Sermon Cloud

Scripture Reading; Romans 10:14-21

Today I want to share another Psalm with you.

• Psalm 19

• And want to ask”

• How has God revealed Himself to the world and what effect does it have on men?

• What should our response be?

• What is yours?

Think on these as we see what David says to us in the 19^th Psalm

Psalms 19:1 To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. 2 Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge. 3 There is no speech nor language Where their voice is not heard. 4 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, 5 Which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, And rejoices like a strong man to run its race. 6 Its rising is from one end of heaven, And its circuit to the other end; And there is nothing hidden from its heat. 7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; 8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; 9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. 11 Moreover by them Your servant is warned, And in keeping them there is great reward. 12 Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults. 13 Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; Let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, And I shall be innocent of great transgression. 14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.

You may see here as I do a three-fold division of this Psalm

• Verses 1-6 speak of the revelation of nature,

• The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork. (Psalm 19:1b)

• Verses 7-11 speak of the revelation of His Word

• The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; (Psalm 19:7)

• Verses 12-14 are a prayer that these would render a proper effect upon David as he considers them.

• Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)

  As we proceed through this Psalm consider that David progresses from

• God's being revealed in nature

• Natural Revelation

• To God revealing Himself in a special way through written and spoken words.

• Special Revelation

• What effect does that revelation produce?

Psalms 19:1 To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork.

• David begins by declaring that God's glory is declared in the heavens.

• God's power and majesty is revealed to us and not in a way that really requires great inquiry.

• The heavens declare it to us!

• Romans 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 and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,

• Since God created the world it has displayed His important attributes.

• Eternal Power

• Power that exists before all things

• If God is to create the world and even time, he must have

• existed before it

• had the power to create it.

• Godhead

• Or divine nature, that is if He was before it and created it His is not a part of it.

• His nature is other than it.

• Through these things man is aware of God's justice (Romans 2:14) and His grace (Acts 17:28)

• The firmament shows the work of His hands...

• The sky, the stars and planets, the Sun

• All declare to us something about God and His nature.

• He is a God of order as the planets move in their courses.

• He is a God of goodness as the sun and stars are useful for our happiness.

Psalm 19:2 Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge. 3 There is no speech nor language Where their voice is not heard. 4 Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world.

• From day to day and from night to night...

• Day after day and night after night...

• God's revelation of Himself does not stop, since the creation of the world it has continued, day after day all the way down to our present time.

• There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. (Vs. 3)

• It is not too difficult.

• We do not have to learn the language of heaven to learn of heaven.

• Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world. (Vs. 4)

• This is an interesting phrase, “Their line?”

• In the original language it has to do with a measuring line.

• Some believe indicating the entire circumference of the earth.

• God has assessed the situation and has sent the declaration of His existence to every corner.

• Others take it without the idea of the measuring part and consider it a line as in a verse or a written or spoken line..

• I can sort of see it as in contrast to the idea of language here where we might see it as in case you can't get it when I explain it to you I will draw you a picture so you won't even need words.

• That is how clear God's revelation of Himself is to man.

• Several times I have heard atheists say when asked “What will you say to God if He is there when you die?”

Psalm 19:4b In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun, 5 Which is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, And rejoices like a strong man to run its race. 6 Its rising is from one end of heaven, And its circuit to the other end; And there is nothing hidden from its heat.

• Here using poetic language about the sun and the regularity of its course

• The certainty of its actions

• The pervasive nature of its presence

• The psalmist shows the fact that the universe is prepared and governed by an interested and active Party.

• Were this all that we had we would be accountable to the God who has created it and put us in its care.

• Remember the Apostle Paul's words to the Romans, Romans 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 and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,

• Knowing just this much about God makes us accountable to Him.

• And yet with this plain declaration of God and His nature men deny His existence!

• Psalms 14:1 The fool has said in his heart,"There is no God." They are corrupt, They have done abominable works, There is none who does good. (2) The LORD looks down from heaven upon the children of men, To see if there are any who understand, who seek God. (3) They have all turned aside, They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one.

• A fool is not one who is stupid in an intellectual sense.

• He is stupid, wicked and immoral or he disregards God's Law and standard in order to live to his own rule.

• Webster - In scripture, fool is often used for a wicked or depraved person; one who acts contrary to sound wisdom in his moral deportment; one who follows his own inclinations, who prefers trifling and temporary pleasures to the service of God and eternal happiness.

And yet there is more than just this kind of Natural Revelation,

• While [God] gave to all men without exception evidences of his existence in his works, he communicated to the children of Abraham alone his Law, thereby to furnish them with a more certain and intimate knowledge of his majesty.

• In David's time it was Israel alone who had the oracles of God.

• From our perspective as Christians (I hope that you are) we see them as incomplete in their time and yet of them David says,

Psalm 19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;

• The words Law, Testimony, Statutes, Commandment, Fear and Judgments are all synonyms for God's Special Covenant revelation to His people.

• The Law of the LORD is perfect, Converting the Soul

• God has revealed to man all that he needs to know.

• In David's time it was promises of an earthly kingdom through which His ultimate Promise would come, Jesus.

• At that time it was perfect or complete revelation of His plan

• The New Testament demonstrates that his plan has gone to the next stage.

• That Law converts the soul.

• It changes the life principle of man.

• Conversion as we understand it as Christians was not what David had in mind, it was foreign to him as a concept.

• Henry- It is of use to convert the soul, to bring us back to ourselves, to our God, to our duty; for it shows us our sinfulness and misery in our departures from God and the indispensable necessity of our return to him.

• The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple;

• There is no doubt as to its truthfulness and accuracy.

• Though a simpleton follow it he will always be right and find his own wisdom in following the wisdom of the All-Wise.

Psalm 19:8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes;

• The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart.

• Can I tell you something?

• Doing what God says feels a lot better than doing what is wrong.

• Sin may feel good for a few minutes but it does not make your heart rejoice.

• The feeling of knowing that you are living according to God's word brings real joy!

• The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.

• It is absolutely untainted wisdom.

• There is no other source like this,

• It gives light to the eyes.

• It instructs! It gives light!

• Do you want to know yourself and God correctly? This is the only way!

Psalm 19:9 The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.

• The fear of LORD is clean, enduring forever

• This is as Matthew Henry says, “True Religion.”

• The fear of the LORD will cleanse our lives and it will bring us to eternal joy in His presence!

• The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.

• God has determined what is right and His plan is true and perfect wisdom!

• There is not a weakness or an error.

• there is not a blemish or a question.

• And as we serve Him He will make that known.

Psalm 19:10 More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. 11 Moreover by them Your servant is warned, And in keeping them there is great reward.

• So, David tells us that God is demonstrated, yeah even declared to us in His creation.

• And as that is not enough to bring us to a complete knowledge of Him....

• Yet it is enough to condemn us of not getting to know Him better.

• He has given us a sure word that is perfect, sure, right, pure, clean and true and it produces an effect when we submit our selves to it.

• Thus in the very word and in the effect that it has on the man who submits himself to it God has given us an additional witness.

• A clear and saving witness

• A witness that David had partially fulfilled and awaited its completion.

• A witness that Paul tells us in Romans 10 had gone out over the whole earth and has come to us,

• Romans 10:13 For "WHOEVER CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED." (14) How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? (15) And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: "HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO PREACH THE GOSPEL OF PEACE, WHO BRING GLAD TIDINGS OF GOOD THINGS!" (16) But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT?" (17) So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. (18) But I say, have they not heard? Yes indeed: "THEIR SOUND HAS GONE OUT TO ALL THE EARTH, AND THEIR WORDS TO THE ENDS OF THE WORLD."

• And yet men refuse to hear it.

• They suppress this very truth.

• The hold it down in their own hearts because it means that they must submit themselves to God.

• Romans 10:19 But I say, did Israel not know? First Moses says: "I WILL PROVOKE YOU TO JEALOUSY BY THOSE WHO ARE NOT A NATION, I WILL MOVE YOU TO ANGER BY A FOOLISH NATION." (20) But Isaiah is very bold and says: "I WAS FOUND BY THOSE WHO DID NOT SEEK ME; I WAS MADE MANIFEST TO THOSE WHO DID NOT ASK FOR ME." (21) But to Israel he says: "ALL DAY LONG I HAVE STRETCHED OUT MY HANDS TO A DISOBEDIENT AND CONTRARY PEOPLE.

• Today you have enough information about God to condemn you without the Gospel.

• But with it you have enough to save you from sin if you only submit yourself to it!

• God has spoken through His World and His Word.

• What will you answer?

Psalm 19:12 Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults. 13 Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; Let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, And I shall be innocent of great transgression. 14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.

Closing thought, Though we have this revelation, weak as we are we still need to pray this prayer and our Covenant LORD has to give us the will and ability to abide by what we know.