Sermon for 9/23/2007
Psalm 106 (especially vs. 8)
Introduction:
Several months ago I was teaching the teenagers in Sunday school. We were talking about Exodus 33, a unique Scripture where it talks about Moses seeing the Lord. To open up the class I asked a question, “When we get to heaven, what three questions will you ask God?” After giving some questions, the teenagers asked me, “What questions will you ask of God?” I said, “Lord, why did you bother?”
WBTU:
A. Some would say I have low self esteem. God is so big and I am so small. Psalm 8:4- What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?
B. God is also so pure and holy and we are so not. John the Baptist baptized Jesus Christ, the Son of God, but he said (John 1:27) - He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.
C. Rusty Goodman Who Am I
When I think of how He came so far from Glory, Came and dwelt among the lowly such as I; To suffer shame and such disgrace, On Mount Calvary take my place; Then I ask myself the question, “Who am I?”
Then I’m reminded of the words, “I’ll leave thee never, Just be true, I’ll give to you a life forever.” Then I wonder what I could have done, to deserve God’s only Son; To fight my battles till they’re won, O Who am I?
Who am I that a King would bleed and die for? Who am I that he would pray: “Not my will, thine for?” The answer I may never know, Why He ever loved me so; That to an old rugged cross He would go, For who am I?
D. How could God do this since he knows how we are? John 2:24-25: But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men. He did not need man’s testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man.
Thesis: Psalm 106 gives insight on what is in us and also on why God would do this for us!
For instances:
I. What is in us
A. Some people have an inflated opinion of themselves.
B. Philippians 3:7- But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. Jesus Christ did not come down because we were such wonderful people.
C. Some say "If I was there during the events of the Exodus it would have been different. I would have been Moses’ greatest cheerleader. I would have not doubted at the Red Sea. I would not have participated in the Golden Calf. I would have trusted Joshua and Caleb and stood up with them even if they stoned me." Oh really! They go on and on.
D. Hebrews tells us not to follow their example of disobedience but we do every day.
E. Psalm 106 tells us what is in us:
1. Memory Loss- we forget God’s goodness to us. Read vs. 6-12. Trouble ahead of us, trouble behind us but the main trouble is in our own minds. We forget so quickly and easily. Hugh said last week that the mind has a great capacity to remember but it also has a great capacity to forget.
2. Impatient- Forsake God’s way to satisfy our desires. Read vs. 13-15. In this instance it is talking about food, but in our day we should probably mention sexual desires. A study recently came out and it said that unmarried professing Christians might be engaging in more premarital sexual activities than non-believers.
3. Envious of God’s appointed leaders- Forsaking God’s authority. Read vs. 16-18. These rebels had no fear of God. Power hungry. There was severe discipline for this. There is a shortage of leaders. Why? Because we have so few followers. Everyone is a critic and no one is so fool hearty as to stick their neck out and do anything. As society abandons following God’s authority, there are many with delusions of grandeur. Fewer leaders who are doing it for the right reasons. Hebrews 13:17- Obey them (leaders) so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you. Lack of leaders leads to chaos, chaos leads to someone arising that is a dictator!
4. Materialistic Idolatry- Read vs. 19-23. Idolatry= giving the supremacy to something other than God. In our day probably the biggest idol is money. Heard of a young man who wanted to be a 4th grade public school teacher. His mother and father almost disowned him because he wouldn’t make enough money in that position.
5. Constant grumbling- Read vs. 24-27. Discontent even with Promised Land and they spread that discontent to others. We live in a land of plenty but how many are truly content. If we don’t know that we live in a land of plenty, go and visit a third world country and we will see that we live in a land of plenty. As our standard of living has raised so has level of discontent. It is been shown that once our basic needs are met (food, clothing, shelter) money has little bearing on happiness.
6. Unholy alliances- Read vs. 28-31. Woman preacher in Washington State who claimed to be a Christian and a Muslim. Homosexual marriage, abortion, etc. Denominational conventions have some groups there that advocate unbiblical ideals. Why don’t they stop this? Too powerful and don’t want to lose anyone.
7. Unholy anger- Read vs. 32-33. Anger and a loss of self control are a dangerous combination. Moses did not go into the Promised Land because of this. (I don’t know why God didn’t give him a break on this one!) Ephesians 4:26- In your anger do not sin.
8. Fellowship with the world- Read. Vs. 34-39. Incomplete obedience. A little drink, a little touch, a little look will not hurt. Mingling leads to mimicking. TV, music, computer. 1 John 2:15- Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
F. Some will say, "But this doesn’t sound like us or the problems that we face." Oh really!
G. From this we see that God saves us in spite of ourselves, and he continues to save us in the present in spite of ourselves. Not because of ourselves but in spite of ourselves!
H. If I were to know people described here in Psalm 106, I would not give my son for them. If someone treats me poorly, at my worst I want revenge, at my best I will just avoid them, but give my son for them. No way!
II. Why God would do this for us Read Psalm 106:8
For his Name’s sake, but what does this mean?
A. God is able to show his true nature.
1. Through Creation we can see several of God’s attributes. We see his power, his greatness, and his creativity in creation. Through creation we can see some of his love, mercy and grace but it is quite cloudy. Since the fall, creation has been tainted. Nature is all about the survival of the fittest. Also, death has been most cruel.
2. 1 John 4:8 says that God is love. This was not displayed fully in any other way than through salvation, the death, burial and resurrection of his Son.
3. 1 John 4:10- This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for[c] our sins.
4. What happened at Calvary displayed all attributes of God’s nature.
5. Phillips, Craig and Dean- Once there was a holy place Evidence of God’s embrace And I can almost see mercy’s face Pressed against the veil Looking down with longing eyes Mercy must have realized That once His blood was sacrificed Freedom would prevail And as the sky grew dark And the earth began to shake With justice no longer in the way Mercy came running Like a prisoner set free Past all my failures to the point of my need When the sin that I carried Was all I could see And when I could not reach mercy Mercy came running to me
B. God is able to make a people for himself.
2. 1 Peter 2:10- Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
3. Ephesians 2:10- We are God’s workmanship (masterpiece).
4. In our day the church is God’s people, God’s children. We are to be on display for the world to express God’s glory!
C. we are saved for the sake of God, for his name’s sake, and not for our own.
D. Charlemagne was the greatest Christian ruler of the early middle Ages. After his death, a funeral procession left his castle for the cathedral. When the royal casket arrived, with a lot of pomp and circumstance, it was met by the local bishop, who barred the cathedral door. "Who comes?" the Bishop asked, as was the custom. "Charlemagne, Lord and King of the Holy Roman Empire," proclaimed the Emperor’s proud herald. "Him I know not," the Bishop replied. "Who comes?" The herald, a bit shaken, replied, "Charles the Great, a good and honest man of the earth." "Him I know not," the Bishop said again. "Who comes?" The herald, now completely crushed, responded, "Charles, a lowly sinner, who begs the gift of Christ," -- to which the Bishop responded, "Enter! Receive Christ’s gift of life!"
E. The point, of course, is that in God’s eyes, we’re all equally needy. None of us will ever be "good enough" to expect that salvation belongs to us. For His Name’s sake.
F. But still why me? 1 Timothy 1:15- Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.
Conclusion:
Casting Crowns- Who Am I?
Who am I that the eyes that see my sin Would look on me with love and watch me rise again. Who am I, that the voice that calmed the sea would call out through the rain and calm the storm in me.
Not because of who I am, but because of what you’ve done. Not because of what I’ve done but because of who you are.
I am a flower quickly fading. Here today and gone tomorrow. A wave tossed in the ocean, a vapor in the wind. Still you hear me when I’m calling, Lord, you catch me when I’m falling and you’ve told me who I am. I am yours, I am yours.
I don’t think I will fully understand why God sent His Son for my sins. But maybe that is by design so that I will be filled with wonder, awe and amazement for the rest of my days.
Are you filled with wonder, awe and amazement for what Jesus Christ, the Son of God, did for us?
