BLESSED BEYOND MEASURE—Psalm 65:1-13
Diets GENERALLY focus on a desired result without acknowledging the real problem...That is, once the desired weight is reached due to the radical & largely unhealthy procedure of the diet, then the weight must be maintained, but in a ‘healthy’ manner.
!OPENER UNUSED!
A real problem for you & me is that God has so blessed us beyond measure, that there is nothing that is not available to us. And because everything is at the disposal of so many people, it may become hard to manage.
The American holiday of THANKSGIVING is a day where God’s people acknowledge the undeserved bounty we have by means of Jesus Christ!
Need:
There may be many who are irreverent, careless, indifferent, & inattentive at/in their Thanksgiving celebrations.
Why should our hearts overflow with thanksgiving today or this week?
We must ask ourselves, ?What have we got to be thankful for?....
*The key to a Thankful Thanksgiving is to rekindle a true awareness of God’s Favor/Grace/Provision...
In Psalm 65, David reminds us of the blessings that are upon God’s creation. And because of that, we are reminded of some very simple reasons to be thankful.
God’s creation is truly lavished upon us in His abundance.
?How, or In what ways, are we blessed beyond measure?
3 Confirmations of God’s continued blessing toward us.
:1—<<To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. A Song.>>
•This Psalm is addressed to “the Chief Musician” who would be in charge of providing music for various aspects of worship. King David’s intent is that the “chief musician” would commit to this Psalm for personal & corporate contemplation. He particularly wants to ensure that it is set to music for the same reasons. The prophet-writer does this particularly for the sake of those who would worship in Jerusalem, as well as beyond it’s bounds.
1—We are blessed beyond measure by God’s...
PROVIDENTIAL Bounty/Richness(:9-13)
Explanation:(:9-13)Provisional
:9—“You visit the earth & water it, You greatly enrich it; The river of God is full of water; You provide their grain, For so You have prepared it.”
:10—“You water its ridges abundantly, You settle its furrows; You make it soft with showers, You bless its growth.”
:11—“You crown the year with Your goodness, And Your paths drip with abundance.”
:12—“They drop on the pastures of the wilderness, And the little hills rejoice on every side.”
:13—“The pastures are clothed with flocks; The valleys also are covered with grain; They shout for joy, they also sing.”
Another year has passed & we have been the recipients of the great & gracious bounty from God’s hand.
Phrases describing God’s providential & provisional care:
“You visit the earth”
“You greatly enrich it”
“You provide their grain”
“You water its ridges abundantly”
“You bless its growth”
“You crown the year with Your goodness”
“Your paths drip with abundance”
“They drop on the pastures of the wilderness”
“The pastures are clothed”
“The valleys also are covered”
*Col. 1:17—of Christ—“And He is before all things, & in Him all things hold together.”
God does not operate by ‘chance.’ God is intimately involved in the progress & purpose of all things.
Since He supernaturally created all things, He also has committed Himself to supernaturally maintain all things. He maintains all creation within the confines of each of the special needs associated with their governance(personal, physical, & spiritual realms).
•Angels are created beings, & thus as a result of their God-ordained original FREEWILL, both good & evil exist & are propagated in the world.
•Likewise, mankind is maintained within the bounds of his God-ordained freewill. Man’s freewill often CHALLENGES God’s desire, BUT it can also be SUBMITTED TO God’s desire...
...And man ‘properly’ answers God’s desire by means of an aspect of God’s Provision & Providence—Mankind’s salvation along with it’s attending commitment to God’s lordship. All of which comes to individuals by means of their personal trust in Christ Jesus.
Argumentation:
The book of Job chapters 38-41(& 42) is an excellent place to go for reminders of God’s Providence.
Job 38:1-4, 12, 16, 28, 37; 39:1; 5-6; 9, 19, 26; 40:15-20; 41:1-3—“Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, & said: “Who is this who darkens counsel By words without knowledge? Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, & you shall answer Me. Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding.”... :12—“Have you commanded the morning since your days began, And caused the dawn to know its place,”... :16—“Have you entered the springs of the sea? Or have you walked in search of the depths?”... :28—“Has the rain a father? Or who has begotten the drops of dew?”... :37—“Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can pour out the bottles of heaven,”..... 39:1—“Do you know the time when the wild mountain goats bear young? Or can you mark when the deer gives birth?”...:5-6—“Who set the wild donkey free? Who loosed the bonds of the onager, Whose home I have made the wilderness, And the barren land his dwelling?... :9—“Will the wild ox be willing to serve you? Will he bed by your manger?... :19—“Have you given the horse strength? Have you clothed his neck with thunder?”... :26—“Does the hawk fly by your wisdom, And spread its wings toward the south?”...40:15-20—“Look now at the behemoth, which I made along with you; He eats grass like an ox. See now, his strength is in his hips, And his power is in his stomach muscles. He moves his tail like a cedar; The sinews of his thighs are tightly knit. His bones are like beams of bronze, His ribs like bars of iron. He is the first of the ways of God; Only He who made him can bring near His sword. Surely the mountains yield food for him, And all the beasts of the field play there.”... 41:1-3—“Can you draw out Leviathan with a hook, Or snare his tongue with a line which you lower? Can you put a reed through his nose, Or pierce his jaw with a hook? Will he make many supplications to you? Will he speak softly to you?”
Acts 14:17—“Nevertheless He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good, gave us rain from heaven & fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food & gladness.”
Ps. 104:24-28—“O LORD, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all. The earth is full of Your possessions-- This great & wide sea, In which are innumerable teeming things, Living things both small & great. There the ships sail about; There is that Leviathan Which You have made to play there. These all wait for You, That You may give them their food in due season. What You give them they gather in; You open Your hand, they are filled with good.”
Rom. 1:20—“For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power & Godhead, so that they are without excuse,”
God Provides praise for Himself:
Lk. 19:39-40—“Then, as He[Jesus] was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice & praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen, saying:” ‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the LORD!’ Peace in heaven & glory in the highest!” And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.” But He answered & said to them, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.”
Illustration:
•Babbie Mason’s—‘Keep The Rocks Silent’:
‘Now I don't know much of nothing, about the end of my days,
But I know a little something, about the power of praise,
Cause I've been bound & determine, right from the start,
To keep a rock in my right hand; ... praise in my heart...
Chorus:
...I don't know about you, but I'll keep praising his name, & I'm gonna keep the rocks silent...For one more day.
source: http://www.lyricsondemand.com/b/babbiemasonlyrics/iamgoingtokeeptherockssilentlyrics.html
Application:
?Are you Thankful for God’s PROVIDENTIAL BOUNTY?
2—We are blessed beyond measure by God’s
CREATIVE Bounty/Richness(:5-8)
Explanation:(:5-8)
:5—“By awesome deeds in righteousness You will answer us, O God of our salvation, You who are the confidence of all the ends of the earth, And of the far-off seas;”
:6—“Who established the mountains by His strength, Being clothed with power;”
:7—“You who still the noise of the seas, The noise of their waves, And the tumult of the peoples.”
:8—“They also who dwell in the farthest parts are afraid of Your signs; You make the outgoings of the morning & evening rejoice.”
God never leaves his creation to fend for itself. He is no watchmaker, winding it up & letting it go...
Creation may SEEM to operate on it’s own. Yet, God has made His creation to have certain expectations of Him...And likewise, He has expectations of His creation.
•So there are great responsibilities that are inherent to God’s created order.
:5—“By awesome deeds in righteousness You will answer us, O God of our salvation, You who are the confidence of all the ends of the earth, And of the far-off seas;”
Our prayers are answered in God’s “awesome” displays of power & promise. He always “answers” in absolute & perfect “righteousness”/fairness/justice.
He answers in view of, & in respect of, our “salvation.” Our salvation is sealed in Him alone.
God is the embodiment of the “confidence” (trust) of the entire habitation of the earth. All ‘laws of nature’ have their power only thru Him.
His awesome deeds are not limited to a certain portion of the earth. They are present even in the farthest sea that we as humans are hard-pressed to fully comprehend. The entire “earth” has potential to trust in the Lord fully.
Num. 14:21—The eternal God YHWH said—“but truly, as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD--”
Ps. 72:19—“And blessed be His glorious name forever! And let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen & Amen.”
Isa. 6:1-3—“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high & lifted up, & the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, & with two he flew. And one cried to another & said: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!”
People who live far away from us, will put their trust in Him. He will be their “confidence” They trust in Him because he is the sustainer of all life.
:6—“Who established the mountains by His strength, Being clothed with power;”
God is the One who has “established” “the mountains.” Though we observe the ‘natural’ formation of mountains, we must remember that God’s supernatural ability accomplishes it. And His sustaining power maintains them.
God is “clothed”(girded/surrounded/framed) with “power”(might). It is His character to have such power. Therefore He readily establishes such unfathomable monuments to His ability.
:7—“You who still the noise of the seas, The noise of their waves, And the tumult of the peoples.”
God continually “stills” the roaring waves of the seas.
Mk. 4:35-41—“On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him. And a great windstorm arose, & the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him & said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” Then He arose & rebuked the wind, & said to the sea, “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased & there was a great calm. But He said to them, “Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?” And they feared exceedingly, & said to one another, “Who can this be, that even the wind & the sea obey Him!””
He also stills the unruliness of the peoples by His sovereign command over all creation(‘natural disasters’ or ‘acts of God’).
Ps. 2:1-6—“Why do the nations rage, And the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, And the rulers take counsel together, Against the LORD & against His Anointed, saying, “Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us.” He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The LORD shall hold them in derision. Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, And distress them in His deep displeasure: “Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of Zion.”
:8—“They also who dwell in the farthest parts are afraid of Your signs; You make the outgoings of the morning & evening rejoice.”
Those who are “farthest” separated from the commonwealth of Israel/Christianity, are awestruck & struck with fear & reverence at the continuing “signs” of God’s power.
God’s mighty works are mere ‘tokens’(KJV) of His power that is openly manifested before both reasoning & unreasoning men.
God is the One who makes the dawn(‘east’) & sunset(‘west’) shout for joy(“rejoice”). The cycle of day & night loudly proclaim God’s command with joy(Ps. 19:1-4).
(See :13—“They shout for joy, they also sing.”)
Psalm 19:1-6—<<To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.>> “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language Where their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world. In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun, Which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, And rejoices like a strong man to run its race. Its rising is from one end of heaven, And its circuit to the other end; And there is nothing hidden from its heat.”
Argumentation:
Gen. 1:1-3—“In the beginning God created the heavens & the earth. The earth was without form, & void; & darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be ...”; & there was ....”; OR--“Let the waters ...”, “And God saw that it was good”; “Let the earth ...”, “& it was so”; etc.
Gen. 1:31—2:3—“Then God saw everything that He had made, & indeed it was very good. So the evening & the morning were the sixth day. Thus the heavens & the earth, & all the host of them, were finished. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, & He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God blessed the seventh day & sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created & made.”
Jn. 1:3—“All things came into being by Him[Jesus], & apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.”
Illustration:
•There was a guy I went to high school with who could draw &/or color anything/I remember seeing some of the stuff(I’ll call him) Billy Bob did & it was amazing!/I would do ‘stick-figures’ poorly but Billy Bob’s artistry was ‘other-worldly’ compared to mine!/I don’t know if Billy Bob ever put his creative ability to good use/CREATIVE Bounty
•Scientists are still discovering ‘new species’
•Biologists in awe of God’s Creative Bounty, whether they openly acknowledge Him or not!
Application:
?Are you Thankful for God’s CREATIVE BOUNTY?
3—We are blessed beyond measure by God’s
SPIRITUAL Bounty/Richness(:1-4)
Explanation:(:1-4)
:1—<<To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. A Song.>> Praise is awaiting You, O God, in Zion; And to You the vow shall be performed.”
:2—“O You who hear prayer, To You all flesh will come.”
:3—“Iniquities prevail against me; As for our transgressions, You will provide atonement for them.”
:4—“Blessed is the man You choose, And cause to approach You, That he may dwell in Your courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, Of Your holy temple.”
:1—...“Praise is awaiting You, O God, in Zion; And to You the vow shall be performed.”
“Praise”—A joyful emotional offering of the heart. “Praise” is a product of a celebratory spirit.
“Praise attends the Lord’s pleasure”...“she is not soon wearied.”—SpurgeonTOD
NASB—“There will be silence before Thee, & praise in Zion, O God...”
•“Awaiting/Silence”—speaks of solemn & sober meditation/awe.
Thus Charles Spurgeon writes:
“The passage may be rendered “praise is silent for thee;” it is calm, peaceful, & ready to adore” “in quietness.”
OR--“Our praise is but silence compared with thy deservings, O God.”
OR--“In solemn silence we worship Thee.”
OR--“We are so engrossed in”...“praise, that to all other things we are dumb;”...“we have no tongue for anything but Thee.”
AND...
“Certainly, when the soul is most filled with adoring awe, she is least content with her own expressions, & feels most deeply how inadequate are all mortal songs to proclaim the divine goodness. A church bowed into silent adoration by a profound sense of divine mercy, would certainly offer more real praise...”—SpurgeonTOD
“Zion”—the chosen city of God—“Zion” means, ‘parched place’, & thus there is nothing in Zion to draw any person there, were it not for God’s presence there. We live in a ‘parched place’
•We still serve the God of Zion don’t we brothers & sisters? ?Does God have a chosen city here?—He dwells within the redeemed—you & me—the faithful(Jn. 14:16-18; Acts 2:38; 2Cor. 1:21-22; 2Cor. 5:4-6; Eph. 1:13-14)...So wherever we go, in those ‘parched places’ where the name of the Eternal God is not mentioned, or is openly perverted, blasphemed, or mocked, we bring a knowledge of God that transforms from ‘parched’ to ‘blessed!’
We are individually ‘the body of Christ’ & thus together we are the ‘house of God’ & the city of God. The praise from His people awaits His presence here!
Jn. 14:16-18—“And I will pray the Father, & He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever-- the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you & will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.”
Acts 2:38—“Then Peter said to them, “Repent, & let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; & you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
2Cor. 1:21-22—“Now He who establishes us with you in Christ & has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us & given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.”
2Cor. 5:4-6“For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life. Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord.”
Eph. 1:13-14—“In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.”
Our determinations of fulfilling a personal promise(“the vow”) to the Lord, are driven by our love for Him alone, thru Christ in the power of His Holy Spirit.
:2—“O You who hear prayer, To You all flesh will come.”
No earnest cry of ours to God falls on deaf ears, that is uttered in the power of the Holy Spirit! God is always there to hear!
•This is also a call to urge/implore/beg “all” to come to the One who hears our prayers!
1Jn. 5:14-15—“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.”
:3—“Iniquities prevail against me; As for our transgressions, You will provide atonement for them.”
Like King David, I too am a man of “prevailing” “iniquity.” My actions & heart & secret desires speak against me & condemn me.
YET, our “transgressions” against God’s desire can be forgiven(“atonement”) thru sincere prayer—conversation with God. God knows & hears the confession of our heart.
Ps. 139:1-6—“<<For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.>> O LORD, You have searched me & known me. You know my sitting down & my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path & my lying down, And are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, But behold, O LORD, You know it altogether. You have hedged me behind & before, And laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it.”
:4—“Blessed is the man You choose, And cause to approach You, That he may dwell in Your courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, Of Your holy temple.”
This evidently applies directly to King David. But likewise any of ‘God’s people’ have been ‘chosen’ to be close to Him.
I am chosen by God thru my personally choosing to surrender to Jesus as Lord.
•That’s how God chooses/predestines—thru personal voluntary faith/trust.
Upon our being brought into intimacy with God, we are afforded God’s intentional “dwelling” in perpetual worship. God brings us close for that very reason.
•Picture of the priesthood/Levites living in continual association with the Temple/Tabernacle. Those who reside in such close intimacy with God are blessed above & beyond others.
Rev. 3:11-13—“Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. And I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”’”
Our association & work in God’s house will bring our “satisfaction” due to its overflowing & free “goodness.”
The “house” is God’s holy temple—the ultimate place of prayer & worship. Which for the Christian, is your body in & thru which God dwells.
1Cor. 3:16-17—“Do you not know that you are the temple of God & that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.”
Argumentation:
Eph. 2:8-9—“For by grace you have been saved through faith, & that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
Eph. 1:3-10—“Blessed be the God & Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy & without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom & prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven & which are on earth--in Him.”
Col. 2:1-3—“For I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you & those in Laodicea, & for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, & attaining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father & of Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom & knowledge.”
Heb. 12:18-24—“For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched & that burned with fire, & to blackness & darkness & tempest, & the sound of a trumpet & the voice of words, so that those who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to them anymore. (For they could not endure what was commanded: “And if so much as a beast touches the mountain, it shall be stoned or shot with an arrow.” And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, “I am exceedingly afraid & trembling.”) But you have come to Mount Zion & to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly & church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, & to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.”
Jer. 29:11—The LORD of hosts to Israel—“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace & not of evil, to give you a future & a hope.”
Illustration:
For the Christian in America, the celebration of ‘Thanksgiving’ is the heart’s recognition of the immeasurable ‘Spiritual Bounty’ that God has lavished upon us! It is a recognition that no one is saved to heaven except by the undeserved grace which God offers to everyone in Christ Jesus. A recognition that all good things come to us by the incomprehensible intermeshing of God’s ‘PROVIDENTIAL Bounty’, ‘CREATIVE Bounty’, & SPIRITUAL BOUNTY!
Application:
?Are you Thankful for God’s SPIRITUAL BOUNTY?
CONCLUSION:
Visualization:
Thankfulness at ‘Thanksgiving’
Action:
?Are you missing an awareness of God’s Favor/Grace/Provision...
Then rekindle that awareness by looking to His blessings.
We are Blessed Beyond Measure by God’s...
1. PROVIDENTIAL Bounty/Richness(:9-13)
2. CREATIVE Bounty/Richness(:5-8)
3. SPIRITUAL Bounty/Richness(:1-4)
Pt#s 1-3 Presented 11/22/2020am to:
1BC Cbelle
206 SE Ave. A(Storrs Ave.)
Carrabelle, FL 32322
Pt#s 1-3 Presented 11/21/1999 to:
Whigham Area Community Thanksgiving Service at:
Whigham United Methodist Church
146 W. Broad St.
Whigham, GA 39897
