DECLARING GOD’S GLORY! (A FIRM FOUNDATION — Message #5)
Psalm 19:1-14
INTRODUCTION:
Well, good morning everyone. It’s great to see you all today. Thanks for making this day a part of your weekend plans. I invite you to take your Bible and turn with me to the Old Testament book of Psalms. If you have our app, you can open it, and you’ll find our notes there this as well.
TRANSITION:
I want to begin with a simple statement — sort of a declaration of purpose or mission. And it’s this:
The purpose of all things is to bring glory to God.
In a sense, that’s just a restatement of what the church has been saying since it’s beginning (in that 1st century). It is the first question answered in the list of teaching known as Catechism. Some of you may have grown up using that tool to help you define your theology and faith. In many churches it’s the model used for their discipleship. Sort of a question and answer tool that teaches biblical principles.
And in the The Westminster Shorter Catechism, the first question asks:
Q. 1. What is the chief end (purpose) of man? // (And the answer states…) Man’s chief end (purpose) is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever. And I have come to fully believe that assessment. And it’s that truth that I hope to reveal to you this morning. Because, the purpose of all things (really) is to bring glory to God. That being said, we live in a world filled with noise, and chaos, and a plethora voices and other messages. Because of this, we sometimes miss the main thing.
It reminds me of a story I read about a baseball legend, named Bill Klem. Klem was known for his connection to baseball — but not for his athletic ability. Klem was known more for his intellectual prowess and his expertise at calling games. During his day, he was unquestionably, the best major league umpire in the game. He called games for nearly 40 years at the beginning of the 20th century. He was referred to as the “Old Arbitrator” and the “Father of baseball umpires.” He called 18 different World Series (a record to this day). And, he holds the record for ejecting more players from the game than any umpire, ever (at 251). Simply put, he was tough. And his authority (in baseball) was virtually unquestionable.
Well, there’s a story that’s told about a game he was calling. During the ninth inning of a critical game, the pitcher threw the ball. As it crossed home plate, the batter hit it hard into left field. When he did, a runner on third base took off for home — hoping to score and win the game.
As he made his way down the base line, the left fielder threw a dart to home plate. The catcher leaned in over the plate, and the ball arrived just in time for him to tag the runner. But…as he did, the runner collided into him, and knocking the two men into the umpire. Dust flew, and the men fell to the ground. With the crowd waiting to hear the call, one of the dugouts shouted, “He’s safe! He’s safe!” Almost instantly, the other dugout yelled, “He’s out! He’s out!” Well, that stirred the fans, and they began shouting too. At which point, Bill Klem stood up, faced the crowd, shook his fist in the air and shouted — “He ain’t nothin’ ‘til I’ve called it!” And he was right — because after all…he was the authority on the field!
Well, that story got me thinking — we are living among a mass of shouting voices….and mixed messages. Each seeks to proclaim their opinions about life and purpose.
It seems like everyone has an opinion — philosophers, educators, sociologists, psychologists, politicians, news anchors, bosses, co-workers, neighbors, friends, and family.Everyone has an opinion…but very few are listening to the voice of the authority…the voice of revelation. So, where do we find that voice, and what’s it saying?
Well, that’s what I want to share with you today. If you have your Bible, I invite you to turn with me to the Old Testament book of Psalms. Here we find clarity on the subject of our purpose. So, turn with me to Psalm 19.
The late C.S. Lewis, loved this psalm so much, he said of this plasm, it is‘the greatest poem in The Psalms and one of the greatest lyrics in the world.’ And that’s pretty high praise for this psalm. But, I tend to agree with him. In its 14 verses…David offers us a clear path to the greatest message — a message of hope, and faith, and divine purpose for our lives.
So, if you’ve found it — follow along as I read. Beginning in verse 1, David writes,
1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 2 Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. 3 They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. 4 Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun. 5 It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. 6 It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is deprived of its warmth.
7 The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. 8 The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. 9 The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous. 10 They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb. 11 By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward. 12 But who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults. 13 Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression. 14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. — Psalm 19:1-14 (NIV)
David says — LISTEN UP, because, while there may be many voices (all around us), proclaiming mixed messages about who God is and the purpose of our lives — He has given us a divine revelation on those matters. So, take notice. And, the largest — but most basic way God has chosen to speak to us is through His creation.
As David says:
1. THE WORLD DECLARES GOD’S GLORY!
In verse 1, David says,
1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Now, theologians define type of communication as “ General Revelation”. Noting…that God has revealed Himself (to us), in sort of a general way. Because, while the world speaks — and the heavens declare a powerful message…they don’t tell us everything! Just the basics.
It’s like the difference between General Ed classes and those within your major (those more specialized). One covers the basics — but the other gets specific with the details.
So, David is saying — as we live and observe the things of creation, it’s impossible not to recognize there MUST be a creator.
Just as viewing a piece of art declares the reality of an artist. Creation testifies to the reality of a creator. And it isn’t hard to find that witness — as David says, “Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge.” So, the witness of God’s presence continues throughout every moment of every day. Never ceasing. Always testifying to His power and His presence.
And it’s not a whispered witness – it’s a shout of declaration.
1 The heavens declare the glory of God
They declare God’s glory. They declare the greatness and value of our creator. The idea that creation testifies to His glory is to speak of His worth. Or worthiness of our attention and praise. Creation calls us to NOTICE GOD.
Everywhere we look, the revelation of God is being poured out:
• The stars testify of a God with great power who made them.
• The human body testifies to an all-wise Creator.
• The petals of a flower, the majesty in a snowflake, the orbit in a tiny atom, the nature of light, the aspect of gravity, and a host of other things point to God.
As that classic Hymn, This Is My Father’s World reminds us:
This is my Father’s world, and to my listening ears
All nature sings, and round me rings, the music of the spheres.
This is my Father’s world: I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;
His hand the wonders wrought.
This is my Father’s world, the birds their carols raise,
The morning light, the lily white, declare their Maker’s praise.
This is my Father’s world: He shines in all that’s fair;
In the rustling grass I hear Him pass;
He speaks, to me everywhere.
All creation declares God’s glory. And if you don’t hear it’s voice, or see it’s witness…if you aren’t observing it’s message — then you’re not listening. Because, all creation testifies to God’s glory/
So, LISTEN UP — and receive the message.
Creation calls us to NOTICE GOD. And don’t miss that — because a lot of people do. While they may love the great outdoors. They misplace their affection. Some people like to hike, or camp, or observe creation. Many people find inspiration and wonder in creation. Crowds of people write stories about it, pen poems about it, paint pictures of it. ANd that’s great — but never mistake the glory of God for the glory of creation. Be stirred by nature — but don’t worship it. But let’s be clear, while creation is GREAT — and should be celebrated, it’s only a GIFT from the GIVER. It’s the creation — not the CREATOR! It’s a testimony of GOD — not of itself!
I’ve often heard people describe nature by saving things like, “THAT’S MY SANCTUARY.” Meaning, that nature motivates them to worship. And that’s great, as long as it motivates you to WORSHIP CHRIST…the WORD MADE FLESH…the ONE WHO SPOKE ALL THINGS into existence!
As long as creation points you to the creator — then it’s doing its job. But, make no mistake about it. Creation is NOT GOD — it only points us to HIM! And maybe that’s where GENERAL REVELATION falls short. Because, it’s insufficient to reveal the depth of God’s character and personality. It tells us WHAT HE DOES, but not WHO HE IS! And that’s why David goes further, and tells us of another witness. A more specific witness — So, in addition to the WORLD…David tells us,
2. THE WORD DECLARES GOD’S GLORY!
And this is where things get much more specific.
In verse 7, David speaks of the power of the Word of God. Theologians define this kind of testimony as God’s special or specific revelation. More than just a general acknowledgement that THERE IS A GOD — the Bible, God’s Word identifies Him. It states clearly that He is knowable.
The claims of the Bible are that Scripture is not just the writings of men, but rather are divine, as they are the verbally inspired work of the Holy Spirit.
- This means — the Bible is not just A MESSAGE — it is THE MESSAGE!
- It’s not just A BOOK — it’s THE BOOK.
- It’s sacred and special and demands our attention.
In 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Paul tells us, “All Scripture is God-breathed, and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every Good work.”
Scripture is special, and that’s why we give so much attention and reverence to it around here!
Just think about it — it was written over a period of 1500 years by 40 different authors, each living in different places at different times. Yet the singularity of its message is overwhelming.
Together, the 66 books of the Bible reveal God as creator, sustainer, care giver, His redeemer, His the first and the last, the beginning and the end, He’s the wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father, prince of peace. He loves us. He designed us with A divine purpose. He designed us to know Him and love Him—to walk with Him and trust in HIm. Yet, it also tells us that why we rebelled, he loved us anyway. And had a plan for our salvation. And that plan had a name, and His name is Jesus. And here’s the amazing thing. The message of each and every book of our bible points to Jesus. So, from the beginning of Genesis throughout the book of Revelation, God weaved the message of HOPE through it all. This is an incredible book — a book of life.
Just listen again to the way David describes it’s work. In verse 7, he writes:
7 The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, makingwise the simple. 8 The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. 9 The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous. 10 They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb. 11 By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
Notice the difference the Word makes in our lives. David gives us four unique benefits. He says it:
- Refreshes the soul.
- Makes wise the simple.
- Gives joy (inner peace and tranquility) to the heart.
- Gives light (or insight for life) to our eyes — that we might see God.
Listen, if we are not immersing ourselves in God’s Word, then we are SERIOUSLY missing out on the goodness and grace He has offered us.
I don’t challenge you to be people of the Word because it’s the religious thing to do. I challenge you because its good for you. It will transform you. It will bring help to you, and healing to your soul.
In short — it will change you, grow you, stretch you, develop you, and make you better (for the glory of God).
It is, as C.S. Lewis stated, a book, that as you read it, it reads you!
Some people argue that there’s just too much of God’s Word that they don’t understand…and so, their response is to reject it all. But I feel more like Mark Twain who said, “It ain’t those parts of the Bible that I can’t understand that bother me, it’s the parts that I do understand.”
So, don’t read it for information — but for transformation.
Remember what I’ve taught you in the past — the Bible can be trusted. There’s a reason your grandparents used to refer to it as “The Good Book!” It is good…it’s the story of God’s love and His plan for your salvation.
So take it and read it — and give your self to it.
But know this, the WORLD and the WORD are just a part of God’s plan to reveal Himself. Because, as David concludes…He also wants to declare His glory through us!
3. WE ARE TO DECLARE GOD’S GLORY!
More than this world and His Word, our lives were meant to be the witnesses of His glory.
That’s what makes the gospel so compelling — because it changes our lives. It takes our brokenness and makes something beautiful in us. The gospel reminds us that God takes our flaws and failures and offers us grace. He extends His love and forgiveness and then comes to reside within us.
What an incredible gift. We give Him our sin and He gives us Himself. What an trade-off. That’s the divine exchange of His glory for our sin.
On Friday of this past week, our world lost one of its modern day theologians. After a difficult battle with pancreatic cancer, author and pastor Tim Keller passed away at the age of 72. He was a beloved pastor, a theologian, and an apologist…always seeking to give people a reason to believe in Jesus. He was was fond of saying, “We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.”
He often presented the gospel of Christ in this way…saying, “(We) are broken and…know (it). But (we) haven’t grasped that only Jesus can really fix (us). Only God’s grace can satisfy (our) deepest longings.” And it’s really that message that both God’s World and God’s Word seek to proclaim. To remind us of our sin — that we might turn to the Savior.
Listen again to David’s Words in verse 12. He says,
12 But who can discern their own errors?
Can you? Of course not. Even on your best day you’re not able to identify all the ways you miss the mark of God’s standard for your life.
That’s why Paul says in Romans 3:23,
“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…”
We’ve all blown it…but even on our best day we don’t have the ability to identify every place that we need to change, to find help, and be forgiven. And David knows this. He knows this in his own life.
So he prays in verse 12,
…Forgive my hidden faults. 13 Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression.
Having heard the witness of the creation and the Word, David responds by running to God — and running into His love and grace.
And that single act of turning to God is all it takes to change our lives, to set us on the right path, and to experience the wonder of God’s grace.
ANd that’s the anthem of our faith! AMAZING GRACE HOW SWEET THE SOUND, THAT SAVED A WRETCH LIKE ME. I ONCE WAS LOST, BUT NOW I’M FOUND. WAS BLIND, BUT NOW I SEE!
Come on…isn’t that true of you? It is of me! That’s our story! Well, better than that song, is the story behind it.
Amazing Grace was written by a man named John Newton. Throughout much of his life he ran a boat and transported slaves from Africa to England (and around the world). He viewed people as possessions…and a means to make more money. His role in the SLAVE TRADE INDUSTRY perpetuated the awful actions of those who for generations had devalued people, and violated the sanctity of human life. But in the midst of his darkest days, He encountered the witness of Christ. In his sin and shame, he discovered God’s glory and grace. And through his confession of sin and surrender of will, his life was transformed. And in the aftermath of his salvation, he penned the words of Amazing Grace. Many years later — as he was old and close to death, he said: “Although my memory’s fading, I remember two things very clearly: I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior.”
What a story! And honestly, isn’t that our story?
While we may be good at sinning — Jesus is even better at saving. That was certainly David’s story. And once he recognized it, he sought to live his days for God’s glory. Now, he didn’t always do it well — and many days he struggled and failed. But it’s for that reason that he penned this prayer we find in verse 14 to conclude this psalm. He prayed a prayer of hope — but one of total surrender and daily dependence upon God.
He prayed, what I have made my life verse. And I challenge you to consider making this your’s too. Look again at verse 14. As David ended this psalm he cried out to God saying:
14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
David was saying — May the words that come out of my mouth at all times, in all places, be words that honor and lift and please the Lord.
So, not just the words we might speak when we’re at church (surrounded by other believers), but also — those words we speak when we are hanging out with our friends and neighbors. May the words we speak when we are surrounded by un-believersalso be words that honor and please God.
But I think he was also thinking of those words and phrases we speak with we are standing around the coffee maker at work — when we are arguing a political position or expressing our thoughts on social platforms.
When we are in a discussion, or in a debate, or even when we are in a dispute with someone, may we pray (like David did), “God, help me…and may words and my thoughts always be pleasing to you!
May our words and thoughts and actions be just as much a testimony of You O Lord (and your Glory), as that of your creation and your Your WORD!
May my life be lived in honor of you — now, and always! .And then he caps it all off with this reminder. As a prophetic proclamation, David says, “…O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.” And with that, he points us to the promise of Jesus’ coming. God in flesh, who would become the ROCK upon which our lives could be built. Our firm foundation. Our hope and help. But more than that — He is our REDEEMER. For by His sacrifice and the blood He shed upon the cross, Jesus paid the price for our lives, forgave our sin, and gave us value again.
He redeemed our lives! So, may we live for Him — and for His glory! Amen? Amen!
Conclusion
- May we put God first.
- May we surrender our lives to His plans.
- May we live unencumbered by sin.
- May we look to Jesus, experience His salvation, and walk in the freedom He offers.
And may we hold close to the prayer of Psalm 19:14, and (along with David), pray:
May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
That’s my hope and desire for you (today and always). Live your life for God’s glory!
PRAYER:
Would you pause and pray with me this morning?
And…if you’ve heard this message and have yet to fully trust God with all your heart. Maybe you’ve been coming for several weeks — but you’ve yet to fully surrender your life to Jesus. Would you consider doing that now? If so, pray with me. Say…
Heavenly Father, I admit that I have sinned and chosen my way over yours too often. But all that changes today. Because, I confess my sin before you. And I confess my faith in Jesus. I believe He faced the cross, and shed His blood, for me. But I also believe that He rose again. So, today — I put my faith in Jesus. Save me and give me the true life that I was destined to live. I pray this in Jesus name, Amen.
If you prayed today and made a decision to follow Jesus — would you let us know?
We are so proud of you. This is the greatest decision you’ll ever make.
And now Jesus, would you help us live our lives completely SOLD OUT to you and the purpose of declaring Your glory to our world. Convict us of sin. Shine the light of your Word into those dark and hidden places with us. Empower us to live our lives for you. And just as David prayed — so also do we pray. May the words of our mouths and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing to you, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer.
We pray this in Jesus name. Amen!