"Knowing Your Place"

One of the cardinal doctrines of the Christian faith is that God is our Creator and the Giver of every blessing. In fact, it is most appropriate to acknowledge God’s hand in the blessings of our nation. For instance, here are some excerpts from a few state constitutions. Yet all fifty state constitutions acknowledge God:

Alabama “We the people of the State of Alabama, invoking the favor and guidance of Almighty God, do ordain and establish the following Constitution.”

Alaska “We, the people of Alaska, grateful to God and to those who founded our nation and pioneered this great land…”

Arizona “We, the people of the State of Arizona, grateful to Almighty God for our liberties, do ordain this Constitution.”

Arkansas “We, the people of the State of Arkansas, grateful to Almighty God for the privilege of choosing our own form of government…”

California “We, the people of the State of California, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom…”

Colorado “We, the people of Colorado, with profound reverence for the Supreme Ruler of Universe…”

Connecticut “The people of Connecticut, acknowledging with gratitude the good providence of God in permitting them to enjoy…”

And from closer to home, the stated of Delaware: “Through Divine Goodness all men have, by nature, the rights of worshiping and serving their Creator according to the dictates of their consciences…”

And finally, our home state, Pennsylvania: “We, the people of Pennsylvania, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of civil and religious liberty, and humbly invoking His guidance, do ordain and establish this Constitution.”

It is necessary to acknowledge the blessings and provisions of God in our lives. That you are not here by chance or circumstance. Rather, you are privileged and fortunate.

Ecclesiastes 12:1 says: “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, ‘I find no pleasure in them’”— Today we want to remember God.

We also want to begin a new sermon series on the Psalms. Over the next few weeks, we will focus on the latter ones.

The book of Psalms, often called Israel’s hymnbook, is divided into five books. It is possible that five books of Psalms are patterned after the five books of the Torah, or the first five books of the Old Testament to encourage the reading of the Psalms among God’s people. It was the reformer John Calvin who said that these five books exist “To exhort the faithful to the reading of the Psalms also.” (Van Pelt, 347). Every Christian should read the book of Psalms.

And we are edified and built up when we read the Psalms, knowing that the range of human emotion is experienced by the Biblical writers of Moses, the Sons of Korah, David, Solomon and Asaph.

E.J. Young, longtime Old Testament professor at nearby Westminster Seminary stated: “The Psalter, is primarily a manual and guide and model for the devotional needs of the individual believer.” (Van Pelt, 347).

Today, we look at Psalm 90, which is a song, written by Moses, to teach about God’s eternal nature. I share it with you because we often need to be reminded how small we are and how immense God is. Psalm 90:1-4

Psalm 90:1–4 (ESV)

1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. 2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. 3 You return man to dust and say, “Return, O children of man!” 4 For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night.”

Our Scripture states that unequivocally that God is the Creator. God is outside of time; He created time! And at a harsh time, this eternal God noticed the plight of the people of Israel and did something about it.

From our text, we find that...

Your home, your joy and your reason for living is found in God.

Moses wrote this poem. You remember Moses, the first prophet and the leader of God’s people, who led them out of Egypt after 400 years of slavery. It was to Moses that God said: “Go to Pharaoh and tell him to let my people go that they might worship Me!” He did this because God told him to and because God was the dwelling place of His people. And so, Moses states in Psalm 90:1: “O Lord, You are our dwelling place in all generations.” It speaks of the Lord’s permanency, faithfulness and steadfastness.

Of special note is the fact that the nation of Israel was nomadic from the very beginning. God told Abraham to pack up his family and belongings and go to a place that He would show him.

And just as Israel was limited by time and space, they discovered that God was timeless and omnipresent. He operates outside the restrictions of time and space. You and I are made of dust and live to be 70 or 80 if we’re blessed.

The World Health Organization reports: “Globally, life expectancy has increased by more than 6 years between 2000 and 2019 – from 66.8 years in 2000 to 73.4 years in 2019.” (See Life tables (who.int), accessed 19 July 2023). In more developed countries, these ages tend to be higher; 76 for males and 82 for females.

In the grand scope of things, that is pretty brief. No one will remember you in a hundred years. It was Charles Spurgeon who said: “Here is the history of the grass: sown, grown, blown, mown, gone, and the history of man is not much more.” (Charles Haddon Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Volume IV, 200).

Regardless of your age or your health, time is in God’s hands. You will not be here one moment longer than you are supposed to be. God is eternal. We are told that with the Lord, a thousand years are as watch in the night. That amounts to about three hours. Time is in God’s hands. And one thing is for sure, He always keeps his promises. And what is promised in Scripture is that Jesus will return one day and judge the world for its sin. This is why the Apostle said in 2 Peter 3:8

2 Peter 3:8 ESV

8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

Israel’s security was not in a place or in a king, but in God. He was to be their dwelling place. And...

Your time is in God’s hands; therefore be humble.

And yet, we are arrogant. We think we’re invincible. We believe we will live forever. We are like Alfonso the Wise (d. 1284), King of Castile and Leon, who said: “If I had been present at creation, I would have given some useful hints.”

The letter of James gives us another reminder to be aware of our transitory nature. We are mortal. We cannot even plan for tomorrow. There must always be contingencies.

James 4:13–17 ESV

13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”— 14 yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. 15 Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” 16 As it is, you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil. 17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

We can be self-absorbed and live as if we did not need God or that He does not exist. Today, there’s this strange phenomenon of “phubbing” also known as “phone-snubbing.” The article said:

“The advent of the smartphone has resulted in the development of behavior never before seen in the human race- people becoming glued to an external device. Sociologist have noted that such changes are having an impact- some people feel less lonely because they are always ‘connected.” Others feel more isolated because they never seem to connect with anyone in a direct way.

The researchers found a pattern- couples who reported more phubbing in their home also reported less satisfaction in their marriage. People tend not to respond well when ignored.” (Study finds regular 'phubbing' could be damaging marriages (phys.org)

If we can ignore each other, we can certainly ignore God. You may life your life as if you don’t need Jesus, but one thing is for certain, you cannot die without Him!

But those who do not ignore God, who know Him and love Him, says the late J.I. Packer:

Have great energy for God;

Have great boldness for God; and

Have great contentment in God (Packer, Knowing God, back cover).

Verse 12 is a request for acute awareness of our finitude.

Psalm 90:12 ESV

12 So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.

And so we must remember that God rules over time and events.

In Revelation, God is often described as the one who is and who was and who is to come (Revelation 1:4, 8).

And all things exist for the glory of God. Revelation 4:11 says:

11 “Worthy are you, our Lord and God,

to receive glory and honor and power,

for you created all things,

and by your will they existed and were created.”

God not only knows the future, but orchestrates it for His purposes. Isaiah 46:10 tells us that God is the One who...

10 declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’

And so what is the proper response?

Worship is the appropriate response.

So what should the response be? What is the action point of all that has been said? What is the proper answer? I say, it is worship.

Worship is the reaction to the fact that you are small and God is big. There ought to be times that we are compelled to turn aside to worship and to pray.

When you realize how small you are compared to how large God is; to understand that you are mortal, when God is eternal; that God is immense, when you are miniscule- that ought to invoke worship. John Piper says that

“Missions exists because worship doesn’t”. The reason that we go to the ends of the earth is so that God will get all of the glory that He deserves when all of the peoples that He made delight in and worship Him! (Found at Biblical Basis of Missions – Global Frontier Missions, accessed 18 July 2023).

I had a couple come to me several years ago and announce that they were no longer going to attend this church. The main reason, it appeared, was that we were involved in missions. They did not like the idea of us promoting the Christian faith at the expense of others.

I smiled and told them that was fine.

Missions exists because worship does not. If Jesus said: “I have come that they may have life and have it abundantly,” then it is my responsibility to share with others why Jesus came to this earth!

And the Psalms reveal such an abundant life. Mark Futado states:

“So we can say in summary that the purpose of the book of Psalms is to serve as an instruction manual for experiencing the abundant life that God intends both in creation and in redemption.” (Van Pelt, A Biblical-Theological Introduction to the Old Testament, 348).