Do you have a favourite song, or piece of music? Like me, you may struggle to narrow it down to just one. I love some of the popular classics. Beethoven s Moonlight Sonata is brilliant. (If a very ordinary musician is allowed to comment on Beethoven!) So is Mozart s Starry Night. The skies above us have inspired musicians and poets for countless years. A combination of factors makes a song, or hymn, stand out for me. Musically, there are so many variables. Things like melody, rhythm, tempo, harmony; some combinations have far more appeal than others. And then of course there are the words. What do they say? How do they say it? There is an enforced economy of words in a song that isn t there in a conversation, or a sermon! How well has the author or composer conveyed truth, or feeling, or inspiration within the parameters of the music? How do the words and music complement each other to reinforce the message? All this is far too analytical, or course! What it all comes down to is, do I actually like what I ve just heard, or sung or played? Has it touched my heart in some way? Has it lifted my spirit? Has it strengthened my resolve? Has it helped make me a better person? Music and songs have the potential to do all these things and more. So of course we sing when we worship. Most of us would struggle, in public worship anyway, if we couldn t sing. It s why we seek to provide a variety of different styles of music in our services, and give responsibility for choosing what we sing to different worship leaders. Music is such a personal thing and we hope we can give you something each week that helps you to worship God. Which brings us to the psalms, and the start of a new, short series. God s people have always sought to respond to God, and life s circumstances, in song. And the psalms not only give us examples of this, they inspire in us something of the thoughts and feelings and motivations that prompted the writers to create them. Around a thousand years before Jesus, David wrote things that prompt us to say, That s the way I feel today! Over the next few weeks we ll look at some quite different psalms, reflecting the different circumstances and feelings of their authors at the time. This morning I want to begin with a beautiful song of praise: Psalm 19, where David reflects on the glory of God. I think his start is magnificent! The heavens declare the glory of God! The skies proclaim the work of his hands. We can broaden David s emphasis a little this morning and say I. Creation Reveals the Glory of God. I just love autumn in the northeast. Our nights have cooled down dramatically. Already the leaves on the deciduous trees are starting to turn. Everywhere we look, we see 1
A. The Marks of the Creator. A SONG FOR ALL SEASONS: 1. The Glory of God This is what David saw, long ago in Palestine. We can imagine him, out with the sheep at night, lying on his back, looking up at the stars in the night sky. He didn t just see a multitude of stars, varying in their brightness, far more than he could ever count. He saw the imprint of his God who created them and placed them carefully in their positions. Little did David know that beyond what he could see were countless other galaxies, waiting to be discovered with our modern telescopes. What he could see inspired his imagination. My God made all of this! What a mighty God he must be! Then his thoughts switch to the day time, and the sun which to him, and us, appears to rise in the east like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, a poet s description, as it follows its circuit across the sky. God put it there, bringing us light and warmth, sustaining the life he gives to all his creation. David is a poet, not a scientist. I doubt he would mind too much if we pointed out that it s actually the earth rotating on its axis that gives the appearance of the sun rising and setting. Who cares? God put it there, and he is wonderful, amazing, and clever beyond words. Who can know the mind of our Creator? Who can speak of wonders yet unseen? I stand in awe of you! So glorious, and true! I stand in awe! I m glad we have scientists who can describe in detail the wonders of God s creation. But we turn to our poets and musicians to help us sing praises to our wonderful Creator! David tells us the heavens give us B. A Silent Testimony to the glories of God. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. Don t you just love that? We understand what David is saying so eloquently. We ve thought similar things ourselves. We ve watched big waves crashing onto rocks, and reflected on the might and majesty of our God who makes and controls the wind and tides. We ve watched spectacular thunderstorms those of us who don t pull the curtains closed, or hide under the bed with electricity of up to 100 million volts lighting up the sky. We think we re pretty clever with the things we can do. Only God can create a thunderstorm! We have a little colony of blue wrens who often chase insects outside our kitchen window. It isn t all about majesty and power with our God. Beauty and attention to detail. Spectacular diversity when we look at trees and flowers. And when we move to the microscope, there s a whole new world, beyond the reach of our unaided eyes. 2
What kind of God could imagine such detail and diversity, then bring all the elements together into an integrated whole, so that everything is supported and sustained? And I haven t even begun to consider human life with all its potential and possibilities. Everywhere we look, the evidence points us to God, and reveals something of his glory. And a question rises that demands an answer: C. Why Can t Others See? How can they take in the same sights and sounds we do, and yet not find themselves drawn to God? Surely the intricate design we see in life all around us points to a Designer. Surely the whole of what we will always call creation demands a Creator. Paul highlights the problem in Romans 1, and identifies what must be a major frustration for God if God is capable of frustration! The unbelieving world looks at the wonders of creation, and worships... creation! Here s how Paul put it:...since the creation of the world God s invisible qualities his eternal power and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.... They exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.... They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator. 1 Isn t that sad? What an indictment! What a tragic waste! And what an impoverished lifestyle for everyone who misses the opportunity to worship the creator who has given us all so much. God hasn t limited his self-disclosure to those made in his own image, to just the reflection of his glory in creation. He has chosen to be far more specific; and we see next II. God Reveals Himself Through His Word. You know, A. We Easily Get It Wrong! We see creation, and we worship creation. Or we seek God, but we try to recast him in our own, fallen image. If you ve ever had contact with one of the world s other religions, you 1 From Romans 1:19-25 3
find people genuinely trying to reach the God they believe is out there, somewhere. They ve seen evidence of his existence. They believe he s someone they d really like to know. But their efforts to find him take them into sometimes strange places, and behaviour we can only describe as bizarre. Often, with the best of intentions. It doesn t have to be that way. B. God Wants Us to Know Him! Such is his grace and mercy towards his chosen, fallen people. Let s take that away with us this morning. After David declares the glory of God he sees unmistakeably in creation; he turns to God s written revelation of himself. 7 The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. 8 The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. 9 The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the LORD are firm, and all of them are righteous. 2 And if you think David repeats himself a little here, to emphasise his point; take a look at Psalm 119, where virtually every one of its 176 verses is an affirmation of God s word! David loves God s laws and decrees! They are more precious than gold... they are sweeter than honey from the honeycomb. 3 Let s take a moment to remind ourselves of just what David is referring to here. It can t be the gospels; he s a thousand years before Jesus, and still hundreds of years before the prophets. And he s in the process of writing many of the psalms! David refers to the law; the first five books of the Old Testament. There are some great stories in Genesis; and the creation story tells us heaps about God and his creative genius and his righteousness, and his love for people. Great lessons for David, and us, in the story of Noah, in the calling of Abraham, in the life and experiences of Joseph. Exodus is great, too. God does not abandon his people. Our God is a holy God, and he spells out through Moses his expectations. We d struggle to find in creation the depth of teaching about God we find in the Scriptures. Then there s Leviticus. And Numbers. And if you ve ever started reading your Bible from the beginning, round about here some of your early enthusiasm may start to wane a little! David loved it! This was life for him. This was guidance, correction, direction; a lamp for my feet, and a light for my path. 4 I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin 2 Psalm 19:7-9 3 Psalm 19:10 4 Psalm 119:105 4
against you. 5 Do we share David s love and enthusiasm for God s written revelation of himself? How much more we have today. All the beautiful psalms. All the history of God s chosen people. All the wonderful promises of the prophets. And that s before we even make it to the New Testament! I love the majesty of the opening verses of Hebrews: In the past, God spoke... through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son... the Son is the radiance of God s glory, C. The Exact Representation of his being. God wants us to know him! What better way to reveal himself than by sending us his Son? We have it so much better, clearer, than the revelation David had. So much of God s grace, his compassion, his love for his fallen people, is revealed through the life, and death, and resurrection, of Jesus his Son. What a blessing, what a privilege, to live this side of the cross; this side of Easter; to know God as he really is, revealed to us in his Son. Already, we re one week past Easter, and so much happens in the course of a week. We will not allow the events of Easter, and all it teaches us about our wonderful God, to be crowded out of our minds and our lives. David celebrates God s revelation of himself, through creation, and through his written word. But David knows, as we know today, that celebration calls for a response. If God is so wonderful; if he quite deliberately chooses to reveal himself to us; then this has to have more than just an intellectual appeal. Following David s example, as he closes his psalm, III. We Respond to His Revelation. How do we do this? I guess there are many ways we can respond. Let me quickly list just three, following our psalm. Firstly, A. We Love His Word. If God has gone to so much trouble, so much detail, to reveal himself to us, then we will treat his written revelation with honour and respect and careful consideration. Can we make love for his word more than just an in principle thing; and set aside more time to read it and know it and learn more about our God through this process? The KYB movement has been great for our women and a blessing for those involved. Guys, can we follow their lead? It s to our everlasting benefit to get to know our God better. It s a fitting response to his 5 Psalm 119:11 5
revelation. We love his word. And A SONG FOR ALL SEASONS: 1. The Glory of God B. We Allow It to Guide and Correct Us. This is David s response to God s revelation. He knew he couldn t trust his own assessment of his thoughts and actions. Neither can we. We have a wonderful capacity for self-deception. We can easily spot it when others need to change their ways. But, as David asks, Who can discern their own errors? Recognising his weakness in this, he prays, Forgive my hidden faults. Not all his, or our, failures are innocent or accidental. David continues, Keep your servant also from wilful sins; may they not rule over me. Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgressions. 6 As God reveals himself to us, we discover him to be holy, absolutely intolerant of sin, while unfailing in his love for sinners. What an incentive for us, the recipients of his love poured out, to bring our lives and our actions into line with his revealed truth. How can a young man keep his way pure? David asks. By living according to your word. 7 David was obviously a young man when he wrote this! It s equally appropriate for young women, and for those of us not quite so young these days! Finally, C. We love to Sing Our Praises; It s always an appropriate, and in some way inevitable response to God revealing himself to us. I love the way our congregation sings. I appreciate your willingness to sing the songs that may not have been your first preference in style; your readiness to sing something brand new, or very old, because our worship leader has chosen that particular song to lead us into worship. I love it that our worship leaders can choose their songs with confidence, knowing that our people will come with open hearts, ready to meet God, keen to meet God through worship. What a wonderful gift God has given us, a wonderful medium through which we can return to him the praise that is his due, and our privilege. I wonder, did David know as he penned this psalm, that his words would be read, and analysed, and used as motivation for our worship today, three thousand years after he wrote them? Probably not! I suspect they simply poured out of David s heart as his grateful response to the God who revealed himself to him. Let me use his words again as we close: May these words of my mouth, and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen. 6 Psalm 19:13 7 Psalm 119:9 6