Say My Name

Psalm 79

“Why are you doing that?”…

Transition: We need to move from a me-centered life to a God-centered life, because…

Main Idea: God acts for the sake of his name

1. God is angry for the sake of his name (Psalm 79:1-7, 10-12)

Explanation: When God exiled the people of Judah, he did so because they undermined his name to the nations around them. Instead of showing people the greatness of God, they chased after idols and perverted justice in their nation. His wrath extends to the nations because they failed to learn from Judah’s exile, choosing instead to spread violence and death. In our case, we see the wrath of God poured out on all mankind (with greater stores of wrath preserved for the future), since all mankind has chosen to rebel against him…

Illustration: Kid who spoke heresy “in my name” after a DNow…

Application: As individuals, we severely underestimate the wrath of God because we’re living with a me-centered perspective. God isn’t angry with our sin because we’re worse than other people; he’s angry with our sin because it’s rebellion. As a church, we should accurately communicate God’s name to the world or face consequences…

2. God is compassionate for the sake of his name (Psalm 79:8-9, 13)

Explanation: God extends grace to the Israelites; he also extends grace to us. But his compassion doesn’t reveal our greatness; his compassion reveals his. He is compassionate because that’s who he is…

Illustration: Randomly choosing to give someone $1 million…

Application: Why would God be gracious to you? Because he is gracious! Why would God redeem our church? Because he gets more glory if our best days are ahead. Like the rescued people of Israel, we should celebrate the praiseworthy acts of God! We should celebrate the gospel. And in doing so, we communicate his name to the world…

Conclusion: Let’s praise the name of the Lord!