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Psalm 115 is our text for this morning.

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It's a favorite of mine for a couple of reasons.

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First of all, it's relatively simple.

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We've looked at some pretty complex Psalms recently,

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but this relatively simple, straightforward,

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very logical in its flow, and for us,

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it leads to some very practical applications in our lives.

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As you can see on the screen,

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this Psalm has traditionally been known

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as a liturgical Psalm,

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meaning that it's held in an important place,

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both in the temple worship of ancient Israel,

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but also later among the Jewish diaspora.

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And before we're done today, we're gonna see an example

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of how this Psalm was used in the liturgy of Judaism.

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Now, if you look at the top of the Psalm,

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you will see that unlike many of the songs

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that we've covered recently, there is no superscription.

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Do you see that?

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No authorship, no historical context given to us.

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Now, scholars have debated this for centuries,

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trying to place the context or the content of the Psalm

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into some place in Israel's history,

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but there's no real consensus about who authored it

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or exactly what's happening in Israel at this time.

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So what that means for us is no map today.

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And no timeline, because we just don't know.

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So very disappointing, but still one of my favorite Psalms.

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What we do know about Psalm 115

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is it reflects a time in Israel's history

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when the surrounding pagan nations were taunting the Lord

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and mocking his people.

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For some unknown historical reasons,

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these people in these pagan nations were saying,

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hey Israel, where is your God?

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Where is your God?

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And in response, we're gonna see the psalmist

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rebuke these nations and ridicule the absurdity

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of their false gods and their idols.

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And at the same time, while rebuking the pagans,

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he's gonna call Israel to renew their trust in Yahweh alone

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for his protection and blessing.

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So there's two beautiful literary tools

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being used in this Psalm.

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On the one hand, you see an apology

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or a defense of Yahweh and Judaism.

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And at the same time, you also see what we call a polemic,

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an attack against false worship.

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So you get both sides of that coin.

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Now, as I said, this is a liturgical Psalm.

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It's part of what's known as the Hallel Psalms.

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Some of you know that term.

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Of course, the Hebrew word Hallel means praise.

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It's part of everybody's favorite Hebrew word to say.

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We love to say hallelujah, right?

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As you can see on the screen, what that means is

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hallelujah ends with the word Yah,

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which is an abbreviated form of Yahweh.

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And it starts with the imperative form

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of this root word Hallel for praise.

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So you put it together whenever we shout out hallelujah,

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which we love to do, we're just simply saying,

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praise Yahweh.

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And over the centuries,

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there is a set of six particular Psalms,

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including this one, from Psalm 113 to Psalm 118,

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which became associated with Passover

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and the Exodus out of Egypt.

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In fact, if you have Jewish friends,

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you might sometimes hear them refer to these six Psalms,

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113 to 118, as the Egyptian Hallel,

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because of their connection to the Exodus.

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They're viewed as songs of deliverance.

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And this is what you have to know.

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They're songs of deliverance.

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So they would be recited or sung

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at various feasts on the calendar, always Passover,

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but also sometimes at the Feast of Booths,

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and also at Hanukkah as well.

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And depending upon which tradition

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you follow within Judaism,

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what you do is you would set up your Passover Seder,

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and usually the first two Psalms,

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113 and 114, would be read or sung,

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and then the others at the end of the meal.

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Now here's what's exciting to think about,

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because of the history of this section of the Psalms.

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When you consider the final Passover

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that Jesus celebrated in Jerusalem,

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on the night that he was betrayed,

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you know that both Matthew and Mark say

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that before they left that upper room,

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he and his disciples sang a hymn on Passover.

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So it's very possible that that night,

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these guys, Jesus and his 11,

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were singing from Psalm 115.

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So consider this as we read,

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were these the words, the final song

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on the lips of our Savior

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before he was arrested and crucified?

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Let it be powerful for you.

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Let's go ahead and stand again.

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We're gonna read through all 18 verses here.

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So pick up your Bible,

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and follow along with me as I read.

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Psalm 115, verse one.

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Not to us, O Lord, not to us,

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but to your name give glory.

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Because of your loving kindness,

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because of your truth.

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Why should the nations say, where now is their God?

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But our God is in the heavens,

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he does whatever he pleases.

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Their idols are silver and gold,

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the work of man's hands.

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They have mouths, but they cannot speak.

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They have eyes, but they cannot see.

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They have ears, but they cannot hear.

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They have noses, but they cannot smell.

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They have hands, but they cannot feel.

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They have feet, but they cannot walk.

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They cannot make a sound with their throats.

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Those who make them will become like them,

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everyone who trusts in them.

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O Israel, trust in Yahweh.

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He is their help in their shield.

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O house of Aaron, trust in Yahweh.

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He is their help in their shield.

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You who fear Yahweh, trust in Yahweh.

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He is their help in their shield.

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The Lord has been mindful of us.

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He will bless us.

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He will bless the house of Israel.

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He will bless the house of Aaron.

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He will bless those who fear the Lord,

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the small together with the great.

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May the Lord give you increase, you and your children.

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May you be blessed of the Lord,

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maker of heaven and earth.

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The heavens are the heavens of the Lord,

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but the earth he has given to the sons of men.

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The dead do not praise the Lord,

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nor do any who go down into silence,

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but as for us, we will bless the Lord

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from this time forth and forever.

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And what's the final phrase you see there?

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Say it in Hebrew with me.

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Hallelujah, praise the Lord.

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Go ahead and have a seat.

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Now interestingly, this Psalm also has

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a history beyond Judaism.

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In fact, there are several great examples

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from European history where Christian knights

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and Christian kings referred to Psalm 115

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in their declarations of victory.

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One of the most famous stories comes from King Henry,

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the fifth of England, whom Shakespeare wrote about,

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who after fighting this very famous battle,

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the Hundred Years' War against France,

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winning this battle at a place called Agincourt,

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he dramatically, and it's well documented,

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dramatically rode his horse up to the front of his troops,

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dismounted from his horse, knelt down and prayed

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after the victory and then recited,

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sang in front of his troops a portion of Psalm 115.

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Not to us, Lord, but to your name be the glory.

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But even better than that, a better story for us,

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the great William Wilberforce,

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how many of you guys know who he is?

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Amazing guy.

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He's the one who made the Christian case

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for abolishing slavery in England in the 19th century.

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And after decades of hard work,

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he witnessed the House of Commons finally pass

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his anti-slavery bill in the year 1807.

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And when that vote was done,

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he quietly retired to his room,

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and as he told the story later,

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he flooded his bed with tears and he recited Psalm 115,

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saying this at the end, you've done this, Lord.

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I've spent my life battling,

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but you have done this, all glory to your name.

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This is a great song with a great history.

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Now here's how I wanna approach it.

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Let's look at our structure.

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We've been doing this each and every week,

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so I wanna, and I know I've gotten some good feedback.

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I appreciate you guys letting me know.

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Some of you guys are enjoying writing in your Bible,

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drawing lines.

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You can do that, which is really cool.

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So this is how we're gonna break this down.

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By the way, our primary focus really is gonna be

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verses one through eight.

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We're gonna touch briefly in nine through 11, 12 and 15.

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We don't even have time for that last section today.

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But really our focus is gonna be on one through eight.

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And we're gonna start with the very obvious application

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that you see at the beginning of this,

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that God alone deserves all glory.

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But what's often missed in that is what is woven

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into those first three verses.

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The psalmist gives us three reasons why

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he deserves to be glorified in our lives.

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So we'll look at those things,

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and then we're gonna look at the polemical side,

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and that's in verses four through eight, right?

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The polemical side.

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We're gonna talk about idolatry.

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Not just in that day, but we'll talk about idolatry today,

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and how even you and I can fall into that

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if we're not careful.

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So let's start in verses one through three.

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Take another look at it.

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It famously begins, not to us, oh Lord,

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not to us, but to your name give glory.

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Wasn't there like an 80s or 90s worship song

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called Not to Us?

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Yeah, okay.

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Oh man, you don't want that.

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Now, if you love Reformation history

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and Reformation theology, that statement

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about giving God glory may set off some bells for you.

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Back in 1647, see I'm getting some history in here, right?

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We don't have maps and timelines,

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I'm getting my history in.

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1647, the Church of England and the Church of Scotland

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came together to hammer out one of the great creeds

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of the Reformation period.

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It's called the Westminster Shorter Catechism.

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Just some light reading, I'm sure you all have it

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on your bedside right at the table.

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No, I know that most of you have probably not read

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through that document, but you may be familiar

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with the very first question that it asks and answers.

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It says this, what is the chief end of man?

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That's the question that this great creed raises.

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Right out of the gate, what is the chief end of man?

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What is the chief end of man?

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Right out of the gate, what is the chief end of man?

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What is the purpose of our lives?

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I mean, is that not something we should figure out?

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And the answer comes back, man's chief end

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is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.

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And that truth is sort of, since the Reformation period

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has been held up as like the North Star

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and the guiding light for churches that seek to be faithful

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in giving glory to God.

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Everything we do, both as individual believers

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and as local churches and everything, every choice,

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every decision, every action we take, that is our goal.

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To bring glory to God's name.

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Now, what does that mean?

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We throw that phrase around a lot,

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but do we really know what it means?

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In its simplest terms, what it means is that we're

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to reflect his image in our lives.

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We're to be a reflection of our God.

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Bringing glory to God means putting on display

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as much as we're able his perfect attributes

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and his moral excellence and his infinite greatness

262
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and worth, that is our chief end,

263
00:11:25,140 --> 00:11:27,960
the purpose of our lives, to reflect him.

264
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And then as the Westminster declares, in glorifying God,

265
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we're able to abide with him.

266
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We're able to, I know it's hard to imagine,

267
00:11:35,840 --> 00:11:39,420
but with the God of the universe to enjoy,

268
00:11:39,420 --> 00:11:42,520
to enjoy him, to enjoy relationship with him,

269
00:11:42,520 --> 00:11:45,920
and not just here on earth, but for all eternity.

270
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That's a big vision, is it not?

271
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Friends, for us as Christ followers,

272
00:11:50,720 --> 00:11:53,400
glorifying God through Jesus is to govern

273
00:11:53,400 --> 00:11:54,960
every aspect of our lives.

274
00:11:54,960 --> 00:11:57,200
It's to be our daily practice.

275
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In all things, we're to sit back and say,

276
00:11:59,600 --> 00:12:03,040
all right, is the way I'm living right now glorifying God?

277
00:12:03,040 --> 00:12:05,100
And you can do this daily, you can do this

278
00:12:05,100 --> 00:12:06,100
when you wake up in the morning,

279
00:12:06,100 --> 00:12:07,600
you can do it when you go to bed at night,

280
00:12:07,600 --> 00:12:10,240
you can do it all day long, ask the question,

281
00:12:10,240 --> 00:12:13,020
am I glorifying God right now?

282
00:12:13,020 --> 00:12:15,780
Do I reflect his image when I go to work?

283
00:12:16,880 --> 00:12:19,220
Do I reflect his image as I parent?

284
00:12:20,260 --> 00:12:23,860
Do I show him, put him on display in my marriage,

285
00:12:23,860 --> 00:12:25,500
in the way I use technology?

286
00:12:25,500 --> 00:12:27,320
So many questions, right?

287
00:12:27,320 --> 00:12:30,060
It's to govern all aspects of our lives.

288
00:12:31,160 --> 00:12:33,500
Now, what reasons does the psalmist give us

289
00:12:33,500 --> 00:12:35,060
to take this command seriously?

290
00:12:35,060 --> 00:12:38,440
There's three reasons in that opening section of the psalm.

291
00:12:38,440 --> 00:12:41,140
First, you read in verse one that we should give glory

292
00:12:41,140 --> 00:12:43,080
to God because of two things,

293
00:12:43,080 --> 00:12:46,540
because of his loving kindness and his truth,

294
00:12:46,540 --> 00:12:51,560
or in Hebrew, his hesed and his emet.

295
00:12:51,560 --> 00:12:54,580
Now, we've covered that first word multiple times

296
00:12:54,580 --> 00:12:57,560
in this series because it shows up all over the place.

297
00:12:57,560 --> 00:12:59,400
It is literally all over the psalms,

298
00:12:59,400 --> 00:13:03,060
the covenant love of God, his steadfast love.

299
00:13:03,060 --> 00:13:04,760
It is such an important descriptor

300
00:13:04,760 --> 00:13:07,160
of how God operates with his people,

301
00:13:07,160 --> 00:13:08,860
and that was true with ancient Israel,

302
00:13:08,860 --> 00:13:12,680
and it's true with the church today, his hesed.

303
00:13:12,680 --> 00:13:16,740
Yahweh is a God whose steadfast love never changes.

304
00:13:18,040 --> 00:13:19,020
Bank on it.

305
00:13:19,020 --> 00:13:21,620
His steadfast love never changes.

306
00:13:21,620 --> 00:13:22,460
Why?

307
00:13:22,460 --> 00:13:24,120
Because it's rooted in himself.

308
00:13:24,120 --> 00:13:26,060
It's who he is.

309
00:13:26,060 --> 00:13:27,320
It's rooted in his name.

310
00:13:27,320 --> 00:13:29,760
It's rooted in his perfect attributes.

311
00:13:29,760 --> 00:13:31,920
And then that second word you see there,

312
00:13:31,920 --> 00:13:34,060
by the way, that can be translated either truth

313
00:13:34,060 --> 00:13:35,360
or faithfulness.

314
00:13:35,360 --> 00:13:38,660
And again, this is who Yahweh is.

315
00:13:38,660 --> 00:13:40,740
Yahweh is the very definition of truth.

316
00:13:40,740 --> 00:13:44,700
Remember, he made all things, he sustains all things,

317
00:13:44,700 --> 00:13:45,700
so think about it.

318
00:13:45,700 --> 00:13:49,440
Apart from what he says, there is no truth,

319
00:13:49,440 --> 00:13:53,620
and everything he says is true by definition.

320
00:13:53,620 --> 00:13:56,620
He's altogether faithful to the covenant promises

321
00:13:56,620 --> 00:13:58,020
that he gives to his people.

322
00:13:58,020 --> 00:13:59,920
Paul says they are irrevocable.

323
00:14:00,920 --> 00:14:03,060
They cannot be taken back,

324
00:14:03,060 --> 00:14:05,960
which means Yahweh will never forsake or abandon us,

325
00:14:05,960 --> 00:14:07,720
and he will accomplish everything

326
00:14:07,720 --> 00:14:10,500
that he purposes to do in our lives.

327
00:14:10,500 --> 00:14:11,560
He is these things.

328
00:14:11,560 --> 00:14:14,500
He is filled with loving kindness,

329
00:14:14,500 --> 00:14:17,300
and he is filled with truth or faithfulness.

330
00:14:17,300 --> 00:14:20,300
And everything he does magnifies those two attributes

331
00:14:20,300 --> 00:14:23,380
about himself, everything he does.

332
00:14:23,380 --> 00:14:26,520
And by the way, for that, we should be exceedingly grateful

333
00:14:26,520 --> 00:14:29,580
because without those two things,

334
00:14:29,580 --> 00:14:31,920
both of which, by the way, culminate in him

335
00:14:31,920 --> 00:14:34,320
lavishing his grace upon us,

336
00:14:34,320 --> 00:14:37,020
we would all be lost and without hope.

337
00:14:37,020 --> 00:14:38,660
So we should be exceedingly grateful

338
00:14:38,660 --> 00:14:40,860
for those two attributes.

339
00:14:40,860 --> 00:14:44,860
Now the third reason's a little bit more complex, right?

340
00:14:44,860 --> 00:14:47,240
It's in verse three, and it's his sovereignty.

341
00:14:48,240 --> 00:14:49,900
His sovereignty, look at verse three.

342
00:14:49,900 --> 00:14:54,740
Our God is in the heavens, he does whatever he pleases.

343
00:14:54,740 --> 00:14:56,940
Now that is the very definition of sovereignty.

344
00:14:56,940 --> 00:15:00,340
You could not state the principle of sovereignty

345
00:15:00,340 --> 00:15:03,180
any more clearly than that.

346
00:15:03,180 --> 00:15:08,180
Sovereignty means being utterly free to do as one pleases.

347
00:15:09,380 --> 00:15:11,620
If there are no restraints on you, you are sovereign.

348
00:15:11,620 --> 00:15:14,100
And that's who God is.

349
00:15:14,100 --> 00:15:17,800
He is the only being that exists in that mode.

350
00:15:17,800 --> 00:15:21,760
Unlike us, he is completely free, he is non-contingent.

351
00:15:23,240 --> 00:15:24,800
He is what we call assay,

352
00:15:24,800 --> 00:15:28,380
which means he is from himself and of himself.

353
00:15:28,380 --> 00:15:30,980
Right, that's not us.

354
00:15:30,980 --> 00:15:33,660
We are not from ourselves, we are not of ourselves.

355
00:15:33,660 --> 00:15:36,020
We are creatures.

356
00:15:36,020 --> 00:15:41,020
God exists in this mode, so he can do whatever he pleases,

357
00:15:41,020 --> 00:15:43,160
and all of it brings him glory.

358
00:15:43,160 --> 00:15:45,560
We heard him declare this in our call to worship

359
00:15:45,560 --> 00:15:47,240
this morning from Isaiah 46.

360
00:15:47,240 --> 00:15:52,240
Listen again, God says, I am God, and there is no other.

361
00:15:52,740 --> 00:15:55,040
I am God and there is none like me,

362
00:15:55,040 --> 00:15:56,840
declaring the end from the beginning

363
00:15:56,840 --> 00:16:01,840
and from ancient times things not yet done.

364
00:16:02,980 --> 00:16:04,580
I do that, he says.

365
00:16:04,580 --> 00:16:08,580
My counsel shall stand, I will accomplish all of my purpose.

366
00:16:08,580 --> 00:16:11,460
I have spoken, I will bring it to pass.

367
00:16:11,460 --> 00:16:13,300
I have purposed, I will do it.

368
00:16:13,300 --> 00:16:15,860
He is sovereign, he is sovereign.

369
00:16:15,860 --> 00:16:17,960
Now it's hard for us to understand that, right?

370
00:16:17,960 --> 00:16:20,160
We're finite beings, right?

371
00:16:20,160 --> 00:16:22,640
There is nothing prior to God,

372
00:16:22,640 --> 00:16:24,640
there is nothing greater than God,

373
00:16:24,640 --> 00:16:27,040
there is nothing greater than God.

374
00:16:27,040 --> 00:16:29,440
He has no counselors to instruct him,

375
00:16:29,440 --> 00:16:32,580
he has no power that can restrain him.

376
00:16:32,580 --> 00:16:34,980
He's outside of time, yet he's ruling

377
00:16:34,980 --> 00:16:37,380
over every moment of time.

378
00:16:37,380 --> 00:16:41,020
He's beyond creation, yet he's moving within the creation.

379
00:16:41,860 --> 00:16:46,860
He sees all things at all times, all at once,

380
00:16:46,860 --> 00:16:49,300
and he has absolute authority to move any piece

381
00:16:49,300 --> 00:16:53,560
on his universal chessboard for his purposes,

382
00:16:53,560 --> 00:16:55,260
and for his glory.

383
00:16:56,560 --> 00:17:00,200
That's our God, and yet he knows your name.

384
00:17:01,140 --> 00:17:03,740
See, we can talk about God in that big way

385
00:17:03,740 --> 00:17:05,780
because we're like, ah, it's beyond us,

386
00:17:05,780 --> 00:17:08,040
but the fact that he counts the number of hairs

387
00:17:08,040 --> 00:17:10,780
on your head and knows you by name,

388
00:17:10,780 --> 00:17:12,980
that's what really, it's his eminence

389
00:17:12,980 --> 00:17:15,620
that really makes him spectacular.

390
00:17:16,680 --> 00:17:18,960
Now I know some people are bothered

391
00:17:18,960 --> 00:17:20,720
by this concept of sovereignty.

392
00:17:20,720 --> 00:17:24,360
I read it online, I hear it in debates,

393
00:17:24,360 --> 00:17:26,000
some people are bothered by it.

394
00:17:26,000 --> 00:17:29,700
When they hear that phrase, he does as he pleases,

395
00:17:29,700 --> 00:17:31,100
in their limited mind they think,

396
00:17:31,100 --> 00:17:34,840
well that sounds kinda arrogant, and kinda self-centered,

397
00:17:34,840 --> 00:17:37,640
and you know what, that would be true if God were a sinner.

398
00:17:38,480 --> 00:17:39,880
But we're talking about the Lord here,

399
00:17:39,880 --> 00:17:43,380
and he is altogether holy, so he's not arbitrary

400
00:17:43,380 --> 00:17:45,120
in doing the things that please him.

401
00:17:45,120 --> 00:17:47,020
He's not erratic, right?

402
00:17:47,020 --> 00:17:49,380
He's not impulsive.

403
00:17:49,380 --> 00:17:53,480
He simply brings to pass what he has already decreed.

404
00:17:54,620 --> 00:17:56,200
Think about that.

405
00:17:56,200 --> 00:17:59,820
God decreed all things even before the world was formed,

406
00:17:59,820 --> 00:18:03,660
and now those things are unfolding in successive moments,

407
00:18:03,660 --> 00:18:07,160
and somehow he's able to fit all of our volition,

408
00:18:07,160 --> 00:18:11,280
and even our sin into all of that story,

409
00:18:11,280 --> 00:18:12,780
and bring about his purposes.

410
00:18:12,780 --> 00:18:14,280
It's mind-blowing, isn't it?

411
00:18:15,440 --> 00:18:17,320
He simply brings to pass what he's decreed.

412
00:18:17,320 --> 00:18:19,440
Ephesians 1-11 says it beautifully,

413
00:18:19,440 --> 00:18:24,280
God works all things after the counsel of his will,

414
00:18:24,280 --> 00:18:25,780
and it pleases him to do so.

415
00:18:25,780 --> 00:18:27,920
It's because of who he is,

416
00:18:27,920 --> 00:18:31,020
his will is always for the benefit of you and I.

417
00:18:32,360 --> 00:18:34,560
That's another beautiful part of who God is.

418
00:18:34,560 --> 00:18:37,640
Not only does he know you, but all the things he's decreed,

419
00:18:37,640 --> 00:18:41,440
all the things that he is sovereignly overseeing right now

420
00:18:41,440 --> 00:18:42,500
are for your benefit.

421
00:18:42,500 --> 00:18:45,000
Even if it doesn't always feel that way, right,

422
00:18:45,000 --> 00:18:48,980
in our limited vision, we can't always see the end

423
00:18:48,980 --> 00:18:52,280
from the beginning as he does, it's always for our good.

424
00:18:53,140 --> 00:18:54,980
So I get it, the idea of God's sovereignty

425
00:18:54,980 --> 00:18:57,620
isn't always an easy thing to accept,

426
00:18:57,620 --> 00:19:00,680
but that's primarily because of our limited understanding.

427
00:19:00,680 --> 00:19:02,460
It's because of our finiteness.

428
00:19:02,460 --> 00:19:05,220
So we gotta be careful that we don't take our finite logic,

429
00:19:05,220 --> 00:19:07,800
our narrow vision, and say, well,

430
00:19:07,800 --> 00:19:08,900
this is the way it should be,

431
00:19:08,900 --> 00:19:12,000
and I'm gonna apply that to an infinite being.

432
00:19:12,000 --> 00:19:16,100
That's above our pay grade, right?

433
00:19:18,740 --> 00:19:21,940
It's an important article of faith for us

434
00:19:21,940 --> 00:19:24,240
to recognize God's sovereignty, and you know what?

435
00:19:24,240 --> 00:19:26,580
Here's the thing, and I found this out many years ago

436
00:19:26,580 --> 00:19:29,080
when I first wrestled with this doctrine.

437
00:19:29,080 --> 00:19:33,680
Once I understood it more from the scriptural perspective,

438
00:19:33,680 --> 00:19:37,120
guess what, I saw it on almost every page of the Bible.

439
00:19:37,120 --> 00:19:38,760
I mean, it jumps off the page after a while,

440
00:19:38,760 --> 00:19:42,660
and you're like, wow, God does as he pleases.

441
00:19:42,660 --> 00:19:44,760
So we have to decide, if we're wrestling with God's

442
00:19:44,760 --> 00:19:47,900
sovereignty, do I believe what the scriptures say?

443
00:19:47,900 --> 00:19:49,200
Am I gonna trust that?

444
00:19:49,200 --> 00:19:51,440
Do I believe what God has said about himself,

445
00:19:52,400 --> 00:19:54,380
including in Isaiah 46?

446
00:19:55,680 --> 00:19:58,040
For us today, if we're committed to glorifying God

447
00:19:58,040 --> 00:20:01,180
in our lives, it starts with us meditating

448
00:20:01,180 --> 00:20:04,820
on these three essential attributes of who God is,

449
00:20:04,820 --> 00:20:08,160
his loving kindness, his truth, and his sovereignty.

450
00:20:08,160 --> 00:20:12,720
We glorify God when we meditate on such things.

451
00:20:12,720 --> 00:20:15,960
And so mark that down, take a screenshot if you have to,

452
00:20:15,960 --> 00:20:18,440
but these are things we need to meditate on all the time.

453
00:20:18,440 --> 00:20:20,440
Now, interestingly, if you look closely

454
00:20:20,440 --> 00:20:23,880
at those first three verses, you might also see something,

455
00:20:23,880 --> 00:20:26,840
and I would say it's almost hidden here,

456
00:20:26,840 --> 00:20:31,240
but you see two ways that we can fail to glorify God

457
00:20:31,240 --> 00:20:34,120
if we're not careful and not paying attention.

458
00:20:34,120 --> 00:20:37,420
So there's positive things, glorify God this way,

459
00:20:37,420 --> 00:20:38,960
but there's also some things in there

460
00:20:38,960 --> 00:20:40,560
that are warnings to us.

461
00:20:40,560 --> 00:20:42,520
Look at the language again in verse one,

462
00:20:42,520 --> 00:20:47,520
not to us, not to us, it's repeated,

463
00:20:48,160 --> 00:20:49,220
for emphasis, isn't it?

464
00:20:49,220 --> 00:20:51,940
Not to us, not to us, meaning what?

465
00:20:51,940 --> 00:20:56,700
Meaning this, do not assign to yourself any glory

466
00:20:56,700 --> 00:20:57,900
that God has owed.

467
00:21:01,040 --> 00:21:06,040
Do not assign to yourself any glory that is owed to God.

468
00:21:06,040 --> 00:21:07,540
And I know you're thinking, come on, Jeff,

469
00:21:07,540 --> 00:21:09,780
I would never, who would do that?

470
00:21:09,780 --> 00:21:12,280
I mean, who sets out to go, you know what?

471
00:21:12,280 --> 00:21:13,640
I know God has owed this glory,

472
00:21:13,640 --> 00:21:15,720
but I'm just gonna take a little bit of it.

473
00:21:15,720 --> 00:21:17,080
Nobody does that, right?

474
00:21:18,480 --> 00:21:19,480
But be careful.

475
00:21:20,380 --> 00:21:23,020
This can happen in our lives, and it can be subtle,

476
00:21:23,020 --> 00:21:26,300
because we're all prone in some ways to take at least some,

477
00:21:26,300 --> 00:21:29,700
at least a sliver of God's glory for ourselves.

478
00:21:30,700 --> 00:21:33,700
And oftentimes, and in many churches today,

479
00:21:33,700 --> 00:21:35,600
it begins with salvation.

480
00:21:35,600 --> 00:21:40,600
We act as though we are responsible for being saved.

481
00:21:41,880 --> 00:21:46,280
We act as though we are, quote, we found God.

482
00:21:46,280 --> 00:21:49,080
We came to salvation, we accepted Jesus,

483
00:21:49,080 --> 00:21:51,520
and we let those things flow off of our tongues

484
00:21:51,520 --> 00:21:53,120
without really lining it up.

485
00:21:53,120 --> 00:21:55,080
Does that what the Bible actually says?

486
00:21:57,080 --> 00:21:59,360
What's usually mixed into that scenario

487
00:21:59,360 --> 00:22:03,260
is the idea that on our own, we were smart enough,

488
00:22:03,260 --> 00:22:06,340
or we were good enough, or religious enough

489
00:22:06,340 --> 00:22:09,200
to wake up one day and just decide to live for God

490
00:22:09,200 --> 00:22:10,840
and give ourselves to Jesus.

491
00:22:11,940 --> 00:22:13,840
The problem is, that's actually not how the Bible

492
00:22:13,840 --> 00:22:16,340
describes the process, right?

493
00:22:16,340 --> 00:22:17,480
So we have to be careful.

494
00:22:17,480 --> 00:22:19,480
We don't hear buzz phrases in the church,

495
00:22:19,480 --> 00:22:21,540
and we don't look at scripture and compare those two

496
00:22:21,540 --> 00:22:23,820
and say, what's really going on here?

497
00:22:23,820 --> 00:22:26,920
Now, I'm not denying that as a secondary cause,

498
00:22:26,920 --> 00:22:29,480
we do, in fact, choose to trust in Jesus.

499
00:22:29,480 --> 00:22:32,160
I did, many, many years ago.

500
00:22:32,160 --> 00:22:35,920
But as a secondary cause, what's missing is the primary cause

501
00:22:35,920 --> 00:22:39,540
of that decision that I made, to trust in him and be saved.

502
00:22:39,540 --> 00:22:41,840
And what's the primary cause?

503
00:22:41,840 --> 00:22:46,040
The calling, the drawing, and the regenerating of my heart

504
00:22:46,040 --> 00:22:48,580
that brought about this desire in me,

505
00:22:48,580 --> 00:22:51,980
this affection in me, to turn to God and be saved.

506
00:22:51,980 --> 00:22:53,240
Without that primary cause,

507
00:22:53,240 --> 00:22:55,340
the secondary cause does not happen.

508
00:22:56,480 --> 00:22:57,780
And so I've gotta be careful that I don't say,

509
00:22:57,780 --> 00:23:00,580
well, look, I got saved because of me,

510
00:23:00,580 --> 00:23:04,680
because if God hadn't moved, I would be lost today.

511
00:23:04,680 --> 00:23:07,880
So when we assign even a sliver of our salvation

512
00:23:07,880 --> 00:23:11,160
to ourselves, we take from God the full glory

513
00:23:11,160 --> 00:23:14,800
that he deserves as the one who marked us out,

514
00:23:14,800 --> 00:23:17,200
as an object of his saving love.

515
00:23:17,200 --> 00:23:20,060
When we take his glory, we actually empty the power

516
00:23:20,060 --> 00:23:22,900
of that statement, that God marked you out

517
00:23:22,900 --> 00:23:25,240
before the foundations of the world were laid

518
00:23:25,240 --> 00:23:28,540
as an object of his saving love.

519
00:23:28,540 --> 00:23:30,780
And then he, knowing your name, he called you

520
00:23:30,780 --> 00:23:34,620
and he drew you to himself, and he changed your heart

521
00:23:34,620 --> 00:23:37,580
and gave you new affections, and he saved you.

522
00:23:37,580 --> 00:23:39,720
And if you need details on that, look,

523
00:23:39,720 --> 00:23:42,560
just read Ephesians one and two every day this week,

524
00:23:43,560 --> 00:23:46,760
and it will just hit you like a freight train

525
00:23:46,760 --> 00:23:48,220
what God has done for you.

526
00:23:48,220 --> 00:23:50,360
Because every single one of us in this room,

527
00:23:50,360 --> 00:23:52,000
Ephesians says, we were once what?

528
00:23:52,000 --> 00:23:54,560
Dead in our sins.

529
00:23:54,560 --> 00:23:57,200
Unable to bring our, dead people don't bring themselves

530
00:23:57,200 --> 00:23:58,680
to life.

531
00:23:58,680 --> 00:24:02,380
We were dead in our sins, and then we were made alive.

532
00:24:02,380 --> 00:24:03,440
Well, how did that happen?

533
00:24:03,440 --> 00:24:06,580
Not by our choice, not by our decision,

534
00:24:06,580 --> 00:24:10,280
but because of God's great love for us.

535
00:24:10,280 --> 00:24:12,120
He made us alive.

536
00:24:12,120 --> 00:24:14,820
And so Ephesians two says it, it's by his grace alone

537
00:24:14,820 --> 00:24:17,060
that I'm saved, and that you're saved.

538
00:24:17,060 --> 00:24:20,660
And not by anything inherently good or valuable in us.

539
00:24:20,660 --> 00:24:25,680
And so all, not part of the glory should go to Yahweh.

540
00:24:27,080 --> 00:24:31,040
And it's a really bad idea to try to steal glory from him.

541
00:24:32,840 --> 00:24:35,020
And listen, it doesn't stop at salvation,

542
00:24:35,020 --> 00:24:37,980
I know I'm hammering that, but even after God saves us,

543
00:24:37,980 --> 00:24:41,260
we still have to be on guard, because we are still prone

544
00:24:41,260 --> 00:24:44,420
to take credit for things that are due completely

545
00:24:44,420 --> 00:24:47,500
to his grace and to his power and to his will.

546
00:24:47,500 --> 00:24:49,160
How often do we do something like this?

547
00:24:49,160 --> 00:24:51,360
We say, I'm doing so well in my life,

548
00:24:51,360 --> 00:24:53,060
I'm doing so well in my ministry,

549
00:24:53,060 --> 00:24:54,940
look at all the success I'm having.

550
00:24:57,400 --> 00:25:00,580
I see pastors falling into this all the time.

551
00:25:00,580 --> 00:25:01,780
Pastors do this all the time.

552
00:25:01,780 --> 00:25:03,740
Look at how my church is growing.

553
00:25:05,380 --> 00:25:06,940
My church.

554
00:25:06,940 --> 00:25:09,720
Look at all these people who are coming to hear me preach.

555
00:25:10,780 --> 00:25:11,880
Me.

556
00:25:11,880 --> 00:25:14,720
And look at how much people are growing under my leadership.

557
00:25:14,720 --> 00:25:19,720
Not to us, the psalmist says, stop it.

558
00:25:19,720 --> 00:25:24,720
Stop it, apart from God, you can do absolutely nothing.

559
00:25:25,060 --> 00:25:25,900
Stop it.

560
00:25:27,100 --> 00:25:28,500
Not to us, the psalmist says.

561
00:25:28,500 --> 00:25:31,100
Paul says the same thing in 1 Corinthians 4.

562
00:25:31,100 --> 00:25:33,640
You might recall the story, the Corinthian believers

563
00:25:33,640 --> 00:25:35,600
are boasting in their spiritual gifts,

564
00:25:35,600 --> 00:25:38,180
and sarcastically he says to them,

565
00:25:38,180 --> 00:25:41,040
what do you have that you did not receive?

566
00:25:41,040 --> 00:25:45,020
And if you did receive it, why do you boast,

567
00:25:45,020 --> 00:25:46,820
as if you didn't receive it?

568
00:25:46,820 --> 00:25:48,980
It all came from the Lord.

569
00:25:48,980 --> 00:25:50,860
So stop boasting.

570
00:25:50,860 --> 00:25:52,320
Spurgeon put it really well.

571
00:25:52,320 --> 00:25:54,720
Take a screenshot of this one.

572
00:25:54,720 --> 00:25:57,500
He says, if you meet with a system of theology

573
00:25:57,500 --> 00:26:02,500
which magnifies man, flee from it as far as you can.

574
00:26:04,000 --> 00:26:05,900
Here is a test for you to apply,

575
00:26:05,900 --> 00:26:08,500
and by it you may tell whether a thing is true

576
00:26:08,500 --> 00:26:09,340
or false.

577
00:26:09,340 --> 00:26:12,040
By it you may tell whether a thing is true or not.

578
00:26:12,040 --> 00:26:16,420
If it glorifies man, if it puts human will,

579
00:26:16,420 --> 00:26:19,720
human ability, human merit in the place of the mercy

580
00:26:19,720 --> 00:26:22,480
and the grace of God, away with it,

581
00:26:22,480 --> 00:26:25,580
for it is not food fit for your souls to feed upon.

582
00:26:28,320 --> 00:26:29,160
That's an amen.

583
00:26:31,660 --> 00:26:33,660
Okay, I beat that horse to death, right?

584
00:26:35,160 --> 00:26:38,240
Okay, so that's the first failure we can fall into.

585
00:26:38,240 --> 00:26:41,040
We attempt to steal God's glory.

586
00:26:41,040 --> 00:26:43,280
The second one's found in verse two.

587
00:26:43,280 --> 00:26:46,100
The psalmist says, why should the nation say

588
00:26:46,100 --> 00:26:47,780
where now is their God?

589
00:26:47,780 --> 00:26:49,420
Here's the exhortation.

590
00:26:50,440 --> 00:26:52,720
We should never give unbelievers good reason

591
00:26:52,720 --> 00:26:54,420
to mock the name of the Lord.

592
00:26:55,820 --> 00:26:58,480
We should never give unbelievers good reason

593
00:26:58,480 --> 00:27:00,820
to mock the Lord.

594
00:27:01,800 --> 00:27:04,260
Now again, we don't know the specific historical context

595
00:27:04,260 --> 00:27:06,360
here, but clearly in this moment,

596
00:27:06,360 --> 00:27:08,800
the surrounding nations felt comfortable enough

597
00:27:08,800 --> 00:27:11,060
to point their bony fingers at Israel

598
00:27:11,060 --> 00:27:13,500
and say, where's your God?

599
00:27:13,500 --> 00:27:14,880
Where is he?

600
00:27:14,880 --> 00:27:17,740
Okay, Israel, you say you know the one true God

601
00:27:17,740 --> 00:27:20,440
will show him to me, because we don't see him.

602
00:27:21,580 --> 00:27:24,120
Something was going on that led these pagans

603
00:27:24,120 --> 00:27:27,160
to question either the credibility of Yahweh's existence

604
00:27:27,160 --> 00:27:29,760
or his power to protect his people.

605
00:27:29,760 --> 00:27:33,060
And so listen now, Yahweh's name and reputation

606
00:27:33,060 --> 00:27:34,900
was at stake in this moment.

607
00:27:34,900 --> 00:27:38,060
And this is a theme we see in many pages in scripture,

608
00:27:38,060 --> 00:27:40,960
because glorifying God means upholding his name

609
00:27:40,960 --> 00:27:42,140
and his reputation.

610
00:27:42,140 --> 00:27:45,240
We do not, as believers, want to be responsible

611
00:27:45,240 --> 00:27:47,300
for tearing that down.

612
00:27:47,300 --> 00:27:49,940
We want to uphold his name and his reputation.

613
00:27:49,940 --> 00:27:51,840
Remember back in Numbers 14,

614
00:27:51,840 --> 00:27:54,420
when the Israelites were sitting in the wilderness

615
00:27:54,420 --> 00:27:57,120
and God said, I'm gonna destroy my people.

616
00:27:57,120 --> 00:27:58,820
And what did Moses do?

617
00:27:58,820 --> 00:28:01,080
He went into prayer, he intervened on behalf of the people

618
00:28:01,080 --> 00:28:03,720
and said, Lord, don't destroy your own people,

619
00:28:03,720 --> 00:28:06,800
because if you do, the pagan nations will see it

620
00:28:06,800 --> 00:28:10,060
and say, ha, Yahweh cannot lead his people

621
00:28:10,060 --> 00:28:11,460
into his promised land.

622
00:28:12,500 --> 00:28:14,840
And God relented, didn't he?

623
00:28:14,840 --> 00:28:17,100
Now why did he relent?

624
00:28:17,100 --> 00:28:20,880
It's not because Moses's prayers were just so good, right,

625
00:28:20,880 --> 00:28:23,040
or that he changed God's mind.

626
00:28:24,540 --> 00:28:26,580
God relented for the sake of his name

627
00:28:27,580 --> 00:28:29,620
and for the sake of his reputation.

628
00:28:29,620 --> 00:28:32,720
But then centuries later, God raises up the Babylonians

629
00:28:32,720 --> 00:28:34,880
and he sends Nebuchadnezzar and his army

630
00:28:34,880 --> 00:28:38,260
to wipe out Jerusalem and to destroy the temple

631
00:28:38,260 --> 00:28:40,160
and to take the people into captivity.

632
00:28:40,160 --> 00:28:41,000
Why?

633
00:28:42,260 --> 00:28:45,440
Again, God's name was at stake differently this time.

634
00:28:45,440 --> 00:28:50,040
The Jews were stuck in this never-ending cycle of sin.

635
00:28:50,040 --> 00:28:54,040
And so God punished them in order to vindicate his name.

636
00:28:54,040 --> 00:28:56,940
He showed the pagan nations that my people

637
00:28:56,940 --> 00:28:59,280
will be punished for their sin.

638
00:28:59,280 --> 00:29:01,420
His reputation was at stake.

639
00:29:01,420 --> 00:29:04,520
And yet, because God is filled with loving kindness

640
00:29:04,520 --> 00:29:06,720
and faithfulness, he then promised the Jews

641
00:29:06,720 --> 00:29:10,660
there's coming a time when I will regather you in the land.

642
00:29:10,660 --> 00:29:12,220
Why?

643
00:29:12,220 --> 00:29:14,300
I'll say it again, not for their sake

644
00:29:14,300 --> 00:29:17,600
because they didn't deserve to be forgiven, but why?

645
00:29:17,600 --> 00:29:20,000
For his great name, for the sake of his name,

646
00:29:20,000 --> 00:29:21,260
for the sake of his reputation.

647
00:29:21,260 --> 00:29:24,140
So we see this over and over again in Scripture.

648
00:29:24,140 --> 00:29:27,280
So it's incumbent upon us as new covenant believers,

649
00:29:27,280 --> 00:29:30,480
as the people who represent Jesus in this culture,

650
00:29:30,480 --> 00:29:34,880
not to give those who love to mock God reason to do so.

651
00:29:36,020 --> 00:29:38,280
All of us, that's our responsibility

652
00:29:38,280 --> 00:29:41,560
because God's name and reputation is at stake.

653
00:29:41,560 --> 00:29:45,420
Now, if he's mocked because we stand on the truth,

654
00:29:45,420 --> 00:29:47,700
then so be it, right?

655
00:29:47,700 --> 00:29:49,020
That's a good thing.

656
00:29:49,020 --> 00:29:51,260
If he's mocked because we choose to reject sin

657
00:29:51,260 --> 00:29:54,440
and promote holiness, so be it.

658
00:29:54,440 --> 00:29:57,700
If he's mocked because we preach the gospel with boldness,

659
00:29:57,700 --> 00:29:59,980
so be it, that's fine.

660
00:29:59,980 --> 00:30:03,740
But if our Lord is mocked because of our sinfulness,

661
00:30:04,680 --> 00:30:08,640
if he's mocked because we're treating our neighbors poorly,

662
00:30:08,640 --> 00:30:11,920
if he's mocked because our marriage is a public disaster,

663
00:30:12,920 --> 00:30:15,160
if he's mocked because our kids are out of control

664
00:30:15,160 --> 00:30:16,420
and everybody sees it,

665
00:30:17,620 --> 00:30:19,520
if he's mocked because our business practices

666
00:30:19,520 --> 00:30:21,220
are clearly unethical,

667
00:30:23,160 --> 00:30:24,640
because we act hypocritically

668
00:30:24,640 --> 00:30:26,700
because we say one thing and do another,

669
00:30:26,700 --> 00:30:28,560
or we point our fingers at the world

670
00:30:28,560 --> 00:30:30,580
and then act just like the world,

671
00:30:32,880 --> 00:30:35,440
then we give unbelievers solid ground

672
00:30:35,440 --> 00:30:37,520
to take pot shots at our Savior

673
00:30:40,240 --> 00:30:44,920
and to taunt the church and to even mock our faith

674
00:30:44,920 --> 00:30:46,720
and to give them a foundation to say,

675
00:30:46,720 --> 00:30:49,560
well, show me your God,

676
00:30:50,460 --> 00:30:52,220
because I don't see him in you.

677
00:30:55,660 --> 00:30:57,760
This is the reason behind principle number seven

678
00:30:57,760 --> 00:30:59,360
in our covenant.

679
00:30:59,360 --> 00:31:02,340
We say this every single time we gather for communion.

680
00:31:02,340 --> 00:31:03,900
Number seven in our covenant says this,

681
00:31:03,900 --> 00:31:06,480
we will seek by the power of the Holy Spirit

682
00:31:06,480 --> 00:31:08,940
to live carefully in the world,

683
00:31:08,940 --> 00:31:11,920
denying ungodliness and worldly lust,

684
00:31:11,920 --> 00:31:15,240
recognizing that we have a special obligation

685
00:31:15,240 --> 00:31:17,480
to lead a new and holy life.

686
00:31:17,480 --> 00:31:18,720
Why?

687
00:31:18,720 --> 00:31:21,020
Because God's name and reputation are at stake.

688
00:31:21,020 --> 00:31:25,700
Don't give unbelievers good reason to mock our Lord.

689
00:31:25,700 --> 00:31:28,000
So let's be careful on those two things, right?

690
00:31:28,000 --> 00:31:29,260
Let's be careful.

691
00:31:29,260 --> 00:31:32,340
Let's not fail to give God the glory due his name, amen?

692
00:31:33,340 --> 00:31:34,700
Okay, let's turn our attention.

693
00:31:34,700 --> 00:31:38,040
Let's go to the second section here, verses four through eight.

694
00:31:39,100 --> 00:31:41,080
Again, this is gonna be very practical.

695
00:31:42,280 --> 00:31:44,540
So far we have the pagan nations around Israel,

696
00:31:44,540 --> 00:31:48,280
they're taunting Yahweh and they're mocking his people,

697
00:31:48,280 --> 00:31:51,460
and the psalmist, now, his fellow Israelites

698
00:31:51,460 --> 00:31:53,860
are still the audience that he's writing to,

699
00:31:53,860 --> 00:31:57,420
but what we're about to see is him snap back at these taunts.

700
00:31:57,420 --> 00:31:59,460
He is gonna give it back to them.

701
00:31:59,460 --> 00:32:01,800
He's gonna ask the question out loud in verse two,

702
00:32:01,800 --> 00:32:04,100
why should the nations be able to mock Yahweh,

703
00:32:04,100 --> 00:32:05,440
the one true God, why?

704
00:32:06,460 --> 00:32:08,040
Why?

705
00:32:08,040 --> 00:32:10,600
I get a sense as I read the flat page that he's upset.

706
00:32:10,600 --> 00:32:14,880
Why should they be able to do this?

707
00:32:14,880 --> 00:32:17,240
And then he responds, he sorta turns the tables

708
00:32:17,240 --> 00:32:20,020
on these pagans and he begins to mock the idols

709
00:32:20,020 --> 00:32:21,620
that they serve.

710
00:32:21,620 --> 00:32:23,280
Now we should remember in the ancient Near East

711
00:32:23,280 --> 00:32:24,420
that this was very common.

712
00:32:24,420 --> 00:32:27,860
Every nation had their own pantheon of gods,

713
00:32:27,860 --> 00:32:29,420
and for every one of these gods,

714
00:32:29,420 --> 00:32:31,660
they would make statues and images.

715
00:32:31,660 --> 00:32:34,220
This was just common in that part of the world,

716
00:32:34,220 --> 00:32:36,300
but not Israel, right?

717
00:32:36,300 --> 00:32:39,000
Israel was the one nation in that region

718
00:32:39,000 --> 00:32:40,560
who did not do this, because what?

719
00:32:40,560 --> 00:32:41,940
It's the second commandment.

720
00:32:42,840 --> 00:32:45,200
No graven images, right?

721
00:32:45,200 --> 00:32:46,940
No idols.

722
00:32:46,940 --> 00:32:49,100
And so part of this, when they say where's your God,

723
00:32:49,100 --> 00:32:50,840
part of it, what they're saying is,

724
00:32:51,880 --> 00:32:53,220
we don't see your God,

725
00:32:53,220 --> 00:32:54,720
and that's weird to us.

726
00:32:55,620 --> 00:32:56,780
Where is he?

727
00:32:56,780 --> 00:32:58,280
Can you show us a statue of him?

728
00:32:58,280 --> 00:33:00,960
Because our gods, we can walk right up to him,

729
00:33:00,960 --> 00:33:02,960
we can pick him up and hold him, right?

730
00:33:02,960 --> 00:33:05,120
We can bring libations before them.

731
00:33:05,120 --> 00:33:06,560
As we read in Psalm 46,

732
00:33:06,560 --> 00:33:09,260
we can pick him up and transport them,

733
00:33:09,260 --> 00:33:11,260
but not your God.

734
00:33:11,260 --> 00:33:13,300
Why can't we see him?

735
00:33:13,300 --> 00:33:15,000
But the psalmist isn't gonna have this, right?

736
00:33:15,000 --> 00:33:16,760
He's not gonna put up with this foolishness

737
00:33:16,760 --> 00:33:18,040
from these idolaters.

738
00:33:18,040 --> 00:33:19,800
So what you see in verses four through eight

739
00:33:19,800 --> 00:33:23,520
is like an epic rant against these idols.

740
00:33:23,520 --> 00:33:25,520
Beginning in verse four, he says,

741
00:33:25,520 --> 00:33:27,420
their idols, now again, he's speaking to Israel,

742
00:33:27,420 --> 00:33:29,380
but he's talking about these pagan nations.

743
00:33:29,380 --> 00:33:31,580
Their idols are silver and gold.

744
00:33:32,580 --> 00:33:34,880
The work of man's hands, and notice, I love this,

745
00:33:34,880 --> 00:33:38,000
he could have said, ah, their idols are cheap wood,

746
00:33:38,000 --> 00:33:40,160
but he goes straight to the top, silver and gold,

747
00:33:40,160 --> 00:33:41,300
but it doesn't matter,

748
00:33:41,300 --> 00:33:42,900
it doesn't matter how precious the metal is,

749
00:33:42,900 --> 00:33:44,840
they're still lifeless.

750
00:33:44,840 --> 00:33:47,500
They're still creations made by humans.

751
00:33:47,500 --> 00:33:50,060
They have mouths, but they can't speak.

752
00:33:50,060 --> 00:33:52,600
They say nothing, they're utterly mute.

753
00:33:52,600 --> 00:33:53,840
What does that mean?

754
00:33:53,840 --> 00:33:56,380
Their gods offer no promises to the people,

755
00:33:56,380 --> 00:34:00,040
no comfort, no peace, no empathy, no nothing

756
00:34:00,040 --> 00:34:01,540
to their worshipers.

757
00:34:01,540 --> 00:34:03,340
They have eyes, but they can't see.

758
00:34:03,340 --> 00:34:05,720
If you have eyes, but can't see, you're called blind.

759
00:34:05,720 --> 00:34:07,420
Who worships a blind god?

760
00:34:07,420 --> 00:34:10,980
Blind people, right?

761
00:34:10,980 --> 00:34:13,060
They have ears, but they can't hear.

762
00:34:13,060 --> 00:34:14,820
So it doesn't matter what kind of shenanigans

763
00:34:14,820 --> 00:34:16,700
these pagans put forth in worship,

764
00:34:16,700 --> 00:34:20,760
they can spin around and wave their arms and do whatever,

765
00:34:20,760 --> 00:34:23,140
these gods can't hear them at all.

766
00:34:23,140 --> 00:34:25,800
They can't hear their pleas, they can't hear their cries,

767
00:34:25,800 --> 00:34:27,840
can't hear their prayer requests.

768
00:34:27,840 --> 00:34:31,740
And as I was reading it this week, I thought of Elijah,

769
00:34:31,740 --> 00:34:33,640
in 1 Kings 18, right?

770
00:34:33,640 --> 00:34:36,040
Remember how he mocks the priests of Baal?

771
00:34:36,980 --> 00:34:37,820
Right?

772
00:34:38,620 --> 00:34:40,020
You remember the story.

773
00:34:40,020 --> 00:34:43,260
Elijah says to them, remember, they're trying to call down,

774
00:34:43,260 --> 00:34:45,060
trying to call down Baal to do something,

775
00:34:45,060 --> 00:34:48,120
and Elijah says, hey guys, shout a little bit louder.

776
00:34:49,160 --> 00:34:52,060
Just keep shouting, because Baal's a god, right?

777
00:34:52,060 --> 00:34:53,760
He'll respond.

778
00:34:53,760 --> 00:34:57,440
Maybe he's occupied, Elijah says, or he's on a journey,

779
00:34:57,440 --> 00:34:59,540
maybe he's asleep, you just need to wake him up,

780
00:34:59,540 --> 00:35:01,200
so shout louder.

781
00:35:01,200 --> 00:35:02,340
And so that's what they tried.

782
00:35:02,340 --> 00:35:04,840
The priests of Baal, they got more hyped up,

783
00:35:04,840 --> 00:35:08,180
and they began to dance and shout and cry louder,

784
00:35:08,180 --> 00:35:09,920
and it says they began to cut themselves,

785
00:35:09,920 --> 00:35:12,020
like blood sacrifices.

786
00:35:12,020 --> 00:35:15,580
And it says at midday, they raved on, but what?

787
00:35:16,580 --> 00:35:17,420
Nothing.

788
00:35:18,260 --> 00:35:20,260
It says there was no voice, nobody answered,

789
00:35:20,260 --> 00:35:22,120
no one even paid attention,

790
00:35:23,220 --> 00:35:25,060
because Baal's a lifeless god.

791
00:35:26,100 --> 00:35:27,700
It says it right here in Psalm 115.

792
00:35:27,700 --> 00:35:30,260
Then it says they have noses, but they can't smell.

793
00:35:30,260 --> 00:35:33,800
So look, if you pagans, when you want to go burn stuff

794
00:35:33,800 --> 00:35:36,380
in front of your little statue, it doesn't matter,

795
00:35:36,380 --> 00:35:38,300
it can't smell anything, right?

796
00:35:38,300 --> 00:35:39,940
Makes no difference whatsoever.

797
00:35:39,940 --> 00:35:42,040
They have hands, but they can't feel,

798
00:35:42,040 --> 00:35:43,740
so they're not gonna be able to receive anything

799
00:35:43,740 --> 00:35:45,280
you give to them.

800
00:35:45,280 --> 00:35:46,820
They have feet, but they can't walk.

801
00:35:46,820 --> 00:35:49,280
In fact, in Isaiah 46, you may have heard it,

802
00:35:49,280 --> 00:35:52,820
we need to fasten them down, otherwise they just topple over.

803
00:35:52,820 --> 00:35:53,960
That's your god.

804
00:35:53,960 --> 00:35:55,820
He just falls over.

805
00:35:55,820 --> 00:35:57,120
Silly.

806
00:35:57,120 --> 00:35:58,800
They can't make a sound with their throat,

807
00:35:58,800 --> 00:36:00,000
not even a grunt.

808
00:36:01,060 --> 00:36:04,840
This is an epic takedown, isn't it, of idolatry.

809
00:36:04,840 --> 00:36:07,840
It's a polemic, right?

810
00:36:07,840 --> 00:36:11,640
These pagans, they had the audacity to ask where Yahweh is,

811
00:36:11,640 --> 00:36:14,380
and the psalmist says, but look at you guys.

812
00:36:14,380 --> 00:36:16,480
Look at the foolishness of your idols.

813
00:36:16,480 --> 00:36:19,880
You worship things that are so obviously below you.

814
00:36:19,880 --> 00:36:21,580
They come from the minds of men,

815
00:36:21,580 --> 00:36:23,520
they're fashioned by human hands,

816
00:36:23,520 --> 00:36:25,360
so think logically for a second.

817
00:36:25,360 --> 00:36:27,920
If men made them, how can they be gods?

818
00:36:28,960 --> 00:36:30,120
It's silliness.

819
00:36:30,120 --> 00:36:32,800
At best, you worship imaginary beings.

820
00:36:32,800 --> 00:36:36,100
You worship the projection of your own lusts and desires.

821
00:36:36,100 --> 00:36:39,640
At worst, you worship demonic spirits.

822
00:36:40,740 --> 00:36:42,180
But it's all foolishness.

823
00:36:43,140 --> 00:36:45,740
And the point is, the psalmist wants to leave you

824
00:36:45,740 --> 00:36:47,740
with this great contrast.

825
00:36:47,740 --> 00:36:51,080
The God of Israel versus these dead idols.

826
00:36:51,080 --> 00:36:55,680
Yahweh creates all things, these gods are created by men.

827
00:36:55,680 --> 00:36:57,420
That's a slight difference.

828
00:36:57,420 --> 00:37:00,500
Yahweh does as he pleases, these gods can do nothing.

829
00:37:01,760 --> 00:37:04,260
While they're blind, deaf, and motionless, and silent,

830
00:37:04,260 --> 00:37:08,260
Yahweh, in contrast, he speaks to his people,

831
00:37:08,260 --> 00:37:11,940
he sees their needs, he hears their prayers,

832
00:37:11,940 --> 00:37:14,380
he smells the fragrance of their worship,

833
00:37:14,380 --> 00:37:16,680
and he acts on behalf of his people.

834
00:37:16,680 --> 00:37:19,540
So choose this day whom you're gonna serve.

835
00:37:19,540 --> 00:37:20,980
It's a pretty obvious choice.

836
00:37:20,980 --> 00:37:22,340
Quite a contrast, isn't it?

837
00:37:23,680 --> 00:37:26,480
Now, verse eight's very interesting.

838
00:37:26,480 --> 00:37:27,860
Take a look at verse eight.

839
00:37:27,860 --> 00:37:31,520
That list of idolatrous nonsense is a little bit funny,

840
00:37:31,520 --> 00:37:34,320
but verse eight is not funny at all.

841
00:37:34,320 --> 00:37:35,620
Because this is a tragic truth.

842
00:37:35,620 --> 00:37:39,640
Those who make such idols become like them.

843
00:37:41,140 --> 00:37:43,340
That is tragically true even today.

844
00:37:43,340 --> 00:37:46,600
You become like what you worship.

845
00:37:48,000 --> 00:37:49,000
That's true for all of us.

846
00:37:49,000 --> 00:37:51,540
You become like what you worship.

847
00:37:51,540 --> 00:37:53,240
And when you worship lifeless things,

848
00:37:53,240 --> 00:37:56,180
you will live lifelessly.

849
00:37:56,180 --> 00:37:58,320
And when you worship base things,

850
00:37:58,320 --> 00:38:00,280
they will drag you down into the gutter.

851
00:38:00,280 --> 00:38:04,160
False gods never lift up man, it always drags people down.

852
00:38:05,320 --> 00:38:07,860
Just look at the world we live in right now.

853
00:38:07,860 --> 00:38:09,800
I mean, can we even number,

854
00:38:09,800 --> 00:38:12,760
could you even sit down and try to number

855
00:38:12,760 --> 00:38:14,760
the number of idols in this world right now

856
00:38:14,760 --> 00:38:16,560
that people are pursuing?

857
00:38:16,560 --> 00:38:17,640
It's wild.

858
00:38:18,800 --> 00:38:20,940
Where have those things led us?

859
00:38:20,940 --> 00:38:24,080
Have they lifted us up, or have they dragged us down?

860
00:38:25,640 --> 00:38:27,040
The saddest part is ultimately

861
00:38:27,040 --> 00:38:29,680
those who worship perishable idols

862
00:38:29,680 --> 00:38:31,720
will perish with them eternally.

863
00:38:32,920 --> 00:38:35,920
And that's why we need to get out there and share the truth.

864
00:38:35,920 --> 00:38:37,220
But it's encouraging also to know

865
00:38:37,220 --> 00:38:38,920
that the reverse principle is true.

866
00:38:38,920 --> 00:38:40,460
If you worship and obey Yahweh,

867
00:38:40,460 --> 00:38:41,860
the Sovereign of the universe,

868
00:38:41,860 --> 00:38:43,100
who does as he pleases,

869
00:38:43,100 --> 00:38:45,560
if you worship Jesus' son,

870
00:38:45,560 --> 00:38:48,360
you too will become like what you worship.

871
00:38:48,360 --> 00:38:50,260
You will be made more and more,

872
00:38:50,260 --> 00:38:54,400
conformed more and more to the image of Jesus Christ.

873
00:38:54,400 --> 00:38:56,800
So the same principle which degrades the person

874
00:38:56,800 --> 00:39:01,120
that's trapped in idolatry lifts up the Christ follower.

875
00:39:01,120 --> 00:39:03,220
Because God is doing that work in us, right?

876
00:39:03,220 --> 00:39:06,520
He is making us more and more like his son.

877
00:39:06,520 --> 00:39:09,760
And then assures the believer that just as Christ lives,

878
00:39:09,760 --> 00:39:13,120
you too will live for all eternity.

879
00:39:13,120 --> 00:39:14,500
Isn't that great?

880
00:39:14,500 --> 00:39:16,420
Can you see the beauty of this psalm

881
00:39:16,420 --> 00:39:18,500
and this contrast that's being drawn here?

882
00:39:19,460 --> 00:39:21,040
Now, let's get practical about this

883
00:39:21,040 --> 00:39:23,640
because it'd be super easy for us to read this section,

884
00:39:23,640 --> 00:39:24,800
four through eight, and go,

885
00:39:24,800 --> 00:39:28,040
okay, idolatry is sort of stuck in the past.

886
00:39:28,040 --> 00:39:30,180
You know, that's just ancient stuff.

887
00:39:30,180 --> 00:39:32,540
No Americans are bowing down to idols anymore,

888
00:39:32,540 --> 00:39:34,280
so we don't have to worry about this.

889
00:39:34,280 --> 00:39:38,080
But guys, we know the principle of idolatry

890
00:39:38,080 --> 00:39:39,780
lives on even today.

891
00:39:39,780 --> 00:39:41,880
It is everywhere in our culture,

892
00:39:41,880 --> 00:39:45,600
and it's not always absent in the lives of Christians either.

893
00:39:45,600 --> 00:39:47,660
So we need to pay attention to this.

894
00:39:47,660 --> 00:39:50,300
Idolatry isn't about carving a statue

895
00:39:50,300 --> 00:39:52,400
and worshiping it anymore,

896
00:39:52,400 --> 00:39:55,560
but it is about putting anything,

897
00:39:55,560 --> 00:39:58,140
anything before God in our lives.

898
00:39:59,200 --> 00:40:00,240
You've probably heard that before,

899
00:40:00,240 --> 00:40:02,680
but I want you to listen to it again.

900
00:40:02,680 --> 00:40:06,180
Idolatry can be putting anything before God in our lives,

901
00:40:06,180 --> 00:40:09,640
valuing anything more than we value him.

902
00:40:11,220 --> 00:40:13,520
Idolatry can sometimes fool us, by the way,

903
00:40:13,520 --> 00:40:14,760
and surprise us.

904
00:40:15,620 --> 00:40:16,460
So we gotta be careful.

905
00:40:16,460 --> 00:40:17,560
We gotta be on the alert, right?

906
00:40:17,560 --> 00:40:20,360
Because sometimes it gets packaged in a very benign way,

907
00:40:20,360 --> 00:40:22,460
and we don't even recognize it.

908
00:40:23,500 --> 00:40:25,560
In the Western culture that we live in,

909
00:40:25,560 --> 00:40:28,060
most of it revolves around putting ourselves

910
00:40:28,060 --> 00:40:29,860
in the middle of everything.

911
00:40:29,860 --> 00:40:32,100
It's about the worship of the self.

912
00:40:32,100 --> 00:40:33,940
And sometimes we're blind to this, right?

913
00:40:33,940 --> 00:40:36,540
And by the way, social media has, I mean,

914
00:40:36,540 --> 00:40:39,240
increased this a thousand fold in the last couple decades.

915
00:40:39,240 --> 00:40:42,980
It has done nothing but feed the idolatry of self.

916
00:40:42,980 --> 00:40:46,020
So be careful in the way you use it.

917
00:40:46,020 --> 00:40:48,320
But I wanna give you some examples today

918
00:40:48,320 --> 00:40:51,680
of idolatry that might be impacting your life.

919
00:40:51,680 --> 00:40:55,960
And this could be a little uncomfortable, but that's okay.

920
00:40:57,300 --> 00:41:00,540
As I go through this list, I just want you to be honest

921
00:41:00,540 --> 00:41:01,600
with yourself.

922
00:41:01,600 --> 00:41:04,660
Don't shoot your hand up and go, yep, that's me.

923
00:41:04,660 --> 00:41:05,500
Don't do that.

924
00:41:07,840 --> 00:41:10,580
But be honest with yourself in your own heart.

925
00:41:10,580 --> 00:41:13,080
Oh man, I didn't think about that.

926
00:41:13,080 --> 00:41:17,280
That is an area where I might be prone

927
00:41:17,280 --> 00:41:20,040
to allowing idolatry to seep into my life.

928
00:41:20,040 --> 00:41:23,480
That is a very healthy self-examination.

929
00:41:23,480 --> 00:41:25,620
I know we often, we refuse that, we're like,

930
00:41:25,620 --> 00:41:28,020
that's too painful, I don't wanna think about it.

931
00:41:28,020 --> 00:41:30,660
It's a very healthy thing to ask those questions.

932
00:41:30,660 --> 00:41:31,900
So here it goes.

933
00:41:31,900 --> 00:41:34,260
Just, I'll put some of these on the screen.

934
00:41:35,860 --> 00:41:36,740
Your identity.

935
00:41:39,800 --> 00:41:42,400
Any group that you put yourself in,

936
00:41:42,400 --> 00:41:44,680
category that you place yourself in,

937
00:41:44,680 --> 00:41:47,180
that has become more important to you than God.

938
00:41:48,780 --> 00:41:52,720
And this, guys, that is rampant in our culture today.

939
00:41:54,580 --> 00:41:59,520
If your identity in Christ is not the first thing,

940
00:41:59,520 --> 00:42:01,520
but you found another, it might be your race,

941
00:42:01,520 --> 00:42:05,460
your ethnicity, your gender, whatever it might be.

942
00:42:05,460 --> 00:42:08,900
But if your identity has become an idol, pay attention.

943
00:42:10,440 --> 00:42:11,860
Your physical appearance.

944
00:42:13,300 --> 00:42:14,660
And that's an easy one.

945
00:42:14,660 --> 00:42:17,500
I'm obsessed with how people see me,

946
00:42:18,800 --> 00:42:21,080
and whether I'm getting enough attention.

947
00:42:21,080 --> 00:42:24,040
People think I'm attractive, whatever it might be.

948
00:42:24,040 --> 00:42:25,420
Material things in your life.

949
00:42:25,420 --> 00:42:27,880
Now that's an old one, right?

950
00:42:27,880 --> 00:42:30,260
We're all prone to this, right?

951
00:42:30,260 --> 00:42:32,280
We're covetousness.

952
00:42:32,280 --> 00:42:34,760
Man, there's so many things I want.

953
00:42:34,760 --> 00:42:36,160
Are they on vacation again?

954
00:42:36,160 --> 00:42:37,460
I don't get a vacation.

955
00:42:38,520 --> 00:42:39,360
Right?

956
00:42:39,360 --> 00:42:44,360
Material things, I need to have this to be fulfilled.

957
00:42:45,500 --> 00:42:46,700
That's a big one.

958
00:42:46,700 --> 00:42:48,300
Entertainment.

959
00:42:48,300 --> 00:42:51,780
It's only getting more and more.

960
00:42:51,780 --> 00:42:54,380
If you're my age, how many channels did you use

961
00:42:54,380 --> 00:42:56,180
to have on your television?

962
00:42:56,180 --> 00:42:57,220
Like six?

963
00:42:59,220 --> 00:43:02,080
Like six channels, and you had to tune in

964
00:43:02,080 --> 00:43:04,080
at the time the show came on.

965
00:43:05,820 --> 00:43:07,160
What?

966
00:43:07,160 --> 00:43:08,660
Like we gotta be home at eight o'clock

967
00:43:08,660 --> 00:43:10,260
because that one show comes on,

968
00:43:10,260 --> 00:43:13,260
and if I don't, I can't replay it.

969
00:43:14,660 --> 00:43:16,060
The things we've seen in this lifetime,

970
00:43:16,060 --> 00:43:20,700
but entertainment for so many of us has become an idol.

971
00:43:20,700 --> 00:43:22,100
It's what we turn to.

972
00:43:22,100 --> 00:43:26,280
We turn to it for escape and for comfort.

973
00:43:26,280 --> 00:43:27,480
Entertainment's a big one.

974
00:43:27,480 --> 00:43:29,180
Sex.

975
00:43:29,180 --> 00:43:32,780
Yeah, have you noticed our culture's obsessed with it?

976
00:43:32,780 --> 00:43:33,620
Yeah.

977
00:43:34,420 --> 00:43:36,620
A constant longing for comfort.

978
00:43:36,620 --> 00:43:40,160
Like I just, I just wanna, again, I wanna escape.

979
00:43:40,160 --> 00:43:41,520
My life is hard.

980
00:43:41,520 --> 00:43:42,800
This world is difficult.

981
00:43:42,800 --> 00:43:47,260
I just wanna feel okay, and I'm not running to God for that.

982
00:43:47,260 --> 00:43:49,140
I'm running to other things.

983
00:43:49,140 --> 00:43:51,960
Just this longing for constant comfort.

984
00:43:51,960 --> 00:43:53,500
Oh my goodness, technology.

985
00:43:54,440 --> 00:43:58,400
Technology, again, I won't play the old guy card again.

986
00:43:58,400 --> 00:44:01,740
We just didn't have these things when I was your age.

987
00:44:02,740 --> 00:44:04,140
We just didn't have them.

988
00:44:04,140 --> 00:44:05,340
Life was so simple.

989
00:44:05,340 --> 00:44:09,380
Technology right now is an idol in many of our lives,

990
00:44:09,380 --> 00:44:12,220
and whether that's your phone or your tablet,

991
00:44:12,220 --> 00:44:14,060
you know, your social media, whatever it is,

992
00:44:14,060 --> 00:44:16,460
is that creeping into your life?

993
00:44:16,460 --> 00:44:19,320
Is that becoming your obsession?

994
00:44:19,320 --> 00:44:23,060
And it's risen as a higher priority than even the Lord.

995
00:44:24,740 --> 00:44:26,460
Influence.

996
00:44:26,460 --> 00:44:29,540
There's things called influencers today.

997
00:44:29,540 --> 00:44:31,680
I chuckle, but it's serious.

998
00:44:32,800 --> 00:44:33,640
It's serious.

999
00:44:33,640 --> 00:44:35,440
I just wanna be an influencer.

1000
00:44:38,040 --> 00:44:39,280
Fame and status.

1001
00:44:39,280 --> 00:44:42,520
Again, admiration from others can be an idol.

1002
00:44:43,480 --> 00:44:44,380
Your hobbies.

1003
00:44:45,380 --> 00:44:48,220
Your hobbies, whatever you devote time to.

1004
00:44:48,220 --> 00:44:51,300
And I remember when I was younger in my faith,

1005
00:44:51,300 --> 00:44:52,920
I was challenged, you know, right out.

1006
00:44:52,920 --> 00:44:55,360
At the time it was golf, I don't play golf anymore,

1007
00:44:55,360 --> 00:44:56,360
but at the time it was golf,

1008
00:44:56,360 --> 00:44:58,640
like how many hours do you devote to golf?

1009
00:44:58,640 --> 00:45:01,200
Oh, I wrote it down, then how many hours

1010
00:45:01,200 --> 00:45:02,140
do you devote to the Lord?

1011
00:45:02,140 --> 00:45:04,940
Oh, oh, interesting.

1012
00:45:04,940 --> 00:45:07,580
It's what you devote your time and your energy towards.

1013
00:45:08,580 --> 00:45:09,420
Your hobbies.

1014
00:45:10,880 --> 00:45:14,380
Yeah, your emotions and your feelings.

1015
00:45:14,380 --> 00:45:17,320
Again, this is a part of sort of the last few decades

1016
00:45:17,320 --> 00:45:19,960
of our culture where everything is about my feelings

1017
00:45:19,960 --> 00:45:22,260
and my emotions, and that's everything.

1018
00:45:22,260 --> 00:45:24,860
It's sort of like it's connected to the identity thing.

1019
00:45:24,860 --> 00:45:28,700
My feelings and emotions, everything revolves.

1020
00:45:28,700 --> 00:45:32,060
I am at the center stage of my life, not God.

1021
00:45:33,540 --> 00:45:35,580
These are all subtle things, you guys,

1022
00:45:35,580 --> 00:45:38,180
that can creep into our lives, so we've got to pay attention.

1023
00:45:38,180 --> 00:45:39,480
Now you can probably name some more,

1024
00:45:39,480 --> 00:45:41,280
and that'd be a really good exercise

1025
00:45:41,280 --> 00:45:42,680
to consider these things.

1026
00:45:42,680 --> 00:45:44,440
Oh, by the way, did I skip family and kids?

1027
00:45:44,440 --> 00:45:45,540
How'd I do that?

1028
00:45:46,680 --> 00:45:47,520
Woo.

1029
00:45:49,020 --> 00:45:50,560
That's a big one.

1030
00:45:50,560 --> 00:45:52,660
When we say family, well, my family's an idol,

1031
00:45:52,660 --> 00:45:55,520
sometimes it's your spouse, but more likely it's your kids.

1032
00:45:55,520 --> 00:45:58,240
Your life revolves around them, right?

1033
00:45:58,240 --> 00:46:00,080
They're the center, not the Lord.

1034
00:46:01,120 --> 00:46:03,080
Dangerous, subtle.

1035
00:46:03,080 --> 00:46:04,520
And maybe you can come up with some more,

1036
00:46:04,520 --> 00:46:07,660
but it's a really good, really good exercise

1037
00:46:07,660 --> 00:46:08,720
to examine these things.

1038
00:46:08,720 --> 00:46:10,420
And then you can take a screenshot of this.

1039
00:46:10,420 --> 00:46:13,100
Here's the questions we need to ask of all of those things.

1040
00:46:13,100 --> 00:46:16,840
Do I love or treasure any of those things more than God?

1041
00:46:16,840 --> 00:46:19,500
Like those things are my treasure.

1042
00:46:19,500 --> 00:46:21,700
God's a side piece.

1043
00:46:21,700 --> 00:46:25,040
God's for Sundays or God's for occasional

1044
00:46:25,040 --> 00:46:29,680
you know, if I pray I might get something.

1045
00:46:31,380 --> 00:46:33,420
But it's a side piece.

1046
00:46:34,820 --> 00:46:36,480
Do I love and treasure other things more than Him?

1047
00:46:36,480 --> 00:46:38,620
Do any of those things hold a higher priority

1048
00:46:38,620 --> 00:46:39,760
in my life than God?

1049
00:46:40,920 --> 00:46:44,060
Like if I have a choice between this or that,

1050
00:46:44,060 --> 00:46:46,400
God or something else, I'm going over here.

1051
00:46:46,400 --> 00:46:47,840
A higher priority for me.

1052
00:46:49,160 --> 00:46:50,400
I'm not gonna tell anybody that,

1053
00:46:50,400 --> 00:46:52,540
but in my heart, that's what I know.

1054
00:46:52,540 --> 00:46:55,200
That's sort of my priority.

1055
00:46:55,200 --> 00:46:57,400
Do any of those things bring me more pleasure

1056
00:46:57,400 --> 00:46:59,080
than the things of God?

1057
00:46:59,080 --> 00:47:01,520
Do I get more joy from those things than I do

1058
00:47:01,520 --> 00:47:03,140
from my walk with Jesus?

1059
00:47:04,540 --> 00:47:06,580
Do I place my identity in anything

1060
00:47:06,580 --> 00:47:08,660
over my status as a child of God?

1061
00:47:08,660 --> 00:47:10,080
That goes back to the identity thing.

1062
00:47:10,080 --> 00:47:11,060
That's who we are.

1063
00:47:11,060 --> 00:47:13,400
First and foremost, we are children of God.

1064
00:47:13,400 --> 00:47:14,700
We are Christ followers.

1065
00:47:14,700 --> 00:47:17,500
That is us.

1066
00:47:17,500 --> 00:47:22,500
And everything else has to be secondary to that.

1067
00:47:22,500 --> 00:47:25,640
Do I look to anything or anyone to meet my needs

1068
00:47:25,640 --> 00:47:26,700
instead of God?

1069
00:47:28,280 --> 00:47:29,940
I've got all these needs and desires

1070
00:47:29,940 --> 00:47:34,180
and those things really, they make, they fulfill me.

1071
00:47:35,520 --> 00:47:36,940
Warning, warning.

1072
00:47:38,140 --> 00:47:39,880
Do I seek fulfillment or satisfaction

1073
00:47:39,880 --> 00:47:41,580
from anything outside of God?

1074
00:47:41,580 --> 00:47:42,680
You get the point.

1075
00:47:42,680 --> 00:47:43,920
These are good questions.

1076
00:47:43,920 --> 00:47:45,680
Look, don't be afraid of them.

1077
00:47:45,680 --> 00:47:48,300
This is literally part of the sanctification process.

1078
00:47:48,300 --> 00:47:50,020
It is healthy and good,

1079
00:47:50,020 --> 00:47:52,060
especially if you can do it with others in the body

1080
00:47:52,060 --> 00:47:53,200
and say, let's be honest.

1081
00:47:53,200 --> 00:47:54,200
Let's just share these things.

1082
00:47:54,200 --> 00:47:56,500
This was a part of my testimony early on

1083
00:47:56,500 --> 00:47:57,640
when I was a young believer.

1084
00:47:57,640 --> 00:47:58,940
I had some guys in my life

1085
00:47:58,940 --> 00:48:02,080
and we asked these questions regularly.

1086
00:48:02,080 --> 00:48:03,700
And then we got on each other.

1087
00:48:03,700 --> 00:48:05,840
How you doing with that?

1088
00:48:05,840 --> 00:48:07,740
This is a normal part of the Christian life

1089
00:48:07,740 --> 00:48:09,820
to ask and answer these questions.

1090
00:48:10,980 --> 00:48:13,520
So if anything on that list jumped out at you

1091
00:48:13,520 --> 00:48:18,420
and likely at least one did, come on now.

1092
00:48:20,120 --> 00:48:21,160
I see some smiles.

1093
00:48:23,060 --> 00:48:24,300
I have good news for you.

1094
00:48:25,200 --> 00:48:26,160
I have good news for you.

1095
00:48:26,160 --> 00:48:29,100
If you're a believer, there's a way forward for you

1096
00:48:29,100 --> 00:48:30,500
and for me.

1097
00:48:30,500 --> 00:48:31,540
This is the good news.

1098
00:48:31,540 --> 00:48:32,800
This is why we don't have to be afraid

1099
00:48:32,800 --> 00:48:34,200
of asking these questions.

1100
00:48:34,200 --> 00:48:37,880
There is a way to acknowledge that idol

1101
00:48:37,880 --> 00:48:40,440
and still please the Lord and turn away from it.

1102
00:48:40,440 --> 00:48:43,480
As described in the Bible,

1103
00:48:43,480 --> 00:48:45,820
all it takes is honesty and humility,

1104
00:48:45,820 --> 00:48:48,420
acknowledging your sin, your need for change.

1105
00:48:48,420 --> 00:48:50,820
And folks, that is the hardest part.

1106
00:48:50,820 --> 00:48:53,420
Confronting it, looking into the heart,

1107
00:48:53,420 --> 00:48:55,460
saying, yep, this is true about me.

1108
00:48:55,460 --> 00:48:57,400
Lord, I'm gonna lay this open.

1109
00:48:57,400 --> 00:48:58,400
I'm gonna share it with you.

1110
00:48:58,400 --> 00:49:01,900
You already know it, but I'm gonna talk to you about it.

1111
00:49:01,900 --> 00:49:03,640
You know we try to hide things from God.

1112
00:49:03,640 --> 00:49:04,500
It's hilarious.

1113
00:49:06,340 --> 00:49:07,680
But we can open up our hearts and say,

1114
00:49:07,680 --> 00:49:09,680
Lord, you know this about me.

1115
00:49:09,680 --> 00:49:11,740
So I wanna talk to you about it.

1116
00:49:11,740 --> 00:49:12,580
And you know what?

1117
00:49:12,580 --> 00:49:14,880
I can't beat these things on my own.

1118
00:49:14,880 --> 00:49:15,980
I can't win.

1119
00:49:17,120 --> 00:49:19,620
So you can come before the Lord.

1120
00:49:19,620 --> 00:49:23,080
John assures us if we confess our sins,

1121
00:49:23,080 --> 00:49:26,120
he is faithful and righteous to forgive us of our sins

1122
00:49:26,120 --> 00:49:28,300
and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1123
00:49:28,300 --> 00:49:30,520
We have this amazing promise.

1124
00:49:30,520 --> 00:49:32,640
Do not be afraid of this.

1125
00:49:32,640 --> 00:49:35,300
We can confess our propensity towards idolatry.

1126
00:49:35,300 --> 00:49:36,340
We can repent of it.

1127
00:49:36,340 --> 00:49:38,200
And then we can ask the Holy Spirit

1128
00:49:38,200 --> 00:49:40,280
to walk through the process with us.

1129
00:49:41,180 --> 00:49:42,400
We can ask for strength.

1130
00:49:42,400 --> 00:49:44,240
We can ask for self-control.

1131
00:49:44,240 --> 00:49:45,740
We can, by the power of the Spirit,

1132
00:49:45,740 --> 00:49:47,840
then strive to change our habits

1133
00:49:47,840 --> 00:49:50,180
and to maintain this transformed mind

1134
00:49:50,180 --> 00:49:52,320
where we acknowledge what's going on.

1135
00:49:52,320 --> 00:49:56,320
And then we can set out to establish healthy boundaries,

1136
00:49:56,320 --> 00:50:00,200
to strive in the power of the Spirit for purity.

1137
00:50:01,400 --> 00:50:02,900
And all of that, friends, is the privilege

1138
00:50:02,900 --> 00:50:07,260
that we have as Christians, as those who know Christ.

1139
00:50:07,260 --> 00:50:08,500
So take advantage of it.

1140
00:50:09,360 --> 00:50:11,340
I've known far too many Christians in my life

1141
00:50:11,340 --> 00:50:13,080
who are like, I don't wanna deal with it.

1142
00:50:13,080 --> 00:50:14,500
You've been given this privilege

1143
00:50:14,500 --> 00:50:18,320
to abide with the Savior of the universe

1144
00:50:18,320 --> 00:50:20,040
and to walk through these processes

1145
00:50:20,040 --> 00:50:22,580
of repentance and sanctification.

1146
00:50:22,580 --> 00:50:23,880
Take advantage of it.

1147
00:50:23,880 --> 00:50:26,060
And if you need help in that process,

1148
00:50:26,060 --> 00:50:29,120
we have people at Oak Hill willing to help.

1149
00:50:29,120 --> 00:50:30,360
You just have to ask.

1150
00:50:31,860 --> 00:50:33,220
Okay, gotta wrap up.

1151
00:50:33,220 --> 00:50:35,460
Last section, I'm gonna do this really quickly.

1152
00:50:35,460 --> 00:50:38,160
Nine through 15, nine through 15,

1153
00:50:38,160 --> 00:50:42,400
this is really how the psalmist then sort of closes this out.

1154
00:50:42,400 --> 00:50:45,040
He has attacked the foolishness of the false gods.

1155
00:50:45,040 --> 00:50:49,240
He has turned back and addressed God's people directly.

1156
00:50:49,240 --> 00:50:51,440
Here in these verses, nine through 15,

1157
00:50:51,440 --> 00:50:54,480
this is where you get a sense of how this psalm

1158
00:50:54,480 --> 00:50:56,920
was used in the liturgy of Israel.

1159
00:50:58,120 --> 00:51:00,020
It was probably sung back and forth

1160
00:51:00,020 --> 00:51:02,820
between the worship leader and the congregation.

1161
00:51:02,820 --> 00:51:04,760
We do this sometimes at Oak Hill, don't we?

1162
00:51:04,760 --> 00:51:07,920
Where Grant will say something and we respond back and forth.

1163
00:51:07,920 --> 00:51:09,000
That's what's going on here.

1164
00:51:09,000 --> 00:51:10,900
Verse nine, the worship leader says,

1165
00:51:10,900 --> 00:51:12,840
oh Israel, trust in the Lord.

1166
00:51:12,840 --> 00:51:15,760
And the congregation says what?

1167
00:51:15,760 --> 00:51:18,100
He is their help and their shield.

1168
00:51:18,100 --> 00:51:19,380
Verse 10, the worship leader says,

1169
00:51:19,380 --> 00:51:22,340
oh house of Aaron, the priesthood, trust in the Lord.

1170
00:51:22,340 --> 00:51:24,280
And the congregation says,

1171
00:51:24,280 --> 00:51:26,080
he is their help and their shield.

1172
00:51:26,080 --> 00:51:27,580
Verse 11, the worship leader,

1173
00:51:27,580 --> 00:51:30,020
you who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord.

1174
00:51:30,020 --> 00:51:32,400
He is their help and their shield.

1175
00:51:32,400 --> 00:51:33,860
Why such repetition?

1176
00:51:35,340 --> 00:51:38,760
Because God is emphasizing the importance of this.

1177
00:51:38,760 --> 00:51:41,080
To acknowledge what it says here.

1178
00:51:41,080 --> 00:51:43,800
God says, I am the one who comes to your aid.

1179
00:51:43,800 --> 00:51:46,180
I am your shelter and your defender

1180
00:51:46,180 --> 00:51:47,480
in the midst of the storm.

1181
00:51:47,480 --> 00:51:50,180
Because I'm not like those lifeless idols.

1182
00:51:50,180 --> 00:51:52,180
Put your trust in me.

1183
00:51:52,180 --> 00:51:53,860
That's what he's trying to say here.

1184
00:51:53,860 --> 00:51:56,560
The psalmist is like, okay, worthless idols,

1185
00:51:56,560 --> 00:51:59,360
but look at your helper and your shield

1186
00:51:59,360 --> 00:52:01,360
and your shelter from the storm.

1187
00:52:01,360 --> 00:52:02,360
Trust in the Lord.

1188
00:52:02,360 --> 00:52:05,600
And then the psalmist gives this assurance in verse 12.

1189
00:52:05,600 --> 00:52:08,740
The Lord has been mindful of us.

1190
00:52:08,740 --> 00:52:10,040
Catch the tense there.

1191
00:52:10,040 --> 00:52:12,000
He's been mindful of us.

1192
00:52:12,000 --> 00:52:15,240
He will, future tense, bless us.

1193
00:52:15,240 --> 00:52:16,540
You see what he's doing there?

1194
00:52:16,540 --> 00:52:18,000
And we should do this as well.

1195
00:52:18,000 --> 00:52:19,380
You look at the past and say,

1196
00:52:19,380 --> 00:52:21,840
look, God has been faithful in the past.

1197
00:52:21,840 --> 00:52:23,980
That is our assurance that he will be faithful

1198
00:52:23,980 --> 00:52:25,780
to bless us in the future.

1199
00:52:26,660 --> 00:52:27,480
True?

1200
00:52:27,480 --> 00:52:30,060
And then he repeats the same three groups.

1201
00:52:30,060 --> 00:52:32,320
He gives each one of them this assurance

1202
00:52:32,320 --> 00:52:34,120
that Yahweh will bless them.

1203
00:52:34,120 --> 00:52:36,000
He will bless the house of Israel.

1204
00:52:36,000 --> 00:52:37,800
He will bless the house of Aaron.

1205
00:52:37,800 --> 00:52:40,260
He will bless those who fear the Lord.

1206
00:52:40,260 --> 00:52:41,500
And I love this.

1207
00:52:41,500 --> 00:52:43,700
It's tucked in here, but it's so beautiful.

1208
00:52:43,700 --> 00:52:47,840
He will bless both the small together with the great.

1209
00:52:47,840 --> 00:52:50,880
Listen, nobody's insignificant in the kingdom of God.

1210
00:52:52,880 --> 00:52:55,640
Not just the great, but the small as well.

1211
00:52:55,640 --> 00:52:57,620
God will bless them.

1212
00:52:58,680 --> 00:53:01,160
May the Lord give you increase, you and your children,

1213
00:53:01,160 --> 00:53:02,280
he says in verse 14.

1214
00:53:02,280 --> 00:53:05,320
May you be blessed of the Lord, maker of heaven and earth.

1215
00:53:05,320 --> 00:53:06,320
And that's the truth, friends.

1216
00:53:06,320 --> 00:53:08,200
It's on the screen right now.

1217
00:53:08,200 --> 00:53:11,700
Yahweh helps and defends those who trust in him.

1218
00:53:12,860 --> 00:53:15,160
And he promises to bless those who fear him.

1219
00:53:15,160 --> 00:53:16,840
It's right there in the text.

1220
00:53:18,000 --> 00:53:22,400
So just to wrap up, guys, let us strive to lay aside

1221
00:53:22,400 --> 00:53:26,480
the idolatry that used to mark our lives.

1222
00:53:28,380 --> 00:53:29,920
We were all wrapped up in it, right?

1223
00:53:29,920 --> 00:53:32,480
And we're slowly breaking away from it.

1224
00:53:32,480 --> 00:53:33,880
It might still have a hold on us.

1225
00:53:33,880 --> 00:53:35,360
It might be creeping in.

1226
00:53:35,360 --> 00:53:36,760
Let's lay those things aside.

1227
00:53:36,760 --> 00:53:40,320
Let's put on the new man in the image of Christ

1228
00:53:40,320 --> 00:53:45,320
and give God the glory in all things and for all things.

1229
00:53:45,320 --> 00:53:46,160
Amen?

1230
00:53:46,160 --> 00:53:47,460
Amen.

1231
00:53:47,460 --> 00:53:48,460
Let's bow our heads.

1232
00:53:48,460 --> 00:53:52,620
Father, how good it is to read in your word

1233
00:53:52,620 --> 00:53:54,340
that you know us by name,

1234
00:53:54,340 --> 00:53:57,040
that you know us better than we even know ourselves.

1235
00:53:57,940 --> 00:53:59,300
You even know our sin.

1236
00:53:59,300 --> 00:54:02,340
You know the idolatry that we dabble with.

1237
00:54:02,340 --> 00:54:04,500
And yet if we're found in Christ this morning,

1238
00:54:04,500 --> 00:54:06,380
you still love us.

1239
00:54:06,380 --> 00:54:07,740
That is an amazing love.

1240
00:54:07,740 --> 00:54:09,340
That is amazing grace.

1241
00:54:10,380 --> 00:54:13,140
And so I pray for myself and for my brothers and sisters

1242
00:54:13,140 --> 00:54:15,780
that we will be a people that continues

1243
00:54:15,780 --> 00:54:17,620
to bring these things to life.

1244
00:54:17,620 --> 00:54:19,580
That we will be a people that continues

1245
00:54:19,580 --> 00:54:21,720
to bring these things before your throne,

1246
00:54:21,720 --> 00:54:23,860
continues to confess sin,

1247
00:54:23,860 --> 00:54:25,860
and continues to be encouraged by the fact

1248
00:54:25,860 --> 00:54:29,660
that you are faithful and righteous to forgive us

1249
00:54:29,660 --> 00:54:31,040
when we walk with you.

1250
00:54:32,860 --> 00:54:34,740
God, thank you for the great contrast we have

1251
00:54:34,740 --> 00:54:36,100
in this text this morning.

1252
00:54:36,100 --> 00:54:38,500
That you are the living God.

1253
00:54:39,380 --> 00:54:42,940
The one true living sovereign God

1254
00:54:42,940 --> 00:54:47,940
with steadfast love and truth.

1255
00:54:48,820 --> 00:54:50,460
You are the God we worship.

1256
00:54:50,460 --> 00:54:52,220
And we reject all others, Lord.

1257
00:54:53,180 --> 00:54:56,620
Let that be true of every person in this room this morning.

1258
00:54:56,620 --> 00:54:57,960
For your glory we pray.

1259
00:54:57,960 --> 00:55:12,960
Amen.