The Steadfast Love of God (LWECF)
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Good morning everyone! I am glad to be here this morning with you all to praise God together! I will be preaching from Psalm 33 this morning. If you will open your Bibles and turn there with me. I’ll be reading for us the entire passage.
English Standard Version Psalm 33
Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous!
Praise befits the upright.
2 Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre;
make melody to him with the harp of ten strings!
3 Sing to him a new song;
play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.
4 For the word of the LORD is upright,
and all his work is done in faithfulness.
5 He loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD.
6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,
and by the breath of his mouth all their host.
7 He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap;
he puts the deeps in storehouses.
8 Let all the earth fear the LORD;
let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!
9 For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm.
10 The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
he frustrates the plans of the peoples.
11 The counsel of the LORD stands forever,
the plans of his heart to all generations.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!
13 The LORD looks down from heaven;
he sees all the children of man;
14 from where he sits enthroned he looks out
on all the inhabitants of the earth,
15 he who fashions the hearts of them all
and observes all their deeds.
16 The king is not saved by his great army;
a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.
17 The war horse is a false hope for salvation,
and by its great might it cannot rescue.
18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him,
on those who hope in his steadfast love,
19 that he may deliver their soul from death
and keep them alive in famine.
20 Our soul waits for the LORD;
he is our help and our shield.
21 For our heart is glad in him,
because we trust in his holy name.
22 Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us,
even as we hope in you.
Let’s pray.
Do you remember a time when something has brought you so much joy that you burst forth in excitement? Whether it’s getting your first car, or the job offer you were waiting on, or the birth of your child? These events are so exciting that we can’t help but exclaim in excitement!
I remember being at my wife’s parents’ house once before we were married and a family friend of theirs got so excited at a touch down that he yelped and jumped out of the couch and - being pretty tall - smacked the ceiling with his hand. If I remember correctly, he needed a bandaid after that. It was unqualified and undignified. It was pure joy.
My daughters do this all the time. My youngest daughter - man give her good food and she has unmitigated joy. I could put videos after videos up where she’s squealing and dancing because of how joyful she is at good food!
That is what this Psalm is expressing but towards the one who deserves our full attention and unfiltered joy. It is a joy in God so great that it caused the Psalmist to burst forth in praise. Psalm 33 expresses an honest emotional reaction to an experience of the goodness and greatness and majesty and love of our God!
Let me give us our main point this morning:
Main Point: Praise the Lord because of his powerful love
Main Point: Praise the Lord because of his powerful love
The Psalmist is overwhelmed with joy in God and he calls others to come along to praise the Lord with Him. That’s verses 1-3. What happens next is the author provides reasons for why God is worthy of such praise.
We’ll see from our text this morning two main reasons that the Psalmist gives.
Both of these reasons are connected by God’s love. Both reasons stem from what the Psalmist calls God’s “steadfast love.” It is in this steadfast love the Psalmist sees God displaying of who He is and causes the author to praise and worship Him.
The two reasons are these:
The first is God’s power, which the Psalmist uses the imagery of speaking to display. In God’s word, the Psalmist finds the Lord’s power in full display. It is through His Word, the Psalmist says, that the universe was created and it is in His word that he accomplishes His will.
The second imagery our Psalmist uses is God’s sight. It is through God’s seeing that He displays his providential care for His children. He keeps His eyes on His children. He watches over those who have trusted in Him.
Let’s start with the first point.
Point 1: Praise the Lord for His Word
Point 1: Praise the Lord for His Word
Look with me at verses 4 through 7. The Psalmist states:
English Standard Version Psalm 33
For the word of the LORD is upright,
and all his work is done in faithfulness.
5 He loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD.
6 By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,
and by the breath of his mouth all their host.
7 He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap;
he puts the deeps in storehouses.
Verse 4 starts with the word “for,” which means “because.” After calling all the “righteous” to come and worship God, he says “this is why! It is because of these things.”
And the first reason that the Psalmist puts forth is we are to praise God because His word is upright.
The “word of the Lord” is a common phrase throughout the Old Testament. Here specifically, we can see its direct connection with his work. Look at verse 4 with me in your Bibles.
The two lines of the verse are set in parallel, the word of the Lord is upright and his work is done in faithfulness. God’s word can be seen as something that expresses God’s will and accomplishes God’s will. When His word goes forth it communicates what the Lord wills and ensures that it is completed.
We see this in Isaiah 55 for example. In Isaiah 55:10-11, the prophet says:
English Standard Version Chapter 55
10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
God’s Word goes forth as an expression of what God wills and those very words accomplishes the task. It is in God’s very word that that which he wills to come to pass, comes to pass!
It is this word that the Psalmist calls “upright.” And he explains to us what this means in verses 5-7.
We see that his word is upright because God loves righteousness and justice. God desires after - he cares about righteousness and justice because the Lord is righteous and just.
Friends, whatever the Lord wills is going to be accomplished. And what will be accomplished will be in line with his character of righteousness and justice.
The Psalmist further explains what this righteousness and justice looks like.
Look at the second half of verse 5 with me, “the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.”
Notice the phrase “steadfast love,” which is a translation of the Hebrew word hesed. This word is notoriously difficult to translate. The NASB translates it “lovingkindness.” The CSB often translates it as “faithful love” but here in this context, the CSB translates it as “unfailing love.” Another translation calls it his “loyal love.” It also has the ideas of joint obligation, faithfulness, mercy, goodness, graciousness, and more.
And oftentimes it is specifically used in association with God’s covenant people. This is why some have called it “covenant faithfulness.” But here I want us to notice that God says that it is the earth that is full of the hesed of the Lord. It is in his world that we experience the love that God has for all of his creation and specifically for human beings. Whether you are a believer or not, God has demonstrated his love in creation.
Think back to the creation narrative with me. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. And how did God create all there is? He spoke. Verse 6 of our Psalm this morning states, “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their hosts.” God spoke and it came to be. His word went out and it accomplished His will. The entire cosmos was created by the breath of His mouth.
And in that creation, God blessed humanity. Genesis 1:28
And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Then after the fall and after the flood where God wiped out every living creature except those on the arc, we are told in Genesis 9:1-2:
And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered.
God has blessed all of humanity without exception with the goodness of his creation. This is God’s steadfast love. The beauty of a sunset. The breathtaking vastness of the mountains. The sweet taste of honey. The depths of the Grand Canyon. The provision of food and the blessing of a cold cup of water.
God’s love is saturated in the world. The taste of good food, the comfort of a fire, the embrace of loved ones - all of this is God’s steadfast love felt throughout his creation.
Jesus tells us that God the Father “makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.”
Consider David who stated that the heavens the declare the glory of God in Psalm 19:1. Here the unnamed psalmist says that the heavens also declare the love of God! Just as we see His magnificent glory in heavens, so too we see God’s lovingkindness in what he’s created for us.
The Psalmist continues in verse 7:
7 He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap;
he puts the deeps in storehouses.
While it is true that God’s word has demonstrated his steadfast love in creation, it is also true that His word is powerful. Indeed, we can trust his word because it is powerful.
Consider, friends, that the flood in Genesis destroyed every living creature except Noah and those whom God saved on the arc. Consider that if God were to allow it, that the seas would swallow all of us whole! Consider that it is God’s steadfast love and God’s power that keeps that from happening.
If you have ever been at sea during a storm, you can imagine the immense power of the ocean. Water in the ancient world was often thought of as chaos. It is untamable chaos that brings with it death. And at the Lord’s word, he gathers it. He tames the untamable chaos. He is Lord over it. He created it.
Now consider Jesus who walked on water. The sea could not consume him. The very laws of physics bent at his will so that it obeyed him. With a word he calmed the storm. With the step of his feet, the waters held him up rather than sank him.
The Psalmist proclaims:
English Standard Version Psalm 33
8 Let all the earth fear the LORD;
let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!
9 For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm.
Friend - the amazing power of God should cause us to stop in wonder. We fear the seas and the storms because they are powerful. But at the word of God they obey. At his feet they bend. At his voice will they recede.
We are called to fear him, to stand in awe of the greatness of God! This is a call to everyone! It is a call you! You are to fear God. To fear God is to see Him for who He truly is, acknowledge Him who is far greater and more powerful than you can imagine.
Now I want to do something here and I hope you guys will follow me. I want to tie together the concept of God’s word and show us from Scripture how this relates to Jesus.
Remember that God’s word is tied to God’s will and the accomplishment of that will.
It is interesting then that Jesus is explicitly called the Word if the gospel of John. And specifically when John opens His gospel and recounts the creation of the world.
Remember in Genesis that in beginning God created the heavens and the earth? How? By speaking. By His word. Psalm 33:6, “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host.”
In John, the Evangelist explains, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made.”
Jesus is the Word of God. The one whom God created the World. And remember that it is in God’s Word that His will is revealed and His work is accomplished. Jesus is the one who reveals the Father. He is the one who does the will of the Father and accomplishes the will of the Father.
Jesus states in John 5:30, “I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.”
Jesus expressed the will of God in His ministry. He spoke, and worked, and accomplished what the Father willed.
Here’s my argument. Jesus, is the Word of God who accomplished the righteous and just will of God to bear upon Himself the punishment for sins.
Let’s first look at the Word accomplishing the righteous and just will of the Father. Isaiah 53:10-11 states:
English Standard Version Chapter 53
10 Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him;
he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt,
he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant,
make many to be accounted righteous,
and he shall bear their iniquities.
It was the Lord’s will to crush him and make him an offering for guilt. It was the Father’s will that Jesus would bear the inquiries of a people so that many would be accounted righteous.
And in this, Jesus demonstrates God’s justice and righteousness. Remember earlier that God’s word is upright because He loves righteousness and justice. It is in bearing the sins of His people that Jesus demonstrates God’s will, which is righteous and just.
Paul says it this way in Romans 3:23-26
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
The righteousness of God is revealed, just as the Psalmist says. It is revealed in the wonderful creation of the world. And it is revealed most visibly and powerfully in the sin bearing work of the Word of God, the Son of God, Jesus Christ.
Christian - God has chosen you as his heritage. Trust in Him who is righteous, who is just, who loves you with steadfast love.
Friend - if you do not know this righteous and loving God, hear me clearly. Jesus Christ stands willing and ready for you. In Him the righteousness of God has been revealed. In Him you have eternal life. Put your trust in Him. Call out to Him as your source of righteousness before God.
We praise God for his Word, because His word accomplishes His will. His word has blessed us in the creation of the world. His word demonstrates his love for all - because all has tasted of the goodness of God in the world He has created.
And His Word is made manifest most clearly in Jesus Christ, the Word, the Son, who accomplished the righteous and just will of the Father to die for the sins of many so that we can put faith in Him and receive Jesus’ very own righteousness. In Jesus we are the blessed nation whose God is the Lord.
Praise God for His word!
My second point:
Point 2: Praise the Lord for His watchful care
Point 2: Praise the Lord for His watchful care
Look with me at verses 13-17:
English Standard Version Psalm 33
13 The LORD looks down from heaven;
he sees all the children of man;
14 from where he sits enthroned he looks out
on all the inhabitants of the earth,
15 he who fashions the hearts of them all
and observes all their deeds.
16 The king is not saved by his great army;
a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.
17 The war horse is a false hope for salvation,
and by its great might it cannot rescue.
Notice the change in imagery. The Psalmist has switched from the speech of God that accomplishes His will to now the Lord’s sight. He looks down and sees from heaven.
You don’t have to answer this, but when else have see seen the height of human pride seeking to make a name for itself and the Lord needing to stoop down to look?
The answer is the tower of Babel. In Genesis 11 the people of earth decided to come together and make a tower that would reach the heavens. They wanted to make a name for themselves.
And Genesis 11:5 states, “And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built.”
Similarly, the Lord looks down from heaven to see humanity. From where he sits enthroned - as King over all - he looks at the inhabitants of earth.
The world believes that there is no God. So it builds its kingdoms. It pursues a vision that it believes will save it. Whether that is through guns or money or an utopian society - people pursue it with all their might thinking that things and circumstance create for themselves will save them.
But these are false hopes for salvation. Friend - hear me clearly. Nothing in this world will save you. Nothing can keep you safe but the Lord God Himself.
Look with me at verses 18 and 19,
English Standard Version Psalm 33
18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him,
on those who hope in his steadfast love,
19 that he may deliver their soul from death
and keep them alive in famine.
You see here that there is a protective care that God has for those who hope in his steadfast love.
I think that there is an organic connection between Psalm 32 And Psalm 33, our text this morning.
In Psalm 32, the Psalmist describes the blessing and joy of those whom God has forgiven.
And then at the end of Psalm 32, he writes:
English Standard Version Psalm 32
Many are the sorrows of the wicked,
but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the LORD.
11 Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, O righteous,
and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
If you look at start to our Psalm this morning, you see the same line repeated, “Shout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright.” He is calling those who hope in the Lord, those who are “surrounded” by His steadfast love, to rejoice in Him.
And so here, in Psalm 33:18, those who trust in him, who have been called to worship and praise him, they are the ones on whom his eye is on.
If you have or had kids and you’ve ever taken them to the park, you know what this is like. Even while I’m engaged in a conversation or eating lunch, my eye is on my kids. I watch where they are, what they are doing, who they are interacting with, what slide they are going to go down - all as part of my watchful care for my children.
In the same way, the Psalmist says that God’s sight is on those who fear him. Those whom have become His children through His Son.
The Bible tells us that when we put your trust in Jesus we become children of God. And if human parents watch over their children, how much more the incomparable God of creation? How much more the heavenly Father?
It is the Lord who watches over us with care. Look at verse 22 of our Psalm this morning. Our Psalm ends, “Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.” This song of praise is bookended with the very idea that in our trust and hope in the Lord, He surrounds and bestows upon us His steadfast love!
Psalm 32 ended with the idea that the steadfast love of the Lord surrounds those who trust in him. Psalm 33 ends with that very same idea, that the steadfast love of the Lord is on those who hope in him.
Someone may ask, “Wait a minute! Doesn’t God’s steadfast love extend to everyone? Didn’t the Psalmist say that the earth is filled with the steadfast love of the Lord?”
God loves his creation and it is abundantly clear in what he’s created. But he also has a specific love for his children.
God loves everyone, but He doesn’t love everyone in the same way. On the one hand, God loves everything that he has made, including His enemies. Matthew 5:43-48 calls Christians to love our enemies. But we cannot be more loving than God. If God calls us to love our enemies, He too loves His enemies.
There are some Christians hesitate to say to an unbeliever, “God loves you.” These Christians feel like they cannot say to someone who many never come to know Jesus, and therefore may suffer eternal punishment, that God loves them!
But friends, God’s love for his enemies is real love. “The earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.” It is full. It is filled to the brim with the love of God!
So yes, God loves unbelievers. But that love, and friends this is a hard concept - that love may lead to their condemnation if they reject His Son. We can’t separate God’s love from His wrath. We can’t separate God’s love from His holiness. We can’t separate God’s love from His justice. So don’t misunderstand what I’m saying here. God loves unbelievers and those who may never come to know Him. But that love does not ensure salvation to anyone. That love is a kindness and a forbearance. It is the patience of God.
Look with me at Romans 2:4-5
Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.
God’s rich kindness - his love that fills the earth for unbelievers and believers alike - can store up wrath on the day of judgment when unbelievers reject him. Think on that friends. Think about your life and the goodness of God who sustains you moment by moment. He loves you. He continues to love you. But that will not save you unless you turn to His Son and believe on Him.
And there is a second type of love that we see here. It is the love that God has for His children. It is a love He has for those who trust in Jesus Christ for their righteousness and the forgiveness of their sins. It is a special love that He has towards those who is being transformed into the image of His Son. It is the love of God that as our Psalm states, “deliver their souls from death, and keep them alive in famine.” It is a love that as Psalm 32 says, “forgives transgressions and covers sin.”
Christian, I know that life can be hard. I am certain that many of you are going through difficulties. Sometimes, in the midst of difficulties, it can feel lonely. It can be difficult to see God’s watchful care over us.
Some of you may be grieving the death of loved ones. Some of you may be anxious about what the future holds. Some of you may be fearful about your financial situation. There are so many things that we have that weighs on us that it can be difficult to breathe.
Asking you to burst forth is praise feels like commanding something impossible.
Christian, your heavenly Father has his eye on you. He watches from His throne - as sovereign ruler of the entire cosmos. He knows what will happen. He’s ordained it! No power is above Him. Nothing is outside His control. He one who fashioned the universe, the One who holds back the stormy seas, the One who by His Word caused all things to come into being - he is the one who keeps His watchful eye on you. Because He loves you, Christian. And He will deliver you to Himself. No one can pluck you from Him. He will guard you. He is your help and your shield.
Conclusion
Conclusion
And friends, this should cause us to praise Him! It should cause us burst forth in worship!
Christians do this funny thing. We who are relatively normal functioning adults get together every single Sunday, pack ourselves into a room, and start singing to someone that we can’t see.
Now, don’t get me wrong. Non-Christians do similar things. They go to concerts. They go karaoke. Non-Christians sing at Buddhist temples and other religious venues.
But Christians really care about their singing together. When you go to a concert the music is so loud you can hardly hear yourself. When you go the the Buddhist temple, it’s chants and singing that the monks do and you join along.
But for Christians, we care about each other’s singing. I am a terrible singer. I can’t hold a tune for the life of me. But I sing every Sunday for a reason. And its because it bursts forth from knowing the God who created the world that is filled with his steadfast love. It pours forth from our mouths because we are overjoyed at a God who sent His only Son to die for us so that our sins may be forgiven and so that we can enjoy Him and His goodness forever and ever.
Let’s look at verses 1-3 together again:
English Standard Version Psalm 33
33 Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous!
Praise befits the upright.
2 Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre;
make melody to him with the harp of ten strings!
3 Sing to him a new song;
play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.
Church, I want us this morning to overflow with the joy that the Psalmist has. I want us to overflow with the exuberance that comes from seeing and experiencing the God of the Bible. I want us to overflow with the awe that comes from knowing a God who hung on a cross to take upon Himself wrath in place of sinners. And that means praising Him. It means shouting about His goodness from the rooftops. It means telling our friends and family about the greatness of God. It means singing! Singing in worship together. Singing in private with your family. Singing in the car about the crucified Lord!
Let’s praise Him, church. Let’s praise Him in prayer.