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Bible Passage: Psalm 19
Pastor: Pastor Horton
Sermon Date: March 3, 2024
A comedian once joked that when men reach middle age, they dive deeply into one of two things…either war history or smoking meats. Oddly enough (at least having previously served in northern Michigan), there often seems to be some truth to that. But the humor begs a bigger question…do you have a favorite topic that you enjoy studying? It doesn’t matter about your educational background. We all have a variety of things we like to read up on or find fascinating on a personal level. What does your Facebook algorithm fill your news feed with? Maybe it’s cooking or baking, maybe a certain timeframe in history, maybe ocean life or fishing, or an avenue of the fine arts or a certain sport? Whatever random interests you may have is part of the uniqueness that makes you, “you.” Over the past year or so for me it has become astronomy – the study of the planets and the universe. I think it started when I visited NASA’s Museum in Florida and now half the videos that pop up on my phone have to do with outer space. Maybe part of the intrigue is thinking about how little we are in the universe, and yet how greatly loved are we by God.
As you heard the words of Psalm 19, you could probably understand why I was a bit excited to preach on these words as the meditation in our hearts for today as we Look Up!…Look to the Lord!
Verse 1 starts with a wow-factor: “The heavens tell about the glory of God. The expanse of the sky proclaims the work of his hands.” The Hebrew word for expanse is rarely used in Scripture. It pictures an active spreading out like a metal worker working heated gold into a wide sheet. The vastness of the heavens spread out above us and serve as a character witnesses to God. They are silent, they make no audible sound that we hear day in and day out. And yet they proclaim in a grandiose way the existence of God. They announce without sending a peep to earth that the living God is mighty, orderly, wise, good, and beyond equal.
Think for a moment: if the world stopped spinning or spun too fast, if the planet was pulled closer to the sun or launched further away, or if we were struck by any number of extinction-level asteroids, we all would have a very bad existence and a very limited future. But instead we go to sleep at night and wake up in the morning and absolutely never worry about such things. We know and trust and never question that all those issues are fully under God’s control.
And yet quietly, visibly, and majestically, before the eyes of all creation they are placed above us where our God would have them be. You have seen some of their testimony with your own eyes. When you are on that camping trip and the Milky Way is clearly visible, or last night with that glorious sunset. Look up! Here before you are the works of God’s hands!
Just as the heavens and the expanse of the sky gives a clear testimony to God, so also does our closest star, our light and heat giver, the sun. “God has pitched a tent for the sun in the heavens. It comes out like a bridegroom from his wedding canopy. It celebrates like a champion who has run his race. It sets out from one end of the heavens. It runs until it reaches the other end. There is nowhere to hide from its heat.” Look up! Like a big blue tent, the sky serves as a canopy above us upon which the sun runs its race each day. It does so gloriously like a new groom beaming after his wedding and proud of his new bride. The morning sun emerges as he does: ready and excited for what the new day will bring about. And the sun runs like a champion. By its afternoon placement, the sun is like gold medal sprinter and World Record holder, Usain Bolt from Jamacia, who would get so far ahead of his competition in the first part of the race, that in the second half he would look around and smile confidently and triumphantly. That’s the picture we are given. Who can escape the reach of or the need of the sun? And yet we do not worship the creation, but rather its creator. The sun is also there to tell us to “Look up” and gives testimony to the living God.
There is a point worth mentioning here as we think about the God of all the universe. That has to do with how we believers view God’s involvement in our life. If you are like me, we modern Christians tend to compartmentalize our lives: “I have this amount of time for school time, work time, family time, social time, sports watching time, sleep time, breakfast time, and whatever over things we have going on, including church time. Here, God, you get this hour. It is all too easy to confine God to only a little bit of our life, instead of remembering he is in all parts of our life. Just as the skies blanket the earth and the sun reaches all of it, so God desires to be relevant in all areas of your life, all motivation your heart, and guide all your words and actions no matter what realm of life we are in.
Why would the inspired author David have us look up at celestial creation giving that consistent testimony? He wants us to look up to the living God of our salvation. Romans 1 tells us “What can be known about God is evident among them….in fact, his invisible characteristics—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, because they are understood from the things he made. As a result, people are without excuse.” Viewing the wonders of creation testify and give evidence to God, but we need him to reveal more for our salvation. Look up to the Lord. Admiring the stars in the night sky is amazing, but that experience does not cancel your sin and make you right with God. Hearing the waves crash may be music for your soul, but they do not proclaim law and gospel to your soul. Walking under the cathedral of trees or among the flowers in the field may be your happy place, but there you do not receive personal forgiveness in the body and blood of Christ. We look up to the Lord God revealed in Holy Scripture for more! And he delivers!
Verses 7-9, highlight the law and the authority of his Word. The law shows our sins, the gospel shows our Savior. And yet at times the word for “law” in the Old Testament is a reference to all of the Bible, including the gospel. And we find that here, as the name for Lord switches for the first time. Up until this point the Lord was the almighty creator God, now we focus on the Lord as the gospel-driven God of free and faithful love who makes good on his promises to save. The Words of the LORD, “are perfect, revives the soul, are trustworthy, gives wisdom, are right, they give joy to the heart, light to the eyes, are pure, stands forever, are truth, and are altogether righteousness.” In all of creation the greatest gift given to you is the Word through which God the Holy Spirit works faith in your heart. There in the eternal word, Jesus is revealed as your Savior from sin. There we see the need to be saved, and the great work accomplished as we look up and look to Jesus at his cross this Lenten season. There we find our sin paid for in full, forgiveness through his righteous blood, and a new standing with God our Father who gives us heaven through the merits of Christ. There God works repentance in our hearts and give spiritual life to our souls. There we look up and find Jesus alone as our Savior.
This makes the Word of God a uniquely prized possession in all of creation. We are to treat the Word as precious, embrace it, share it, and pass it down to future generations. Verses 10 & 11, “(Those words of God) are more desirable than gold, even better than much pure gold. They are sweeter than honey, even honey dripping from the honeycomb.” What a contrast to what we normally chase after in creation! Gold, wealth, and earthly security. How much of our attention, worry, and want is spent over money! And sweet honey! That desire for contentment in earthly relaxation (we go looking for it from the extravagant vacations to the special splurge in our favorite cup of coffee). But God’s Word is far more fulfilling. It is better than earthly profit. It is better than earthly pleasure. It gives us the clear gospel of what Jesus has accomplished for your salvation. The Word gives wisdom, joy, and peace now. And the Word gives eternal life, perfect contentment, and Sabbath rest one day in heaven.
That contentment that comes with full forgiveness in Christ is something that David needed. “Who can recognize his own errors? Declare me innocent of hidden sins. Restrain your servant also from deliberate sins. Do not let them rule over me. Then I will be blameless. Then I will be innocent of great rebellion.” We like him, need that full forgiveness that comes through Christ for our deliberate and rebellious sin, for our careless and impulsive sins, but also for our secret sins, hidden perhaps even to ourselves, our ignorant and obtuse sins which we may not even be away of. All of them dear Lord, let us look up to Jesus and his cross and see all of them are nailed there!
And may, dear Lord, you forever remain our “Rock and my Redeemer.” Our prayer with David is clear: “Lord Jesus, in all of creation, be the one solid eternal truth we have. Upon you, we find the grace and mercy of God, upon you we have forgiveness for our soul and life for our spirit, upon you is built our faith and our hope for the future.” Help us Look up and see you clearly revealed in the precious Word. Help us Look up and see your impact and influence in our lives (help us see you even within our favorite random interests in life). And use us to help others “Look Up” – past the wonders of creation – and Look Up to the Lord Jesus as our Savior now and forever. We pray the same: “May the speech from my mouth and the thoughts in my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my “Rock and my Redeemer.” Amen.