August 11 Sermon: From the Heavens to the Heart
Join us as we explore the profound message of Psalm 19 and delve into God's universal language in creation and His transformative Word. Discover how these revelations call us to respond in faith and obedience, seeing God not just as a distant creator but as a personal redeemer and lawgiver. Join us for a journey from observation to transformation.
Contemplate these questions as you listen to this message from Psalm 19:
How does the constancy of the sun's journey across the sky reflect the persistent nature of God’s revelation through creation?
In what ways does general revelation point us toward the need for special revelation through God’s Word?
How can we practically align our daily lives with the truths of God's perfect law as revealed in Psalm 19?
Transcript:
As you and I take in the world around us, we're blessed to have so many tools at our disposal. We are able to explore the depths of God's created order. And we are not only able to have the gift of being able to look around us without too much effort, we could know the deeper details of what we are observing in the world. We can get a telescope and we can have a closer look at the heavenly bodies that adorn the night sky. And we can look into a microscope and see even deeper intricacies in these objects that we see that are close at hand to us. And both of these tools, they allow us to get beyond what is visible with the naked eye. A telescope showing us that grandeur of the skies and of the cosmos, and seeing this glory and majesty that Almighty God has, it speaks to us without a single word being said. And then in similar silence, we could look in a microscope and it would show us the complexities present in every cell. And it could show us the intricate design of God that functions precisely, almost in a machine-like way, that we're unable to see with our eyes, but it shows us the laws given to us by our Creator, those laws of nature. And so the perspectives that we have from these 2 tools of magnification shows us something very profound. Whether in the expanse of the universe or the tiny mechanisms that are in ourselves, it all shows us the glory of Almighty God. Psalm 19 expresses this truth to us when it tells us that the heavens declare the glory of God and the sky above proclaims His handiwork. And as we get into this chapter of the Psalter today, we do so listening to this universal language of creation, but we also come knowing that we have the gift of God's Word to guide us. Nature shows us that there is a God who designed all that is seen and unseen, but the Word of God comes to us and tells us who this God is. And it tells us what He has done to rescue us from sin. So the call on us is not to simply observe but to respond in faith, trusting in our great and majestic God who has revealed himself to us. Now before we make our way through this passage, just give ourselves some guideposts on our journey in the form of our 3 points for today. So the first thing that we're going to consider is the universal language of creation. We're going to take a look at the psalmist's expressions of praise, and how God's glory and power are communicated to us through the natural world. Secondly, we will think of God's words and its transforming power. What we observe in the world can tell us that there is a designer, but we need the Word of God to inform us in order that we can interpret what we see around us and why it applies to us. And finally, we must respond to what God has revealed to us. We're blessed to know this great Creator and this great Redeemer by name. And so this leads us to a response of faith and trust in this God that we see, not only in nature but in the world. So as we delve into this psalm, I think we come to it carrying vivid images, don't we? Each of us holds a personal memory of a moment in nature that has stirred all within us for God's majesty and power. So as we encounter these opening verses of Psalm 19, I think these first-hand experiences naturally spring into our minds. I think this can help enrich our understanding and appreciation not only of God's glorious creation here, but help us to sort of have an interpretive framework that we come into this first verse of Psalm 19 with. And you're likely familiar with this verse. And as I said, it invokes images, it invokes emotions in us. A clear starry night away from light pollution, that has a great effect on me. Or maybe, you know, we've had the northern lights a few times recently. Maybe the northern lights dancing in the sky has just caused you to become overcome with awe of God's mighty creating power. Or maybe it's something simple, well not simple, it's majestic, but something like a sunrise coming up over a still lake while you're enjoying your morning cup of coffee on vacation. Perhaps it's a rainbow that adorns the sky and offers you peace after a strong thunderstorm. Creation is a testimony to the Creator. We know design when we see it, right? When random chance and chaos reigns, you know it. You know when things are in disarray. This is a fact. We observe this and to deny this fact is to defy what our eyes make clear to us. Order does not come out of chaos and disorder and it most certainly would not happen by random chance processes over an extended period of time. You know, we don't take the ingredients in our refrigerator and our pantries and put them on the counter, unwrap them and walk away and hope that our supper is made. That's not how things work. When we find order, when we find design, and like David, when we observe what is around us, we know when design has happened. We see what David sees when we look at creation. The heavens declare the glory of God. The skies proclaim the work of his hand. And David doesn't just see this as something that is testified to on an occasional basis by just a few people. He lets us know that the knowledge of these truths is apparent in everyone and it testifies to the designer day after day and night after night. And we see him express this with this poetic language here as this psalm continues And this is the theme that we've been considering here. Every day, nature speaks to those who observe it. Every single night, knowledge is revealed through creation. And verse 3 lets us know the universality of this. The voice and speech of creation are heard, we read. All people can observe these truths because as verse 4 says, this witness goes out through all the earth to the end of the world. And so we get an idea of something David believes, expressed here in the way he speaks about the sun. So the image is that the sun goes into a tent. In other words, it gets dark and it isn't seen. But what happens? Each day it comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber. And again, What we're meant to understand here is the persistent nature of this with the idea that it's predictable, that it's consistent, and that it is unstoppable. Like a strong man, it runs its course. It is going to do what is designed to do. And so the witness of creation is that we see that this sun can't get knocked off its course. God is in control. And on top of it all, it is seen everywhere. As David says here, there is nothing hidden from its heat. All of this imagery is letting us know that the glory of God is visible to everybody. All people can see this. And so as we as we view creation, we're often filled with emotions and praise for God. Creation is a great gift from Him and it causes us great joy. But as we consider what the psalmist is telling us here, we need to stop and ask a question. Is this truth that is revealed to us through the created order, Is it enough for us to truly know God? Now I'm certain in the past I brought up the categories of general revelation and special revelation. General revelation is what we have been seeing here in these first few verses of Psalm 19. It's the witness of God generally that we see in creation, and it is visible to everyone. The other is special revelation, and it's God revealing Himself to us through His Word. And before we transition to our second point and move further into this chapter of the Psalter, I think we need to stop and consider what this witness to God in creation means. It plainly exhibits to us, as David says, the glory and the majesty of God. And while the beauty and intricacies of what we observe invokes good feelings in us, stopping and thinking about these things should cause us to pause and think deeper about this God who created everything. The universe is a fine-tuned machine. From looking through a telescope at the movements of heavenly bodies far away, to looking through a microscope to observe things that are so small, We can't observe them with the naked eye. No matter how closely we look, we see a God who is in control. We see a God who is a law giver. The laws that govern these things from the things so far away we can't observe them to so close we can't observe them Should cause all of us to ask If this God has made everything with such detail, and He is a giver of laws and creator of laws, what then does this powerful, mighty, majestic God demand of me? What laws has he put in place that are to govern how I'm to live? Creation witnesses to the truth that there is a God. And it also witnesses to the truth that I'm not Him. Therefore, what we see in creation should drive us to ask important questions about how this God, who has revealed His glory, is to be worshiped and obeyed. And you likely know exactly the cross reference I'm going to go to about this idea that We should consider who God is and then wonder what he demands of us. Because it's not only a well-known passage of Scripture that I'm going to pull up here, but It is the idea that's prevalent in what I've been expressing here. It's Romans, did I not put it in there? I'm just going to have to read it. Sorry. Romans 1, 18 through 20. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them because God has shown it to them." That's what we've been seeing here in this passage from this altar. For his invisible attributes, namely his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived ever since the creation of the world. This idea again that it's continual, like the Psalter says. This is seen in the things that have been made. And here's what I've been driving at. So they are without excuse. The majesty, the glory, and holiness of God makes it apparent that we're deserving of God's wrath. His invisible attributes, His eternal power, His divine nature take away any excuses that we have. And while what we see is general revelation, and we know that it's beautiful and majestic to behold with our eyes. It is also of a purpose used by God to awaken us to our need to be made right before a holy God. And this is precisely why we need more than just the general knowledge of God to be made known to us. We need special revelation. We need God's Word to come to us and transform us. And so as we transition to the section of the Psalter that speaks of God's specific word, I want to call upon Westminster Larger Catechism, question and answer number 2, to help cement these ideas in us because I think it states an excellent... There it is. I thought I left that out too and that would have been really awkward because it's not in my notes either. So Westminster larger catechism question answer number 2. So what evidence is there for God? It's our internal natural understanding along with the external evidences of God's works, plainly indicate that there is a God. However, salvation only comes through God's revelation of Himself in His Word and Spirit. And so what this is expressing to us and helping us to understand is that I can see there is a God by the beauty of a night sky. I can see that God is a lawgiver by the machines that are present in a tiny little cell. But none of those can tell me the Gospel. I need the Word of God to come to me from outside of me and inform me of this good news of God the Son taking on flesh, bearing the wrath of God for my sin, rising from the dead to defeat our greatest enemy, sin, death, and hell. And I can't know from a beautiful tree about the ascension of the glorious Son to the right hand of the Father to be my mediator at the right hand of God. I can't know that in nature. I can see the glory of God on a drive through a heavily forested area taking in the magnificent colors of fall. But I can't come to a saving knowledge of God apart from the Word revealing who this Creator God is and telling me what He has done. And along with this special revelation coming to my ears, We see that I also need, and you also need, the work of the Holy Spirit to quicken faith in me, to replace my heart of stone with a heart of flesh. And so we get the idea of our need for this special revelation as we progress to verse 7, where it tells us the law of the Lord is perfect. So as we look at this verse, you might notice something right away. We have the word Lord there in all caps, and as we've talked about before, this is letting us know that in the original language, this is the proper name of God, Yahweh. So let's go back and look at verse 1, 1 more time. So the heavens declare the glory of God. This is not just a translation decision to have variety in the verse, okay? This word God here is not the proper name of God. It is a generic, well God is never generic, that's a bad way to put it, but is a more broad word for God. It is El. And in the Hebrew it's a title for God and it means that he is mighty and majestic, but it's very general. While he is speaking here in the beginning of this passage of the Creator God, he's using a more broad term to talk about God here in verse 1. But then when he starts speaking about the one whose law is perfect, what does he do? He uses that specific personal name of Yahweh. He is the mighty 1. He is the majestic and powerful one. He has revealed His name to His people. He has made Himself known. He is more than a distant God who formed things together to make the skies we see and cause the cells to have their actions. He is personal. He is knowable. And David is telling us we know Him by name. The God who made all this stuff, we know Him. He is a personal God. And he has done more than just revealed his name he has given them his law and his word and that word is powerful it revives the soul it makes wise the simple and look at all that the Word of God does. It causes the heart to rejoice. It enlightens the eyes. It causes his people to fear him. It causes them to be made clean. And that Word doesn't fail. It endures forever. And we also see that the rules of Yahweh are true. What is revealed to God's people is true and righteous if they have understood that there is a mighty 1 who is a great lawgiver and They want to know how to obey His commands. Where do they go? They look to the Word of Yahweh. This special and divine revelation answers the questions that we have. If there is a God who is powerful, majestic, and holy, we would naturally be driven to wonder what he desires from his creation. So imagine that you got yourself a new job and the person in the HR department told you that there was a boss who expected you to do a good job. Very general statement there. And this employer was known for having very high standards, you're told. And if you didn't meet those ideals, you were going to be fired. The HR department gives you this info, tells you this, and then just walks away. It doesn't tell you what your job is. You don't know what it is. You would have no idea, very little idea, of what is expected of you without any instruction from the boss themselves. And so that's similar to what you would have without a revealed word from God. You would draw conclusions about the demands of a powerful God, but apart from His revealed Word, you would not only not know how to live, but you also wouldn't know how you are reconciled to this Creator who you are clearly not on a level standing with. So the Word of God comes to us and answers the questions that we naturally have. The Word of God tells us that we are made in His image. The Word of God tells us that we have been separated from Him by our sin. The Word of God reveals to us what His standards are and what our path of reconciliation through the person and work of Jesus Christ is for us. And it's all made clear to us that we might hear and believe the Gospel. So instead of blindly wondering who God is, His Word makes this clear for us. And so this is transformative. When we hear and believe by faith, We know that God the Holy Spirit is at work in us. We know God has revealed Himself to us through His Word and Spirit. How do we know this? Because we have faith. We believe the Gospel. So the Word of God is more than just words on a page giving us rules and information. They are transformative. They are used just as God has promised to sanctify us, to make us holy. So this is why this word of God is more than, or is to be desired more than gold, even fine gold it says. This is why it's sweeter than honey, because it's how we come to faith. It's how we know that we are the people of God. Because apart from the revealed Word of God, I would never know the Gospel of salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ. I cannot know it. And without that, I'm lost. I stay dead in my sin. So the situation would be hopeless. But God has revealed himself to his people. So what do we do? We celebrate. We praise him for what he has done. And so this moves us to our final point. It causes a response in us. So as we lead into this, there's an important question. Who can discern his errors? Generally, we're really bad at seeing faults in ourselves, right? Even when we get the idea that something isn't right, we struggle to see the depth of what is really going on and what we're getting wrong. So David here wants to get the sin that he isn't even aware of out of his life. Yes, the sins that are apparent, but also those that are not apparent. And if you think about it, this is kind of a scary idea. Our struggles with sin are hard enough with the stuff we know we struggle with. The things that we're mindful of are hard enough to put out of our lives. And what is David doing here in this psalm with this prayer? He's asking to also move away from the stuff he doesn't know that he's doing wrong. The hidden faults, his presumptuous sins. His desire is to conform his life to the will of this glorious God in every area of his life. He desires to be blameless and innocent of substantial transgressions. And the response David has, we see that his desire is to be holy. So look at this prayer, and I know for a fact you're familiar with it, because I say it at the end of the prayer for illumination every week. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight. Oh Lord, my rock and my Redeemer. David wants to do something more than just checking the boxes of the sins he hasn't committed. He wants this to be about more than just his outward actions. What he wants is he wants to conform himself to the desires that God has for him. He wants his words, even the meditation of his heart, to be acceptable before God. So as I've mentioned several times this summer, this is where the battle for holiness takes place, right? It's in the words that we say, it's in the desires of our hearts. When we deeply understand who God is and what he has done to redeem us, we should desire to pursue holiness in all areas of our life. And the only way that we can do this is to understand who our rock and our Redeemer is. We can't do it without Him. The path to holiness is not random. The path to being sanctified is not haphazard. It is specific. It's pursuing God and His law and we do this by holding on to Him and His Word. That is how it happens. But the journey is hard. It's easy to lose sight of it, but we must keep our eyes on him and on his word. So as we reflect on the truths that we've unpacked today from Psalm 19, we're confronted with an inescapable reality. The universe in its vastness and complexity not only displays the glory of God, but it also invites us to a deeper and more personal engagement with our Creator. Each star, each sunrise, each minute biological structure speaks not only of God's power, but of His intimate involvement in His creation. And so this is not just something for us to observe. This is a call to action, a call to a deeper relationship with our Creator. So as we stand awestruck by the natural world, let us not be content to merely admire God from a distance. Instead, let our adoration turn into adoration and lead us into faithful obedience. The psalmist shows us that the proper response to observing the heavens and the intricacies of God's law is not a passive thing. It requires an active, committed response. And we're urged to let the knowledge of God's creation and His Word transform our lives. It should stir us not only to wonder, but to worship. Not only to look, but to live differently. And as we've seen here, the law of the Lord is perfect. It revives the soul. It makes wise the simple. This is the power of God's special revelation, His Word, in our lives. It guides us. It governs us. And it sanctifies us. So let us, as we close up, commit to being responsive to what God has revealed. Let's ask the Holy Spirit to help us discern our errors, to cleanse us from those hidden thoughts and keep us from presumptuous sins. May our lives be so aligned with God's will that our words and our meditations are pleasing in His sight. So remember, our engagement with God's revelation is not passive, but instead it is an active pursuit. It's about coming to know God who not only commands the cosmos but also knows each and every single hair on our heads. So as we step out of here today and every day, Carry with you the awe of God's creation and the assurance of his word, allowing both of these things to shape you into the image of Jesus Christ. So may God grant us the grace to respond rightly to His revelation that in all things our lives might glorify the God who is our rock and our Redeemer. Amen. Let's pray. Almighty and everlasting God, we praise you not only for the gift of your creation that we can see your majesty in the world around us generally, but also for that special revelation that you have given us in your Word that we might know you by name. We pray, O Lord, that we would cherish you and what you have done, that we would cherish your Word, and that as we observe your majesty in the world around us, we would desire to conform our lives to your law and to your word. That we might be a witness to your love, your mercy, and your grace. It's in Jesus' name that we pray, amen.
