HEAVEN’S WORLDVIEW
Psalm 33
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR: DO WE REALLY WANT A MIRACLE?
1. Three guys were fishing when an angel appeared and asked if he could help them. The first guy said, “I’ve suffered from back pain for years. Can you help me?” The angel touched the man’s back, and he felt instant relief.
2. The second guy pointed to his thick glasses and said, “I’ve got really poor eyesight.” The angel took his glasses & tossed them into the lake: the man suddenly had 20/20 vision.
3. As the angel turned to the third man, he instantly recoiled and screamed, “Don’t touch me! I’m on disability!”
B. TEXT: Psalm 33
1 Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him. 2 Praise the Lord with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre. 3 Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy. 4 For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. 5 The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love. 6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth. 8 Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him. 9 For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. 10 The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. 11 But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations. 13 From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; 15 he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do. 16 No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength. 18 But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, 19 to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. 20 We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. [omitted 7,12,14,17,21-22]
C. THESIS
1. Today we’re looking at the Importance of Praise, how God is in Charge of the Nations, and how God cares for His people.
2. The title of this message is “Heaven’s Worldview.”
I. THE POWER OF PRAISE (vss. 1-9)
1. “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness” Ps. 48:1.
2. “Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous: for praise is comely (fitting) for the upright” Ps. 33:1.
3. “And he has put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord” Ps. 40:3.
4. “Let the people praise You, O God; let all the people praise You” Ps. 67:3.
5. “Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!” Ps. 107:8.
6. “Seven times a day do I praise You because of Your righteous judgments” Ps. 119:164.
7. “Every day will I bless You; and I will praise Your name for ever and ever” Ps. 145:2.
8. “While I live will I praise the Lord: I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being” Ps. 146:2.
9. “Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand” Ps. 149:6.
A. IT’S FITTING TO PRAISE HIM
1. Every day when the sun rises over Washington DC, its first rays fall on the city’s tallest structure, the 555-foot Washington Monument. The first part of that monument to reflect the rising sun has the words: Laus Deo, Latin for “Praise be to God.”
2. It’s fitting, in a land as blessed at the USA, that praise to God is the first thing God’s great light shines on when it rises. May Praise arise!
B. SING A NEW SONG TO HIM
1. Verse 3 says, “Sing to Him a new song!” Not some worn-out tune from bygone years, but a fresh song from a new experience. Have you encountered God lately? A new experience will capture your emotions and make the mercies & compassions of God real again – they are “new every morning!”
2. ILLUS.: CONTEMPTIBLE, BUT LOVED BY GOD. A converted Hindu spoke to his neighbor Hindus: “I am, by birth, of an insignificant and contemptible caste—so low, that if a Brahmin should chance to touch me, he must go and bathe in the Ganges for the purpose of purification. And yet, God has been pleased to call me, not merely to the knowledge of the Gospel, but to the high office of teaching it to others. Do you know why? Because I’ve been made perfect through Jesus’ perfect sacrifice. Jesus has transferred me from the lowest place to the highest place! I'm now an heir of God, joint-heir with Christ, I'm a King's kid, His royal blood runs in my veins. And what He did for me, He will do for you!” That man had something to praise the Lord about! Do you?
3. OUR SMELL TO GOD. John Maxwell was at his church & it was the altar time. A street bum came to the altar and wanted John to pray for him. The street bum, who hadn’t had a bath in weeks, and had a very bad odor. When he asked Maxwell to pray for him, Maxwell said, “If you don’t mind, I’ll pray for you from over here.” God spoke to Maxwell and said, “That man doesn’t smell half as bad as you do to Me right now!” Are you a pleasing aroma?
C. PRAISE CAN BECOME A WEAPON
1. Roger Bennett, pianist and songwriter, wrote, prior to his death, “Our enemy stalks us exactly the way the Bible describes, as a roaring lion. He hides in the bushes and then he strikes.
2. He didn't strike me physically. He struck a more critical part -- my joy...confidence...and my hope. Every thought turned towards heaven bounced back like it was made of brass. Every time I tried to look on the bright side, I ended up imagining a dark future.
3. Then Satan threw his most effective dart -- doubt. "You call yourself a Christian. What a hypocrite! You're more afraid than ever...more filled with despair. So much for your faith, Mr. Gospel Singer!"
4. Then Bennett had an epiphany [revelation], as he thought about Paul and Silas in prison. "They didn't despair," he wrote: "They sang praises and that became the equivalent of a weapon.”
5. One after another...old songs came to me and I sang them to my empty room. It wasn't a great performance, but it may be the most powerful blessing I've received." His Songs in the Night worked wonders and brought the joy of the Lord.”
6. THE BIBLE SAYS TO LIFT YOUR HANDS IN WORSHIP
a. We lift our hands BC we know the answer
b. We lift our hands to draw close to God
c. We lift...to focus the attention on God
d. We raise our hands to receive from God
e. It’s a sign of SURRENDER, VULNERABILITY, & DEPENDENCE.
f. Praise cuts the ropes of despair. Praise unlocks the jail of depression. Praise sets our spirits free. Sometimes praising God is an ACT OF THE WILL; God is worthy of our praise. David said, “I WILL bless the Lord at all times!”
D. PSALMIST’S 6 REASONS TO PRAISE GOD
1. The Psalmist (vss. 4-9) tells us 6 reasons we should praise the Lord; for His marvelous WORD, for His FAITHFULNESS, for His LOVE, because He’s a God of JUSTICE, because He’s the CREATOR, and because of His RULERSHIP OVER THE NATIONS.
2. Scientists have developed a clock that keeps time by a single mercury ion trapped in a vacuum by laser beams and cooled to its lowest possible energy level. The atom’s oscillations are so stable that the new timepiece is accurate to within one second in 10 billion years--the total life span of stars similar to our sun. [Business Week, reported in Resource, Mar/April, 1990]
3. You want to know how dependable God is? He’s the God who made the mercury ion! He doesn’t change His mind or His promises!
II. GOD IS IN CHARGE OF THE NATIONS (10-11)
A. GOD RULES OVER THE NATIONS
1. Many times I hear Christians complaining about how our country is being run. I understand that. But don’t forget that your God is in charge. “Dominion belongs to the Lord and He rules over the nations” Ps. 22:28.
2. Ps. 33:10-11, “The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.”
3. World empires have always thought that they were “in charge” and were responsible for shaping world events. Their main purpose, from God, is to set up an environment free from marauders and criminals, so that normal people can live and work.
B. GOD THWARTS WRONG PLANS
1. At specific times, God has no difficulty thwarting nation’s plans and setting up His own direction, whether they be the United States, the United Nations, or China. In biblical history, God has thwarted many nations:
a. At the Tower of Babel, He dispersed them;
b. He broke the power of Egypt over Israel and defeated the nations of Canaan,
c. Destroyed the world of Noah and started history over, and...
d. Baffled the Persian plot against the Jews, and instead destroyed wicked Haman & his allies.
2. On the other hand, what God plans WILL come to pass; His counsels will stand. God rules the world and does what He pleases.
3. Nearly half of the governments of the world are opposed to Christianity. Believers in those countries must depend on God to deliver them from their governments. That’s why we’re told to pray for our government. The truth that “the king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord” is meant to be a stimulus to prayer.
4. Have faith in God! He is sovereign over the nations, and He answers prayer!
III. GOD SEES & HELPS HIS PEOPLE (13-20)
A. GOD’S VISION
1. God knows when we sit down and when we get up; He knows our thoughts from afar; He’s familiar with all our ways, and before we speak, He knows what we’re going to say (Ps. 139:2-6).
2. Experts say that we have 70,000 thoughts a day, although we’re only conscious of 6,200 of them
[healthybrains.com/ bigthink.com]. When verse 13 says “the Lord looks down and sees,” the word “look”
means “looks narrowly” or microscopically, with such a detailed look that not the least thought can escape his observation.
3. Unbelievers think that God doesn’t take notice of their actions down here on earth, but they’re wrong. God’s laser vision sees our thoughts & motives; they’re naked and laid bare before Him. He considers all our actions, He weighs them, to reward each person according to how they live their lives.
4. Verses 18-19 says that God has special regard for his people. God favors those who fear him. Those who trust Him are under his protection, and He works to deliver them from death. His boundless resources will supply all their needs. He’ll keep them alive in famine, and protect them from His judgments. God is our Helper and Shield, v. 20.
B. ILLUSTRATION: GOD’S CARE
1. A construction crew was building a new road through a rural area, knocking down trees as it progressed. A superintendent noticed that one tree had a nest of birds who couldn't yet fly and he marked the tree so that it would not be cut down.
2. Several weeks later the superintendent came back to the tree. He got into a bucket truck and was lifted up so that he could peer into the nest. The fledglings were gone; they’d learned to fly. The superintendent ordered the tree cut down.
3. As the tree crashed to the ground, the nest fell clear and some of the material that the birds had gathered to make the nest was scattered about.
4. Part of it was a scrap torn from a Sunday school pamphlet. On the scrap of paper were these words: “He careth for you.” [Bits & Pieces, November, 1989, p. 23.] Do you think that was an accident? No!
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUS.: God Sent Lions to Save Kidnapped Girl
1. A 12-year-old Ethiopian girl's world turned into a nightmare. Seven violent men abducted the pre-teen, intending to force her into marriage. The men held the girl for seven days, beating her repeatedly.
2. There wasn’t a human being within earshot to hear the cries of this girl. But her cries were heard.
The unlikely heroes were three majestic Ethiopian lions.
3. In response to the girl's cries for help, three large lions leapt from the brush and chased her captors away. They formed a protective perimeter around her.
4. A half-day later when the police arrived, the guardian lions simply stood up and walked away. Sgt. Wondimu Wedajo said, "They stood guard until we found her, and then they just left her like a gift and went back into the forest."
5. "Everyone thinks this is some kind of miracle," Wondimu commented. Her deliverance came from a Power greater & beyond herself. [Christianity Today, Foxnews, The Guardian, & BBC in 2005.]
6. In the same way, we’re powerless to save ourselves from sin and death, to alter our circumstances, or to change other people. Our only hope is in Christ, the Lion of Judah. And though no one else may hear your cries, the Lion of the tribe of Judah hears you, and will come to your rescue!
B. THE CALL
1. How many of you need HOPE today? Slip up your hand. ENCOURAGEMENT? SALVATION? HAVE PRAYER.
2. Let’s all stand & sing the Hymn “Victory in Jesus.”
