Psalm 19: You Can Know God

Introduction

Dyson Vacuum - WOW… What makes you say, Wow, that’s amazing?”

Amazed at the ingenuity and creativity of man… Even more amazed at the creativity of God.

Lowest point on earth the Dead Sea - to Guatemala - 16,000 foot elevation - Both places I stood in wonder.

You’ve had that experience too. You’ve stood somewhere on this planet and said, “Wow!” Put that place in your mind where you’ve stood and said, “Wow!”

Sure, the world is broken. Things aren’t right, but even in a broken world we are able to step back and marvel at the beauty of what God has created.

When David thinks about the world that he lives in, he often says, “Wow!”

BUT David something else also causes David to say, “Wow!”: the Scripture.

From God’s creation and God’s Word, God is saying to you: “I want you to know me.” The eternal God of all creation wants you to know Him. Do you want to know God? Many of us want to know God well enough to get to heaven, but do you want to know Him well enough to enjoy a life centered on His will? That’s the invitation.

Ps. 19 - Developing a theme we saw in Ps. 1 - “Blessed is the one who delights in God’s Law.”

Theme of Ps. 3-14 - The king is rejected by men. Ps. 15-24 - God has given His Word to the king.

Three truths you need to remember as you strive to know God.

You can see the glory of God in His creation.

C.S. Lewis said this was the greatest poem in the Book of Psalms and one of the greatest lyrics in the world. Why? Beautiful words, but also a clear statement as to how God communicates.

David gets right to the point - The world that God created declares God’s glory.

Glory = weight or significance. All of creation saying: “Look! God is significant! He is weighty! Nothing or no one as significant as God.

What do you ascribe glory/significance to?

Vs. 2 - God’s creation communicating to us something about God.

You’ve seen great movies and said, “Wow!” You’ve heard moving songs and said, “Wow!” You’ve finished a great book and said, “Wow!” You walked away from a great speech and said, “Wow!” BUT, that great movie doesn’t compare to standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon. That moving song doesn’t compare a morning sunrise on the beach. That helpful book doesn’t compare to the peaks of a snow covered mountain range. (Picture of wave pool at Great Wolf Lodge - doesn’t compare to an actual ocean…)

When you are at that amazing place in God’s creation you feel insignificant - you don’t have the glory. (Ps. 8:3) The glory is in someone else. But, in that moment of insignificance you are humbled, amazed, and in awe.

David in awe - he thinks about the sun (Ps. 19: 4-6). You’ve taken a science class before. You know what the sun is. The sun is a star in the center of our solar system - a big hot ball of gas. You might remember from your science class that the sun is mostly hydrogen and helium.

Not for David - It’s a bridegroom that the heavens have pitched a tent for. At night, the sun is covered by this tent, but then in the morning, like a bridegroom in pursuit of his bride, the sun comes out of his home in radiant glory. The sun is like an athlete running its course from one end of the earth to the other, and nothing hidden from its heat.

David in awe - This giant ball of gas is a display of God’s handiwork.

Think about what you see and give God glory.

Get outside, enjoy creation, and know who is behind it all. Know that God is glorious and worthy of your worship. Know that you are not glorious - He is. That’s what creation is communicating.

This glorious God has invited you to rule over His creation with Him (Gen. 1-2).

But, know creation does not lead people to give God glory.

Ps. 19:1-6 - general revelation - anyone can go outside look at the heavens and come away with the conclusion that there must be a God who created this. BUT, that information isn’t enough to save someone from their sin.

Instead, what the unbeliever does it looks at creation and instead of giving glory to God, gives glory to creation. Make idols, worship the sun, etc. (Romans 1:18-25)

No unbeliever goes outside, looks at the majesty of creation, and just based on what he/she sees in creation says, “I’m a sinner, I need a Savior. I need to give my life to Jesus.” Instead, even though God has given evidence of Himself in creation, people reject Him.

Creation declares God’s glory, but creation does not tell the Gospel story.

David - vs. 3 Creation communicates knowledge, pour out speech, but it’s an indistinguishable speech. Their voice is not heard. OR, indistinguishable words.

Creation speak to God’s glory, but to know God, we need words that speak more clearly to us than creation does.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ykinoshita/plufl-the-dog-bed-for-humans Who looks at a dog bed and says, “That’s what I need?” Who looks at creation and says, “I need God?”

You can hear the voice of God in His Word.

After helping us to see the glory of God in creation, David explains that the way we really know God is through His Word.

Creation reveals something about God, but God’s Word reveals who God is, what He has done, and how we can have a relationship with Him.

“I feel closest to God when...” I’m on the lake, at the beach, hiking trails, etc. I get it… Something spiritual about being in God’s creation. Reality: You are closest to God when you are communing with Him in His Word, because it’s in His Word that He reveals how to have a relationship with Him.

We can see the power of God by looking at the universe He created, but we can only know God personally through his written Word. (Me sitting and playing the piano might tell you something about my ability - it reveals something about me - but you won’t know me until you sit down and have a conversation with me. You listening to me play the piano doesn’t put you in a personal relationship with me.)

Special Revelation - You can’t know the true God apart from His Word.

Amazing! The God of all creation desires for you to know Him - really know Him - so He’s given you His Word.

Note - first verse David refers to God as “El” - vs. 7-14 - covenant name - revealed in His Word.

David describes God’s Word.

Perfect (vs. 7) - from a perfect God who supernaturally inspired men to record what God intended for us to know about Himself.

Trustworthy (vs. 7) - you can trust what it says is true. No need to deny. A perfect God is more than able to give us a true Word. What about contradictions? The Bible is full of contradictions, right? Or, maybe we just don’t understand the context, the intention of the author, etc. - our lack of understanding.

Precepts are right (vs. 8) - God is sinless. If so, what He is going to give us in His Word is good for us, not evil. His commands aren’t cruel. His commands are good for us.

Commands are radiant (vs. 8) - Not just right, but when we live by His commands, we light up the world. His commands lead us to a good life.

Ordinances are reliable (vs. 9) You can trust that His laws will always be good. There won’t be a day when His Word is out of date. We don’t need a Bible 2.0.

His Word is desirable (vs. 9) God’s people want to know God - we desire a relationship with Him.

God’s Word is sufficient. It is clear. It is good, and God’s Word is a gift to us.

What God’s Word does to us:

Renews one’s life - In those moments when you understand God’s Word and how it applies, you’re revived.

Makes the inexperienced wise - the more you know God’s Word, the more you make decisions that reflect God’s truth. That’s wise.

Makes the heart glad - No one ever says, “That was a really bad idea to do life God’s way.”

Makes the eyes light up - Illumination - You’ve had those moments when God’s truth opened your eyes to a new way of thinking. It changed everything.

Produces fear of the Lord - a pure fear - we want to honor God and live holy before Him.

Warns us - 2 Tim. 3 - rebukes us, corrects, admonishes us

Points us to an abundant life - Living in the center of God’s will is always the abundant life.

Three questions:

Am I going to challenge the Word or let the Word challenge me? Comes down to a posture of the heart. Always pushing back… “Yeah, but...” Or, I understand that His Word is God’s revelation of Himself to me in every area of my life, so I’m going to let His Word challenge me. (Always looking to argue about the Bible instead of letting it change your life.)

Am I going to learn the Word or learn the world? We’re always a student of something - allowing something to shape the way we think and live - what is it for you? Some of you aren’t students of the Word - not taking time to learn - result - your life is on shifting sand.

Am I going to live the Word or ignore the Word? Study, learn, attend Bible studies, but do nothing with it - not let it affect the way you live. What kind of faith is that? Faith intended to be live out. (James 1:22-24)

You can respond to God’s Word.

David’s response:

Help me to see my sin - unintentional and intentional - that sin that I didn’t know was sin, and that sin I deliberately and willfully committed. Help me to see and cleanse me - I desire to be blameless.

Why help me to see my sin? It’s what keeps me from a relationship with God. Nature doesn’t reveal my sinfulness, but God’s Word does.

Torah - God is holy and we are not. We rebel and deserve punishment. To be in a relationship with God you must see God for who He is and yourself for who you are. That’s what the Bible does.

The question: “How can I be clean?” Ps. 51:3 - My sin is always before me.

Help me to be acceptable - When see God for who He is, the great Judge of the Universe the question becomes: “How can I be right with this God?”

Acceptable = language of sacrifice - words of my heart and meditation of my heart be a pleasing sacrifice.

That’s the problem - Our words, our meditations, our actions are not acceptable sacrifices.

David pointing to a better King - a King who was clean, who had no intentional or unintentional sins, who was blameless. A king whose words and mediations and actions were acceptable to God.

A king who laid down His life as an acceptable sacrifice. Jesus is the ONE who lived perfectly the perfect instruction of God. He was wise. The Word of God made His heart glad. He feared the Lord and His abundant reward was death on the cross - a horrifying death on our behalf - a death that gave way to victory through His death and resurrection so He could receive His ultimate reward - the nations (Ps. 2). You and me - His inheritance.

How do you respond to God’s Word? By giving your life to Jesus so that He might renew your life and give you a desire to know God and to love His Word.

When you know Christ, God’s Word becomes desirable for you.