Harvest: 'may All The Peoples Praise You'

SERMON OUTLINE:

• The world needs light (vs 1-2).

• The world needs Joy (vs 3-4).

• The world needs life (vs 5-7)

SERMON BODY:

Ill:

• “Watson, come here! I want to see you!”

• With these famous words,

• Alexander Graham Bell catapulted himself into historic notoriety,

• Bell was the inventor of the first practical telephone.

• And during an experiment on June 2nd, 1875, working with his assistant, Thomas Watson,

• The telephone as we know it was born.

• It was a miraculous invention, and it changed the world forever.

• And even in a changing world where we use texting, email, social media,

• And a host of other communication mediums as new forms of “talking” to one another.

• The telephone is still probably number 1,

• And you probably all have a mobile phone with you this morning!

• TRANSITION: The telephone of course connects you to someone far away.

• Although not physically together you can speak to one another,

• As if they were by your side.

• And with modern technology you can make a video call,

• So, you can even see the person you are talking too as well!

• Note: As well as being a harvest psalm; “The land yields its harvest” (vs 6).

• It is also a call to mission psalm: God wants to be connected to his people:

• Vs 2: “All nations”.

• Vs 4: “The nations”

• Vs 7: “Ends of the earth”

Quote: John Stott:

“We must be global Christians with a global vision because our God is a global God.”

Quote:

“Every Christian is a missionary

and every non-Christian is a mission field”

Question: Why do we need to go?

The short answer:

“Every Christian is a missionary

and every non-Christian is a mission field”

The long answer: According to this psalm is threefold:

(1). Because the World Needs Light (vs 1-2).

“May God be gracious to us and bless us

and make his face SHINE on us

2 so that your ways may be known on earth,

your salvation among all nations.”

• According to verse 1:

• The light of God is demonstrated three ways:

FIRST: “MAY GOD BE GRACIOUS TO US”

ill:

• Question: How many gallons of water are in the ocean?

• Answer: The ocean contains 352 quintillion gallons of water!

• Question: How many stars are in the KNOWN universe?

• Answer: 70 sextillion (7 followed by 22 zeros),

• It was calculated by a team of stargazers based at the Australian National University.

• Question: How many grains of sand are in the world?

• Answer: 7,500,000,000,000,000,000,

• Or seven quintillion five hundred quadrillion grains of sand*.

o *They said, if you assume a grain of sand has an average size,

o And you calculate how many grains are in a teaspoon,

o And then multiply by all the beaches and deserts in the world,

o The Earth has roughly (and we're speaking very roughly here)

o 7.5 x 10 18 grains of sand, or seven quintillion, five hundred quadrillion grains.

o That's a lot of grains.

• TRANSITION: Even if these answers are incorrect, here is my point:

• God’s grace is bigger than all these numbers!

Ill:

• Take a man like John Newton,

• The inscription on his gravestone reads:

“John Newton, clerk, once an infidel and libertine, a servant of slaves in Africa, was by the rich mercy of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, preserved, restored, pardoned, and appointed to preach the faith he had long laboured to destroy.”

• Grace took hold of this evil, vile man and changed him!

• But grace did not free him to serve no master, but a new Master.

• His testimony is in that great hymn, ‘Amazing Grace’

• ‘Amazing Grace’ is probably the most beloved hymn of the last two centuries.

Ill:

• Let’s listen & watch it: Amazing Grace - Matt Redman and Friends (Official video).

• YouTube: https://youtu.be/LXBsCkIxVRU

• Words of the original version below:

Amazing grace! (how sweet the sound)

That sav’d a wretch like me!

I once was lost, but now am found,

Was blind, but now I see.

‘Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,

And grace my fears reliev’d;

How precious did that grace appear,

The hour I first believ’d!

Thro’ many dangers, toils and snares,

I have already come;

‘Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,

And grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promis’d good to me,

His word my hope secures;

He will my shield and portion be,

As long as life endures.

Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail,

And mortal life shall cease;

I shall possess, within the veil,

A life of joy and peace.