Enduring Love
Christmas at the Movies • Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 9 viewsThis is the introduction to the Christmas series, "Christmas at the Movies."
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
This morning we are beginning our Christmas Series, we are going to take a brake from 1 Peter. Don’t worry, we’ll be back to Peter right after the 2021 begins.
I hope you had a great Thanksgiving with your family. For most of us we are turning our attention to Christmas. If you’re like me, Christmas music, movies, and shopping all begin in earnest. It is easy to get all wrapped up in the hustle and bustle of the season.
Today, we are going to begin celebrating the Advent Season—the coming of Jesus. We are lighting the first candle, which is the Candle of Promise. God’s promise comes from the past, but looks forward to the future.
Psalm 136 was a psalm of praise that the Jews used to remember the past while celebrating the future! If you have your Bibles, Turn with me to Psalm 136 and we’ll begin with verse 1.
This Psalm was written to be an antiphonal reading during worship! The worship leader would say the first part and the congregation would respond with, “His Love Endures Forever.” This morning we want to look at this Psalm, and at the end we read it one last time the way it was meant to be read.
A Call to Praise
A Call to Praise
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods.
His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
His love endures forever.
The Psalmist begins with a call to thanksgiving. The name used here is Yahweh or Jehovah. The first thing that we’re told is the reason for thanksgiving—because His love endures forever!
We are to give thanks because our God is the God above all gods.
And we are called to give thanks because our God is the Lord of all lords!
Cause for Praise
Cause for Praise
to him who alone does great wonders,
His love endures forever.
who by his understanding made the heavens,
His love endures forever.
who spread out the earth upon the waters,
His love endures forever.
who made the great lights—
His love endures forever.
the sun to govern the day,
His love endures forever.
the moon and stars to govern the night;
His love endures forever.
to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt
His love endures forever.
and brought Israel out from among them
His love endures forever.
with a mighty hand and outstretched arm;
His love endures forever.
to him who divided the Red Sea asunder
His love endures forever.
and brought Israel through the midst of it,
His love endures forever.
but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea;
His love endures forever.
to him who led his people through the desert,
His love endures forever.
who struck down great kings,
His love endures forever.
and killed mighty kings—
His love endures forever.
Sihon king of the Amorites
His love endures forever.
and Og king of Bashan—
His love endures forever.
and gave their land as an inheritance,
His love endures forever.
an inheritance to his servant Israel;
His love endures forever.
to the One who remembered us in our low estate
His love endures forever.
and freed us from our enemies,
His love endures forever.
and who gives food to every creature.
His love endures forever.
The Reason for Praise (4)
Because He alone does great wonders!
And because His love endures forever!
We Praise because of Creation (5-9)
God made the heavens (5)
God laid out the earth upon the waters (6)
God made two different lights (7-9)
The great light to govern the day.
The sun and stars to govern the night.
We Praise because of God’s leadership (10-25)
God’s Deliverance from Egypt (10-15)
God’s Leadership through the Wilderness (16)
God’s Inheritance (17-25)
Psalmist’s Conclusion
Psalmist’s Conclusion
Give thanks to the God of heaven.
His love endures forever.
As we look back at all that God did for His people (the Jews) we look forward to the promise that God gave us that first Christmas.
The promise of a Messiah. The promise of a Savior. The promise of Jesus. John tells us:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
As we close today, I want us to go through this Psalm the way it was meant to be, antiphonally. I’ll read the descriptions, and you read the response—“His love endures forever.”
Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of gods.
His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords:
His love endures forever.
to him who alone does great wonders,
His love endures forever.
who by his understanding made the heavens,
His love endures forever.
who spread out the earth upon the waters,
His love endures forever.
who made the great lights—
His love endures forever.
the sun to govern the day,
His love endures forever.
the moon and stars to govern the night;
His love endures forever.
to him who struck down the firstborn of Egypt
His love endures forever.
and brought Israel out from among them
His love endures forever.
with a mighty hand and outstretched arm;
His love endures forever.
to him who divided the Red Sea asunder
His love endures forever.
and brought Israel through the midst of it,
His love endures forever.
but swept Pharaoh and his army into the Red Sea;
His love endures forever.
to him who led his people through the desert,
His love endures forever.
who struck down great kings,
His love endures forever.
and killed mighty kings—
His love endures forever.
Sihon king of the Amorites
His love endures forever.
and Og king of Bashan—
His love endures forever.
and gave their land as an inheritance,
His love endures forever.
an inheritance to his servant Israel;
His love endures forever.
to the One who remembered us in our low estate
His love endures forever.
and freed us from our enemies,
His love endures forever.
and who gives food to every creature.
His love endures forever.
Give thanks to the God of heaven.
His love endures forever.