The Majestic Voice Of God Series

SERMON OUTLINE:

(1). God’s Powerful Voice (vs 1-2):

(2). God’s Power in Action (vs 3-9):

(3). God’s Power Enthroned (vs 10-11)

SERMON BODY:

Ill:

• An elderly gentlemen went in for his annual physical exam.

• The doctor said, "You're in incredible shape. How old are you again?"

• The man replied, "I am 84."

• The doctor exclaimed,

• "Wow, 84. How do you stay so healthy? You look like a 60 year old."

• So the man explained, "Well, my wife and I made a pact when we got married;

• That whenever she got mad she would go into the kitchen and cool off;

• And I would go outside and take a walk round the block!”

• So the doctor asked: "What does that have to do with it?"

• The man sighed, "Well, I guess I've lived an outdoor life."

• TRANSITION: David the writer of this Psalm;

• Was a man who “lived an outdoor life!"

• He was an outdoorsman who appreciated nature;

• And the open-air lifestyle he lived helped him to appreciate his creator.

• It may well be that David was out in the countryside;

• When he was caught up in a ferocious storm.

Ill:

• Thunderstorms are among nature’s most awesome displays of his power.

• •Thunder is the sound caused by lightning.

• The intense heat from lightning causes the surrounding air to rapidly expand;

• And create a sonic wave that you hear as thunder.

• This huge electrical discharge which results in the fireworks display in the skies;

• Is spectacular and sometimes frightening.

• Many people suffer from ‘Astraphobia’ which is the fear of thunder and lightning.

• Notice that David’s thoughts did not turn to fear… but to faith.

• He looked beyond the thunderstorm and saw it as an illustration of God’s power.

(1). God’s Powerful Voice (vs 1-2):

“Ascribe to the LORD, you heavenly beings,

ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.

2 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due to his name;

worship the LORD in the splendour of his holiness”.

Ill:

• There is a great Peanuts cartoon where Charlie Brown says:

• "Sometimes I lie awake at night, and I ask, ’Where have I gone wrong?’

• Then a voice says to me, ’This is going to take more than one night.’"

• TRANSITION: In this psalm David talks about the voice of the Lord;

• In fact that phrase; “The voice of the Lord” occurs seven times;

• i.e. verse 3: “The voice of the LORD is over the waters”

• i.e. Twice in verse4: “The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is majestic.”

• i.e. verse 5: “The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars”

• i.e. verse 7: “The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightning”

• i.e. verse 8: “The voice of the LORD shakes the desert”

• i.e. verse 9: “The voice of the LORD twists the oaks and strips the forests bare”

• Now obviously;

• David did not literally believe that the thunder was God speaking.

• Remember this psalm is expressive poetical literature;

• He simply saw the thunder as a picture showing us the power of God’s voice.

Ill:

• Many Bible commentators think this expression “The voice of the Lord”;

• Is David looking back to creation (Genesis chapter 1);

• i.e. In Geneses chapter 1 we read that on ten occasions God speaks;

• (The first 10 commandments of God are not Exodus chapter 20 but Genesis chapter 1!)

• (Genesis chapter 1 verses 3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26, 28, & 29)

• God speaks, he instructs, he commands;

• And his power is revealed, it is visibly manifested.

• It may well be that David casts his mind back to the voice of God at work in creation;

• And this helped him to magnify the sovereignty of God and the power of God.

• He looked beyond the thunderstorm and saw it as an illustration of God’s supremacy.

Now this psalm begins with a series of requests:

• Notice in verse 1:

• David encourages all the angelic creatures (“heavenly beings”) to worship God.

Questions:

• Why invoke angels and call upon them to praise God?

• Isn’t that there job, their role in life?

• Aren’t they employed in doing that constantly?

Answer: Quote: James Montgomery Boice:

“Why does David call on the angels then? As soon as we think of this poetically the reason is obvious. It is because he feels that his praise and that of other human beings is not adequate. David is overwhelmed with the majesty of God revealed in the storm that he has witnessed and is now going to describe. He feels that he needs help praising God properly. To praise God adequately the entire created order must join in, and even then sufficient praise will be lacking”.