BIG IDEA:
OUR GOD IS AN AWESOME GOD:
WORTHY OF OUR WORSHIP AND PRAISE
I. (:1-4) AWESOME IN HIS WORKS OF POWER
Hymn: “O Worship the King, All Glorious Above”
A. (:1-2) The Glory of His Name Calls for Glorious Praise
B. (:3) The Greatness of His Power Calls for Joyful Submission
even God’s enemies will fear Him to the extent that they will fake obedience
C. (:4) The Grandeur of His Reign Calls for Universal Praise
II. (:5-7) AWESOME IN HIS WORKS OF PROVIDENCE
Hymn: “Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven”
How can God’s people ever accuse Him of not caring about them? Of forgetting them?
His works of Providence are Awesome towards His chosen people
A. (:5-6) The Saved need to Remember the Lesson of the Exodus
"He turned the sea into dry land" of safe passage
Live in hope and joy, not in dread and complaining
B. (:7) The Rebellious need to Remember the Lesson of the Exodus
He turned the dry land into a sea of destruction
1. God has not Changed
"He rules by His might forever"
2. God has not Closed His Eyes
"His eyes keep watch on the nations"
III. (:8-15) AWESOME IN HIS WORKS OF PURIFYING SOULS
Hymn: “Sing Praise to God Who Reigns Above”
A. (:8-9) The Process of Preservation Calls for Praise and Testimony
"who keeps us in life"."and does not allow our feet to slip"
B. (:10-12) The Process of Purifying our Souls Calls for Thanksgiving
"Thou didst bring us out into a place of abundance" (Thanksgiving theme)
Story of Squanto:
"Most of us know the story of the first Thanksgiving- at least, we know the Pilgrim version. But how many of us know the Indian viewpoint?
No, I’m not talking about some revisionist, p.c. version of history. I’m talking about the
amazing story of the way God used an Indian named Squanto as a special instrument of His providence.
Historical accounts of Squanto’s life vary, but historians believe that around 1608-more
than a decade before the Pilgrims landed in the New World-a group of English traders, led by a Captain Hunt, sailed to what is today Plymouth, Massachusetts. When the trusting Wampanoag Indians came out to trade, Hunt took them prisoner, transported them to Spain, and sold them into slavery. But God had an amazing plan for one of the captured Indians-a boy named Squanto.
Squanto was bought by a well-meaning Spanish monk, who treated him well and taught
him the Christian faith. Squanto eventually made his way to England and worked in the
stable of a man named John Slaney. Slaney sympathized with Squanto’s desire to return
home, and he promised to put the Indian on the first vessel bound for America.
It wasn’t until 1619-ten years after Squanto was first kidnapped-that a ship was found.
Finally, after a decade of exile and heartbreak, Squanto was on his way home.
But when he arrived in Massachusetts, more heartbreak awaited him. An epidemic had
wiped out Squanto’s entire village.
We can only imagine what must have gone through Squanto’s mind. Why had God
allowed him to return home, against all odds, only to find his loved ones dead?
A year later, the answer came. A shipload of English families arrived and settled on the
very land once occupied by Squanto’s people. Squanto went to meet them, greeting the
startled Pilgrims in English.
According to the diary of Pilgrim Governor William Bradford, Squanto "became a
special instrument sent of God for [our] good . . . He showed [us] how to plant [our]
corn, where to take fish and to procure other commodities . . . and was also [our] pilot
to bring [us] to unknown places for [our] profit, and never left [us] till he died."
When Squanto lay dying of a fever, Bradford wrote that their Indian friend "desir[ed]
the Governor to pray for him, that he might go to the Englishmen’s God in heaven."
Squanto bequeathed his possessions to his English friends "as remembrances of his.love."
Who but God could so miraculously weave together the lives of a lonely Indian and a
struggling band of Englishmen? It’s hard not to make comparisons with the biblical
story of Joseph, who was also sold into slavery-and whom God likewise used as a
special instrument for good."
(Source: Prison Fellowship Ministries)
C. (:13-15) The Payment of Vows Calls for Sacrifices of Praise
IV. (:16-20) AWESOME IN HIS WORKS OF ANSWERING PRAYER
Hymn: “Is Your Burden Heavy?”
Potential Problem: "If I regard wickedness in my heart, the Lord will not hear"
* * * * * * * * * *
DEVOTIONAL QUESTIONS:
1) The word “awesome” has become so commonplace in our vocabulary that it has lost some of its impact. What images or analogies help you to reflect on the greatness of God?
2) Do we ever respond to the God of the Universe with “feigned obedience” (vs. 3) rather than the real thing? What is the difference between the fear of God as demonstrated by God’s enemies vs. the fear of God shown by those who truly worship Him?
3) What difficulties and pressures has God brought into your life as part of His refining and purifying process? How has the result been to bring you “into a place of abundance” (vs. 12)?
4) What are some of the types of problems that put up a wall between God and us in our prayer life (cf. vs. 18)?
Download the entire Psalms commentary in pdf format
(including notes on each psalm from other commentators)
from:
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