole his dominion.

God told Adam that if you eat of that fruit you will surely what? DIE

And there you have it.
Man has to die.

But the writer of Hebrews saw another startling reality there.
We don’t currently see all things subjected to man, but…
Hebrews 2:9 “But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.”

We don’t see all things subject to man, but we do see Jesus.
Who came as a man and suffered death for all of us.

In short, He came and paid Adam’s death.
So that through Him, we can regain our rightful position.

In fact, Paul quotes this verse twice in his epistles, and both times Paul applies the verse to Jesus.

1 Corinthians 15:27-28 “For HE HAS PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER HIS FEET. But when He says, “All things are put in subjection,” it is evident that He is excepted who put all things in subjection to Him. When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.”

Ephesians 1:22 “And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church,”

So what are we driving at here?

Well, first of all,
• It should blow your mind that God ever chose to put man in charge of all things.
• It should blow your mind that the God of galaxies would think so much of some man that He formed out of the dirt, that He would promote him above it all.

That should blow your mind.

But it should blow your mind even more
• That when that man rebelled against God and despised his glorious role that God was still gracious enough to send His own Son to redeem man back to that original position.

That is mind-blowing!

Not only did God choose a piece of dirt and give him glory,
But when that dirt acted like dirt, God did not give up on him.
Instead God paid a high price to redeem him.

And if you read that and suddenly your mind
Is filled with thoughts about the value of man,
Then you don’t have a clue how to read the Bible.

David is not mesmerized at how valuable man must be.
• He knows how valuable man is – nil
• David is mesmerized at how gracious God is.

And that brings us back to the start, and also the final point.
#4 GOD’S UNFATHOMABLE DESIGNATION
Psalms 8:9

• Maybe you had trouble singing about the greatness of God’s name in vs 1.
• Maybe the sum total of how He revealed Himself was less than amazing to you when we started this Psalm.

But now,
• After learning the splendor that is God’s through creation…
• After learning the decision of God to make Himself known to all men…
• After learning of God’s grace to elevate man and then redeem him after he stumbled…

How majestic do you think God is now?
His majesty is unfathomable…
“How Great is our God?!?”

Can you answer that?
Can you ascribe a value to Him?

• When you become aware that He is the God who provides, and shepherds and heals and sanctifies…
• When you find in Him righteousness, and a banner, and peace, and One who is there…
• When you grasp that He is the God of angel armies, and One God, and the God who sees, and God Most High and God Almighty…
• When you see that even as that He became God with us…

Can you ascribe a level of majesty to His name?
Neither could David.

So He sang, “O LORD, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth!”

And I just remind you tonight:
Don’t let living in a world that thinks man is the center of it all,
Confuse you as to who deserves all the glory.

None of this is about the worth or value of man.
It is all about the greatness and majesty of our Great God.