Awesome!

Awesome!

Ps 111:1-10

1 Praise the LORD. I will extol the LORD with all my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly.

2 Great are the works of the LORD; they are pondered by all who delight in them.

3 Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures forever.

4 He has caused his wonders to be remembered; the LORD is gracious and compassionate.

5 He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever.

6 He has shown his people the power of his works, giving them the lands of other nations.

7 The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy.

8 They are steadfast for ever and ever, done in faithfulness and uprightness.

9 He provided redemption for his people; he ordained his covenant forever-- holy and awesome is his name.

10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding. To him belongs eternal praise.

THE LAST FOUR WORDS OF VERSE 9 form the basis for this message: “…awesome is his name.” The word, “awesome” is used by teens these days to describe something that is breathtaking, moving, spectacular. When I was a teen, the word we used was, “fantastic!” When my boys were teens, they went through a variety of words: “cool!” “far out!” “tough!” “heavy!” “groovey!”

Awesome has hung on for some time now. A Christian songwriter picked up on this and wrote, “Our God Is an Awesome God.”

Our God is an awesome God

He reigns from heaven above

With wisdom, power and love

Our God is an awesome God.

Definition: “that which inspires reverence and wonder; that which evokes an emotion mingled with respect and fear; that which leaves one temporarily speechless.”

WHAT IS IT THAT LEAVES YOU SPEECHLESS?

 Something in nature? A sunset? A view of the Grand Canyon? Niagara Falls?

 Something in the arts? A painting? A concert? A poem?

 Something in sports? A record-setting performance? A no-hitter? Michael Jordan? A bowling score of 300 by a man 88 years old?

WHAT INSPIRES YOU? Anything? I think we are living ina day in which it is becoming increasingly more difficult to impress people. For example, when the first rocket roared into space back in the 60’s, people stood in awe. Now, hardly anyone pays any attention to our space program.

Let me share with you some things that I stand in awe of—some things that move my emotions to the point that they cause me to ACT—that which inspires me to give my best to them.

1. The Lord Jesus Christ

 He is awesome in His glory…His honor, His majesty, His holiness. Rev 1:13-18:

13 and among the lampstands was someone "like a son of man," dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest.

14 His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire.

15 His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters.

16 In his right hand he held seven stars, and out of his mouth came a sharp double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.

17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last.

18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

 He is awesome in His power—Col.1:15-18: “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

Moses saw Jesus in the burning bush.

Elijah recognized Him in the still small voice.

Joshua saw Him with a drawn sword

Isaiah saw Him in the Temple.

Peter, James, and John saw Him on the mountain.

Paul saw Him on the road to Damascus.

 Jesus is awesome in His love—and showed it best on Calvary.

 He is awesome in His ability to transform the human heart. One of Hitler’s bodyguards was a man named Kurt Wagner. He adored Hitler and reverenced him as a god. At the end of the war, with Hitler a suicide in a Berlin bunker, Kurt’s faith was shattered and he planned a suicide. Going for a final cup of coffee, he picked up a discarded Gospel tract and read it—first carelessly and then with interest. As a result of what he read, he sought out a pastor who led him to Christ. Kurt was transformed from a hardened man into a peace-loving man. He became a new creation in Christ.