Intro: Today we are jumping right into our sermon time of worshiping together with God’s Word. Lord willing, as we conclude our gathering we are going to worship thru singing in response to the Word. So would you stand with me as we begin by reading chapter three of II Timothy?

Read: II Timothy 3

Transition: We might imagine that Iv’e just read the front page of the daily news. However, these cautions were given by the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Paul to a young pastor nearly 2000 years ago. The instruction we receive from this truth helps to navigate some pastoral questions that I've been asking. How do we make sense of our current days? Should we engage in the conversations of our culture? How do we contribute to the ever flowing mixture of social media? What should it look like to speak truth concerning topics like; racism, pandemics, politics, protests, sexuality, depression, marriage, freedom, sanctity of life, war, justice, and the list goes on and on… The basic question that I've been asking is this: How should those who claim to be followers of Christ and belong to His body, the church, make sense of the chaos of our day? Notice again II Timothy 3:15-17

2 Timothy 3:15–17 ESV

and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Point: We need wisdom. And we know that it is through the Scriptures that we are made wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

Introduction: It has been in my mind for quite awhile to do a series of sermons through the book of Proverbs. A book in the Scriptures that focuses a lot of attention on wisdom. However, before we start that we need some transition to help lay the foundation for such a study. Why? Because of a passage like Proverbs 9:10 which says… because the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Which tells us that if it is wisdom we seek, then the starting line is to fear the Lord.

Proverbs 9:10 ESV

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight.

Problem: We are in desperate need today to properly diagnose the symptoms of our lives. When fear of the Lord is diminishing, then frustrations will be growing. Said another way, our problems are large when our God is small. If the awe and wonder of God is lacking then anxiety and worry will be increasing. When reverence and respect for God is little, then the chaos of subjective opinions will be rampant. When the sovereign Creator is treated with convenience and contempt, then we should not be surprised to notice the normal symptoms and consequence of everyone doing what is right in their own eyes.

Illustration: In the side entrance of our home we have a space called the mud room. Organizing the mud room. We are living in a mud room. The circumstances of our day are tripping us up. The enemy of God has set snares that are trapping us into acting the fool.

Logic: In order to gain the wisdom to be equipped for the good work of making sense of our world, we must fear the Lord as He has revealed Himself in His Holy Scriptures. Which takes us to Psalm 145 where for the next few weeks we are going to gaze at the glory of God.

Transition: As your turning your copy of God’s word to Psalm 145 I want to offer you a little context. The psalms were organized as the praise and worship hymnbook for Israel. They contain 150 songs, divided into five books. Psalm 145 is one of King David’s final contributions for helping the God’s chosen people worship their true King. Like other Psalms it is written as an alphabetical acrostic in order to help promote memorization and retention. It is full of declarations about the character and conduct of God.

Follow along with me as we read this this song of praise. Psalm 145:1-21

Psalm 145:1–21 ESV

I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds, and I will declare your greatness. They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness and shall sing aloud of your righteousness. The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The Lord is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made. All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord, and all your saints shall bless you! They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom and tell of your power, to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations. The Lord is faithful in all his words and kind in all his works. The Lord upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing. The Lord is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works. The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them. The Lord preserves all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy. My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord, and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.

I've entitled this series of sermons God is Great and God is Good. God’s greatness and goodness are the two major hooks that provide us proper space to hang the circumstances of our lives. However, with the Lord’s help we will discover the multiple excellencies of God that flow like a fire hydrant out of His greatness and goodness like; kingship, splendor, righteousness, grace, mercy, glory, power, patience, presence, and preservation to only name a few.

Christ Connection: Our goal over the next several weeks is the same as it always is when preaching the Scriptures. I want to point you to the main subject of the Bible, Jesus the Christ. We will especially find as we discover the fear of the Lord that in the person and work of Christ God is fully revealed. … One of the key points we will discover as we gaze at the greatness and goodness of God is how the truth about God makes us wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

Psalm 145

Closing considerations: As we prepare our hearts and minds to sing of His greatness and goodness consider these final thoughts…

Be made wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. The fear of the Lord may be a kind of terror for you right now as you see your sin in light of a Holy God. That is an absolutely essential awakening, however, the fear of the Lord does not stop there. Fear the Lord all the way to the cross where Jesus took upon Himself the wrath of God in the place of sinners. Follow the fear of the Lord to the grave where Jesus was buried. Follow the fear of God to the glory of His resurrection where the power of God was on display over sin and death. Follow the fear of the Lord to the right hand of the Father where Christ ascended and intercedes constantly for those who belong to Him. Follow the fear of the Lord to the splendor of a new heaven and new earth where there is constant praise of our amazing God. Have you turned from sin and trusted in Christ alone? The fear of the Lord which is the beginning of wisdom will most certainly direct us to Christ.

If you are a Christian...

Enjoy your relationship with God. Make much of God!

Let’s not assume we know everything about all the topics of our day. There is a difference between being informed and looking for offence. Being right about some trolling trend of internet egotism does not take away the personal problems that everyone is dealing with. Try filtering your posts through the glory of God.

Be a humble member of the body. Like Jesus consider others interests ahead of your own. Love your neighbor.

Be careful of the source of your information. Consider having a conversation with someone posting something of the glory of God.