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O Lord, How Majestic Is Your Name Series
Contributed by Steve Shepherd on Apr 20, 2015 (message contributor)
Summary: According to our text in Psalm 8, God’s majesty is witnessed or seen in various ways. 1- God’s majesty is seen in the heavens 2- God’s majesty is heard from the children 3- God’s majesty is witnessed by the enemy
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INTRO.- ILL.- Everyone needs recognition for his accomplishments, but few people make the need known quite as clearly as the little boy who said to his father: "Let's play darts. I'll throw and you say "Wonderful!'" Human praise. Do we ever overdo it? I think they overdo it in Hollywood! But perhaps on a daily basis we don’t praise enough. However, there is someone who deserves more praise than we can ever give Him!
1 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! We sing the song:
O Lord, our Lord
How majestic is Your name in all the earth.
O Lord, we praise Your name!
O Lord, we magnify Your name;
Prince of Peace, Mighty God,
O Lord God Almighty
ILL.- Dr. Jack Hayford is the 80 year old former minister of the Church on the Way in Van Nuys, CA. He ministered there from 1969 to 1999. It was the silver anniversary of the coronation of Elizabeth II as Queen of England in 1977. Dr. Jack Hayford of California was touring England with his wife. As he felt the courage and motivation of the English people, Hayford realized that there was also a deep feeling in their hearts for the royalty who stood with them in dark hours. Suddenly there came to his mind a feeling that Christ wants his church to have such a sense of loyalty and fellowship, because he must be our leader in good times and bad.
One word seemed to charge to the forefront: majesty! Dr. Hayford said to his wife: “Take the notebook and write down some words, will you?” He then began to dictate the key, the notes, the timing, and the lyrics to one of the most popular songs which is still being sung by Christians everywhere:
Majesty, worship His majesty,
Unto Jesus be glory, honor and praise,
Majesty, kingdom authority,
Flow from His throne, unto His own,
His anthem raise.
So exalt, lift up on high the name of Jesus,
Magnify, come glorify Christ Jesus the King.
Majesty, worship His majesty,
Jesus who died, now glorified,
King of all kings.
Our King of all kings is indeed, majestic. It is only proper that we call him, “Your majesty,” because He is majestic in every way possible, from his birth to His death on the cross and from the beginning of creation to the end of time as we know it.
PROP.- According to our text in Psalm 8, God’s majesty is witnessed or seen in various ways.
1- God’s majesty is seen in the heavens
2- God’s majesty is heard from the children
3- God’s majesty is witnessed by the enemy
I. GOD’S MAJESTY IS SEEN IN THE HEAVENS
1 You have set your glory above the heavens. 3 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place.
ILL.- Kepler, the astronomer, was troubled by one of his friends who denied the existence of God and took the view of the universe that it came into being of itself by mechanical methods. Kepler, in order to convince his friend, constructed a model of the sun with the planets circling round it. When his friend came into the Observatory and saw the beautiful model, he exclaimed with delight, “How beautiful it is! Who made it?” And Kepler carelessly answered, “No one made it. It made itself.” His friend looked at him and said, “Nonsense, tell me who made it.”
Kepler then replied, “Friend, you say that this little toy could not make itself. It is but a very weak imitation of this great universe which, I understood, you believe did make itself.”
We believe in the God of creation who flung the stars into the universe! It didn’t happen by itself or by some cosmic explosion.
Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of stars, planets, comets, etc.
ILL.- Someone said: If you were to hold out a dime at arm's length, the coin would block out 15 million stars from your view, if your eyes could see with that power. Astronomers know that there are over 100 billion stars in our galaxy alone, and probably billions of galaxies similar to ours. Science has proved that man cannot count the stars.
What did God say? “The host of heaven can no man number” (Jeremiah 33:22).
ILL.- A minister attended a seminar on astronomy, where the scientist related many astonishing things. He told of planets from which light started one million years ago. Though light travels at the rate of 186,000 miles per second, that light is only now reaching the earth.
“I feel pretty small tonight,” said a friend to the minister at the close of the lecture. But the minister’s reply was, “I don’t. I feel larger than ever.” Then he explained: “Because, great as is the universe, God is greater.”