The Word of God for us, the People of God .
Psalm 19 is all about the
great and wonderful gifts of God; many of us take them for granted. Israel’s poet, King David pulls out the
shopping list of these gifts and holds them up as a prayer of praise and
adoration to Yahweh. It’s a wonderfully
appropriate prayer for us; today we can bring this prayer to the table to offer
our thanks. It’s first, a prayer of
thanks for
His Cosmos: A Sermon Without Words
The heavens proclaim the glory of God. The skies display his craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or word; their voice is never heard. Yet their message has gone throughout the earth, and their words to all the world. God has made a home in the heavens for the sun. It bursts forth like a radiant bridegroom after his wedding. It rejoices like a great athlete eager to run the race. The sun rises at one end of the heavens and follows its course to the other end. Nothing can hide from its heat. Psalm 19:1-6
God’s world is awesome. If asked, there wouldn’t be many of us who
couldn’t tell of some time when raw nature gave us a powerful and lasting
memory. I am always moved by mountain
scenes. I’ve stood at the edge of the
Grand Canyon and Victoria Falls in Africa.
This magnificent world is, in the words of Eugene Peterson, God’s glory…on tour in the skies, God-craft
on exhibit across the horizon.[1]
This world is a sermon of
God’s majesty, this cosmos. Without
speaking a word that we can hear, God broadcasts to every living thing, that
every living thing outside of God is not
God!
We do well to remember frequently that only God is God!
We humans tend to congratulate
ourselves for our phenomenal wisdom and sophistication every time a new version
of Windows, or a more powerful Mac tablet hits the market. But we’re confused at best, because it’s God
who is the Creator – we are the creatures.
We mess around with, and rearrange, HIS creation – often badly –
but it is God who established everything we see.
King David also wrote these
words – from everlasting to everlasting THOU
art God! (Psalm 90:2). I would
have added… Thou art God…and not me!
Our prayer of thanksgiving
begins with the cosmos – God’s universe, a sermon without words.
And then we also give thanks
for…
His Commands: Words with Life
The instructions of the Lord are perfect, reviving the soul. The decrees of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The commandments of the Lord are right, bringing joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are clear, giving insight for living. Reverence for the Lord is pure, lasting forever. The laws of the Lord are true; each one is fair. They are more desirable than gold, even the finest gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the comb. They are a warning to your servant, a great reward for those who obey them. Psalm 19:7-11
Often people want to debate
that God’s Word is just a bunch of rules that oppress certain groups. But that is the blind side of human
beings. By nature we all have a
rebellious side; nobody enjoys having to follow rules. To be sure, even a lot of Christian believers
want to know just how little they can believe and behave, yet still qualify for
the train to heaven.
But, if you view God’s Word
rightly, you can see that it is really a lamp for your pathway through God’s
world – a light that shows us how to find real joy.
His commands are words that lead to life!
Jesus said that his words
were truth, life and the way to the Father; anyone who would come near to Jesus
and trust him as their guide through this life, would not only find heaven, but
know deep down inside that they really belong with God.
So we come to the table
giving thanks for God’s cosmos – a sermon without words, God’s commands – words
that lead to life, and…
Cleansing: God Forgiving What Truly Ails Us
How can I know all the sins lurking in my heart? Cleanse me from these hidden faults. Keep your servant from deliberate sins! Don’t let them control me. Then I will be free of guilt and innocent of great sin. May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Psalm 19:12-14
David prayed, clear
me from hidden faults; that is what God’s supper table is all about. At this table is cleansing – not just the outward
washing that may be necessary when you roll around in the mud; it’s the inward
cleansing of your heart, your life…that part of you we call the soul.
The prophet Isaiah wrote
that all of our righteousness – all our attempts at taking over this business
of cleansing our sins – is like claiming you’re wearing a new outfit, when, in
fact, you’re wearing torn and filthy rags.[2]
King David’s life fell
apart. He was the most powerful man in
the world and was loved by both God and humans.
But he had this secret; he’d gone against God’s design for his life and
his sin was really bad; his sin was first degree! He tried to cover it up by plotting an
innocent man’s death; he even had other people carry it out. The thing was somewhat hidden from humans,
but God saw it like an HD movie on a 108-inch plasma screen TV. David had it together on the outside. But the outside was like makeup on dark
circles, or a band-aid on cancer; on the inside David was coming unglued. And he knew it – just like you and I know it
when we’ve sinned against God.
What did David do? He ran to God with confession on his
lips. Listen to how David recorded it in
his diary. He wrote it down, and later we
labeled it Psalm 51.
I love how Eugene Peterson’s
The
Message presents
Psalm 51. Hear how it sounds in today’s language
when a king repents; this is David getting honest with God:
Generous in love—God, give grace! Huge in mercy—wipe out my bad record. Scrub away my guilt, soak out my sins in your
laundry. I know how bad I’ve been; my
sins are staring me down. You’re the One
I’ve violated, and you’ve seen it all, seen the full extent of my evil. You have all the facts before you; whatever
you decide about me is fair. I’ve been
out of step with you for a long time, in the wrong since before I was
born. What you’re after is truth from
the inside out. Enter me, then; conceive
a new, true life. Soak me in your
laundry and I’ll come out clean, scrub me and I’ll have a snow-white life. Tune me in to foot-tapping songs, set these
once-broken bones to dancing. Don’t look
too close for blemishes, give me a clean bill of health. God, make a fresh start in me, shape a
Genesis week from the chaos of my life. Don’t
throw me out with the trash, or fail to breathe holiness in me. Bring me back from gray exile, put a fresh
wind in my sails![3]
When David got honest with
God, God came – and then, there was cleansing.
That’s what God is like –
and you don’t have to be a king. You
don’t have to speak a special language – you do have to pour out your heart to
Him!
So do that; and then come to
the table. Let God do what God does;
he’ll cement your life and His life together in an eternal bond called life!
Our Prayer
Father
God, help us to be like King David today.
Help us to be so totally honest with you it surprises even us. Let there be forgiveness flowing among these
pews that cleanses us to the very marrow of our bones.
And
then, let us get up from that forgiveness and show your faithful goodness to
our town, this country, and the world.
Let
it be so in each of our lives…Amen!
Title Image:
Pixabay.com
Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation Matthew
10:24-39©
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