Preached at Cornerstone Church in Cascade, IA on September 20, 2015

Open your Bibles to Psalm 11. Today is our second to last Sunday in our sermon series named the Summer of Psalms. It is interesting to note that after next Sunday we will have only covered eight percent of the Psalms. In light of all that we have learned about who God is and who we are, one would think we would have covered way more than only eight percent. However, I believe this perceived disparity speaks to the depth of this book. The book of Psalms is a very deep well of the knowledge of God. No devotional book, or hymnal holds a candle to the truth that is contained in these 150 Psalms. I hope that all of you have recognized this over the last 3 months and make it a point to read the book of Psalms every year for the rest of your life. As we read at the beginning of our series in Psalm 1 our delight should be in God’s Word, and our meditation on it should be daily. This will lead to the producing of fruit in our lives that spiritually prospers us in the midst of a fallen world.

With that said, let us continue to pursue the fruit the comes from soaking in God’s Word by reading Psalm 11 together, pray, and then dwell upon its application in our lives.

• Psalm 11 – “To the choirmaster. Of David. 1In the LORD I take refuge; how can you say to my soul, “Flee like a bird to your mountain, 2for behold, the wicked bend the bow; they have fitted their arrow to the string to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart; 3if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” 4The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD’s throne is in heaven; his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man. 5The LORD tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence. 6Let him rain coals on the wicked; fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup. 7For the LORD is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face.”
  
  

Jesus is Our Refuge

David, our Psalmist, begins by saying in verse 1, “In the Lord I take refuge.” This statement by David is a declaration of trust. David is asserting that the Lord is his stronghold, that the Lord is his protector. David is claiming that his confidence is in God.

In this day and age it would not be uncommon for you to see this verse, or something like it, posted on Facebook. Most likely it would be in the form of some type of pretty picture with perhaps a mountain in the background and some attractive model down on his or her knees with Psalm 11:1 written in cursive. We are all quick to proclaim that we trust in God.

In fact that is what it means to be a Christian, trusting in the promises of God that are fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Many times, instead of saying trust, we use the word faith, or believe. The definition of a Christian is one who has faith in Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. The Bible is abundantly clear about the means by which we are saved.

• Romans 5:1 – “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, wea have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
  
  
• Romans 10:9 – “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
  
  
• Galatians 2:16 – “yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.”
  
  
• Ephesians 2:8-9 – “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
  
  
• Philippians 3:9 – “found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—“
  
  

For each one of these verse you cold easily insert the word trust. To be justified, saved, righteous, or to have peace with God only occurs through trusting in Jesus Christ. So if we were use the language of Psalm 11:1, we would say that Jesus is our refuge. For in Him we find protection from the wrath of God that we deserve for our sins. Perhaps a verse that helps is one that our Evangelism class memorized several weeks ago.

• John 3:36 – “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”
  
  

Rejection of the son means that you will receive God’s wrath. Believing in the Son means that you are protected from the wrath of God. Everything hinges on believing in Jesus.

But Do You Really Believe?

In light of that, most Christians, if asked if they believe in Jesus, they would answer with a resounding yes. They would claim a faith in Jesus because they know that the Bible is clear that the only way to receive forgiveness for our sins and eternal life is by saying yes. But here is the question, do they really believe? Sure you can claim Christ as your refuge, but is he really your refuge? Or are those just words.

This was the issue in the book of James. The author James was sick and tired of people going around claiming they believed in Jesus, but seeing no legitimate transformation in their life. No consistency with their mouth and their actions.

• James 2:18 – “But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!” 
  
  

Today we struggle with the same thing. We are surrounded by “Christians” in name only. How are we to know who is a real Christian or a false Christian. How are we to know if Jesus is truly our refuge? Simple, our faith is put to the test.

Do You Pass the Test?

In Psalm 11 David declared that God was his refuge. In order to see if that was really true, we see in verse 4 and 5 a testing of that self-proclaimed trust in God.

• Psalm 11:4-5 – “The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD’s throne is in heaven; his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man. 5The LORD tests the righteous,”
  
  

God tests the righteous. God puts their statement of trust, their declaration of faith up against some pressure to see how it holds up, to see if it is genuine. Now we should be clear, God already knows whether our faith is true or not, for he is the giver of faith, and he knows our hearts, for he knows everything..

• Psalm 139:1-2 – “O LORD, you have searched me and known me! 2You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar.”
  
  
• 1 John 3:20 – “for whenever our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and he knows everything.”
  
  

The testing of our faith is not for God, it is for us. The testing of the righteous we see in Psalm 11 is for David and those who are watching. And this testing is something that David actually desired. In Psalm 26:2 David asked God to put him to the test, “Prove me, O LORD, and try me; test my heart and my mind.”

David, however, was not the only one in the Bible who was tested. Two familiar stories of testing are Abraham and Job. Abraham was tested by God when he was asked to sacrifice his son.

• Genesis 22:1-2 – “After these things God tested Abraham and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 2He said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”
  
  

Likewise with Job, if you recall, it was God who asked Satan if had ever considered His servant Job. Then God allowed Job to be tested in a way that most of us couldn’t imagine: destruction of livelihood, death of his children, loathsome soars, a wife with the mouth of Satan, and three misguided friends rubbing salt into his wounds. What was Job’s response to all of this?

• Job 23:10 – “But he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold.”
  
  

Both of these men were tested by God to show to themselves and the world that their faith was genuine, not just word only, and this is what was happening for David, a testing to display the authenticity of his faith. For David in Psalm 11 his testing did not come in the form of a radical obedience or natural disasters, but through the hands of the wicked.

• Psalm 11:2 – “for behold, the wicked bend the bow; they have fitted their arrow to the string to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart;”
  
  

In Psalm 11 we see the wicked focusing their attention on trying to take down David. The wicked are those who do not believe in the God of Israel. They have placed a target on his back and their aim is to destroy him, to take him down. Now what is interesting is that the actions of the wicked are a testing by God. These two things are not mutually exclusive. God uses the sinfulness of man to test the upright.

With this said, we must be careful, for the testing of God through the wickedness of man must be understood rightly. We must recognize that God through these testing keeps his hands clean. God is not bending the bow against David, it is the wicked. However, he is allowing it.

Once again, I think Job is very helpful in understanding how this works. If you recall, it was God who brought Job to Satan's attention, but it was Satan who begged to destroy him. It was only after God's permission that Satan could take one step towards Job. Peter is another example of this in Luke 22:31, when Jesus informs Peter that Satan has demanded to sift him like wheat. Satan new his place, and he knew he could not act against Peter without God's permission, so it was God's will, but his hands were clean.

The same is true with David in Psalm 11. The wicked were the ones who longed to destroy David, but it is only after God's permission that they could pull back there bow. Why was this permission granted, to test David.

And the same is true for us. Our testing is done at the will of God, but the instruments for the testing are the wicked and the temptation comes from our sinfulness. Even though God is allowing it, his hands are clean.

• James 1:13 - “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. 14But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. 15Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.”
  
  This is one of the mysteries of the sovereignty of God. God is in control of everything, including the sins of man, but through it all, he remains good, and man is fully accountable for his actions. It is as if the wicked are merely pawns in the game of God. Even their rebellion God can use for his purposes.
  
  And the purposes of God, include the testing of his children. Every single person who claims to be a Christian will be tested. The life of following Christ is one of trials, and tribulation. It is not one of comfort, wealth, and worldly prosperity. This is one reason I can't stand prosperity preachers like Joel Osteen, he does not preach the Bible, he preaches a false Gospel. The truth is that the walk of a Christian is hard, not easy. As we saw in Matthew 8 in Sunday School today, we must count the cost before following Jesus. Being a Christian involves a life of testing to see if our faith is real.
  
  
• 1 Peter 4:12 - “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.”
  
  

Because of the garbage we see in TV, and the lack of Biblical literacy, many people are caught off guard when bad things happen in their life, when all of the sudden, arrows start flying at you out of no where. In fact, many people abandon their faith with any hint of friction. Why, because they believed in a false Gospel. A Gospel that was not about counting the cost, but was about counting they money. And this is the point of testing, to display to the world, who really believes. This is one reason that I am somewhat glad that America is in the position it is in. I believe we are at a turning point. No longer is it cool to believe in Jesus and accept what the Bible says. To believe in Jesus is now an act of going against the grain of society. We will know see who is really a follower of Jesus and who was just pretending due to the persecution of the world.

We Shall See His Face

For those who fail the test, and abandon Christ and flee to the mountains of this world like a weak little bird, their portion will be that of the wicked: coals, fire, sulfur and scorching wind. But for those who stand and fight, who lift of the shield of their faith and extinguish the fiery arrows of Satan, our reward will be that we will see God. Those who are upright at the end of the war will stand face to face with God. These words are the words of David, but they are also the words of Jesus.

• Matthew 5:10 - “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
  
  

So the next time you hear the sounds of arrow rushing at you, do not grumble, nor think it strange, because God is in the midst of your trial and tribulation. God is testing you, as he did with Abraham, Job, and Peter. Who says in 1 Peter 1:6-9.

• 1 Peter 1:6-9 - “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.
  
  

Preached at Cornerstone Church in Cascade, IA on September 13, 2015

Open your Bibles to Psalm 10. While you are doing so, I want to give you a preview of what our next year will look like at Cornerstone Church. Beginning in October, I will be starting a four week series on the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. As Francis Chan has appropriately called him, the Forgotten God. This series will begin October 4th.

In November, I will be tackling on the topic of Marriage. This will be a five week series and we will be examining marriage in the context of its purpose, its problems, and its potential. In light of this, I want to encourage all of you to be praying and inviting couples to join us in the month of November. There are so many broken and Christ-less marriages in this world, and we should not sit back and watch as their marriages fall apart. We should be doing all we can to point to the solution, Jesus Christ. This sermon series will be one way to do this.

In December we will be focusing our attention on the Incarnation of Jesus Christ in light of the Christmas Season, and then in January we will be launching perhaps our longest journey we have ever embarked upon, expositional preaching through the entire book of the Gospel of John. Hopefully this road map will give you a sense of anticipation and some guidance in how you can invite family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers in the months ahead. Today, however, we are in Psalm 10. Let us read our text, pray, and work through this Psalm together.

• Psalm 10 – “1Why, O LORD, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble? 2In arrogance the wicked hotly pursue the poor; let them be caught in the schemes that they have devised. 3For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul, and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the LORD. 4In the pride of his faceb the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, “There is no God.” 5His ways prosper at all times; your judgments are on high, out of his sight; as for all his foes, he puffs at them. 6He says in his heart, “I shall not be moved; throughout all generations I shall not meet adversity.” 7His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression; under his tongue are mischief and iniquity. 8He sits in ambush in the villages; in hiding places he murders the innocent. His eyes stealthily watch for the helpless; 9 he lurks in ambush like a lion in his thicket; he lurks that he may seize the poor; he seizes the poor when he draws him into his net. 10The helpless are crushed, sink down, and fall by his might. 11He says in his heart, “God has forgotten, he has hidden his face, he will never see it.” 12Arise, O LORD; O God, lift up your hand; forget not the afflicted. 13Why does the wicked renounce God and say in his heart, “You will not call to account”? 14But you do see, for you note mischief and vexation, that you may take it into your hands; to you the helpless commits himself; you have been the helper of the fatherless. 15Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer; call his wickedness to account till you find none. 16The LORD is king forever and ever; the nations perish from his land. 17O LORD, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear 18to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more.”
  
  

The Perceived Absence of God

Psalm 10 is believed to be a companion of Psalm 9. If you hold them side by side you see a lot of similarities such as the focus on the oppressed and the Kingship of the Lord. However, you also see some stark differences. For one, the two Psalms start completely differently. In Psalm 9 we see the Psalmist thanking and praising God for all that he has done, but in Psalm 10 the Psalmist begins somewhat accusatorially.

• Psalm 10:1 – “Why, O LORD, do you stand far away? Why do you hide yourself in times of trouble?”
  
  

This is one of the things I love about the Psalms; that they are real. They are an authentic expression of the Psalmist before God. Which is amazing when you think about it, for God is using man’s inability to see the God who is there, so as to reveal Himself.

And this is in a sense the essence of the Bible. God uses fallible man to proclaim His infallible Word. Paul says this in 2 Corinthians 4:7.

• 2 Corinthians 4:7 – “But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.“
  
  

The treasure is the Word of God, the jars of clay is humanity. Why does God use such broken mouthpieces to proclaim His glory, so that when humanity responds to the message, they will know that it is not because of package that the treasure came in, but that treasure itself.

God uses weak vessels to display his power and strength. For us today, this is what is happening in Psalm 10. The Psalmist is complaining that God is an absentee Father. He is grumbling that God is negligent in his duty to supervise the inner workings of life.

Perhaps some of you can relate to this sentiment. Perhaps some of you have found yourself in a situation where you desperately needed the Lord and you cried out to him and you felt like he was a million miles away. You desperately desire for him to make things right, change your circumstances, save the day, yet He chooses not to.

I think if we are honest, we would all agree that we have been in those situations. We have all had those moments before the Lord and we have indicted him for his apparent lack of response. As I was pondering this one Biblical example came to my mind, and it is the example found in John 11 involving the death of Lazarus. If you recall Lazarus was sick and his sister, Mary and Martha sent word to Jesus and asked him to come. Instead of Jesus coming immediately to the rescue, he waited. In the meantime, Lazarus died. It was only after Lazarus’ death that Jesus went to Mary and Martha. And these were the first words out of Martha’s mouth when Jesus finally showed up.

• John 11:21 – “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.”
  
  

You can almost hear the grief in Martha’s words. This is a lady who had just lost her brother to a terrible disease that killed him. She had hopes that he would make it through, but he didn’t. She knew that Jesus was able, therefore she was confused when he didn’t. In that moment of anguish she was unable to understand why God would allow such pain. But it was within this pain that she was able to see the Glory of God. It is out of this same type of confusion that the Psalmist pens these words.

Window into a Depraved Heart

So what was the Psalmist lamenting in Psalm 10? To put it simply, the Psalmist was lamenting the wickedness of man and the consequences of their actions. Verse 2, “the arrogance of the wicked.” Verse 3, “The wicked boasts.” Verse 4, “the wicked does not seek.” Verse 13, “the wicked renounce God.” Verse 15, “the wicked and evil doer.”

The word wicked in Psalm 10 is “rasha.” This word means someone who is guilty of a crime; who is hostile to God. Therefore to be wicked is to go against God’s will. Now this is an important point because many people want to redefine what is good and what is bad. We like to put lipstick on a pig, if you will. It is important to understand that the definition of wicked is anchored in the unchanging immutable God. Wickedness is defined by what God has declared to be right and wrong. Wickedness is rejecting God’s will and instead pursues their own will. You can see this in our text.

• Psalm 10:3 – “For the wicked boasts of the desires of his soul, and the one greedy for gain curses and renounces the LORD.”
  
  

This is where wickedness is birthed, in the soul of man. Wickedness is not something that we are merely the victims of, we are the creators of it. Our hearts are like evil factories that pollute the world with wretchedness.

• Matthew 15:19 - “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.”
  
  

The heart that Jesus is describing is the heart of every person who has ever existed. As we read this morning in Matthew 7:11, Jesus himself defines us a evil. You and I, we are all wicked and evil before God. Why? Because we want to life according to our desires. As verse 3 says we are greedy. Therefore we do what ever we want if we believe it will make us happy. We live life with no restrictions. Pursue whatever idol you want. Money, sex, popularity, power, etc. Whatever trips your trigger. Adultery? Why not. Pornography? Your life. Divorce? You deserve to be happy. Abortion? Your body.

Why do the wicked do this? Verses 2, 3, 4 tells us because we are arrogant, boastful, and prideful. The wicked raise themselves us and declare themselves to be gods of their own life. This was the essence of the tree in the garden that Adam and Eve ate from, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. We now believe we know what is good and evil. We attempt to define those instead of letting God define what is good and evil. We make our own rules and we cast God aside believing that he doesn't see our sin, doesn't care about our sin, or doesn't even exist. Therefore we run around and do whatever our coveting hearts desire.

The Wake of the Wicked

But here is the problem. Behind the lives of the wicked is a wake of disaster. The pursuit of sinful, selfish desires comes at the expense of others.

• Psalm 10:8 - “His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression; under his tongue are mischief and iniquity. 8He sits in ambush in the villages; in hiding places he murders the innocent. His eyes stealthily watch for the helpless; 9 he lurks in ambush like a lion in his thicket; he lurks that he may seize the poor; he seizes the poor when he draws him into his net. 10The helpless are crushed, sink down, and fall by his might.”
  
  

As I was dwelling upon this Psalm this week and was trying to think of an example of this, one jumped out at me that tears at my heart. If I were to ask, who are the most innocent, who are the most helpless, who are the poorest, who are crushed, who are at the mercy of the mighty? The unborn.

Since 1973, approximately 57 million babies have been killed through abortions. To put his in perspective in World War 2 there were 400,000 American lives lost. Abortion in America 57 million. Hitler killed 6 million Jews. Abortion in America 57 million. The only thing that comes close in comparison is the Bubonic plague, which is viewed as the greatest disaster in all of human history. It killed 50 million. But it is still short of the ever climbing number of abortions in America 57 million. In America there are approximately 3,000 abortions committed every single day. 22 percent of all pregnancies end in abortion. Why?

Psalm 10 tells us. Because of sin, because of evil hearts, because of greedy and wicked hearts. Lets be honest, babies are killed so that people can drive a better car, or climb the corporate ladder, or keep having sex with whomever we want. Helpless, innocent babies are crushed so that they don't interfere with the desires of our soul, and if that wasn't enough their parts are labeled specimens and sold for $100 so that Doctors can drive better cars and drink wine over lunch. The wickedness of this makes me want to weep, and it should do the same to you. The depravity of this world should break our heart just like it broke the heart of the author of Psalm 10. And it is not just abortion, you can fill any sin in the blank, and the consequence is the same. Sin is deceptive. It promises happiness, but all it produces in the long run is sorrow.

As the psalmist stood back and took a survey of the world and witnessed the disastrous wake of the wicked, he cried out to “Why, O Lord, do you stand far away?” The psalmist was mourning over the consequences of sin in this world, but as Jesus said in his great Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”

Strengthen Their Heart

How? By the end of the Psalm he had awakened to the reality of who God is. No matter how far away God may feel He is always near. No matter how many times we believe he is not watching, He is. No matter how often it appears that evil is winning, it is not. God is not an absentee Dad. He sees everything, and he keeps track of all and some day justice will reign. No matter how sinful this world gets, God is still on the throne.

• Psalm 10:16 - “The Lord is king forever and ever.”
  
  

There is not one moment in all of history that God is not King. No matter how hard life seems, no matter how dark the days get, no matter how much evil seems to prevail, God is still in control, and he will be in control for all time.

And for everyone who has turned from their wicked ways and accepted Jesus Christ as their savior and their Lord, we should find strength for our heavy hearts in this reality. This recognition that our God reigns should produce an endurance in us that gives us the ability to run the race to the end. God may not take away the evil immediately, but we know that some day that day will come whereby we will finally enter into God's rest. Where man will not longer strike terror on the earth.

And what will happen to the arrogant, God rejecting, wicked men who pursued the passions of their greedy heart? Their wickedness will be called to account by the God who sees, and they will perish.

Call to Repent

In this room, I know we have people who have rejected God. You have spent your life living life according to your own standards. Either you believe God doesn't care about sin, or that God doesn't even exist. If that is you, I want you to consider the risk you are taking with your soul. Someday the God of the Universe is going to call your name to stand before him and everything that you did in the darkness will be brought into the light, and you will have to pay the penalty for your rebellion. The payment is eternal torment in Hell.

But I want you to know that it doesn't have to be that way. If you are breathing there is still time to get right with God. No matter how wicked you are, you can be forgiven through Jesus Christ. Today choose to turn from your self centered ways and turn to Jesus Christ. Instead of living life your way, like God's way, and rely on Jesus Christ to pay the penalty that you owe. Allow Christ to absorb the wrath of God. Trust in his life, death and resurrection, and get right with the Lord who is King before he calls you to his courts. Choose this day to follow Christ and let your heart be strengthened by the Grace of God.

 

Preached at Cornerstone Church in Cascade, IA on September 6, 2015

Open your Bibles to Psalm 9. As we begin today, I would like to remind everyone what the Bible is. The Bible is God’s revelation of who He is to humanity. The Bible is a book about God and for us. Too often we forget this.

As we have discussed last week, the heavens declare God’s glory, and the sky proclaim his handiwork. By this we mean that when you look at Creation is screams of a Creator. Arguing that creation and all of its beauty, harmony, and order exists because of chance is a denial of the billions of pieces of observable evidence that God is there. Theologically we call the knowledge of God through Creation, general revelation. It is the revelation that is from Creation.

Many people in their pursuit of the knowledge of God rely predominately on general revelation. Many people seek to understand God by sitting in a tree stand, or taking a walk in the woods, or a pilgrimage to the Mountains. If this is your main way of knowing God, then you are taking great risks with your sanctification. In fact, general revelation is many times where we see Satan getting a foothold in your life and making a wreck of your faith. Why? Because God’s general revelation is general. Its purpose is not to reveal to you the specifics of who God is, its purpose is to declare God’s existences. So what or how has God chosen to reveal the of who He is? The Bible.

1 Corinthians 2:11 says, “no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.” It is the Spirit of who knows God. Then in 2 Peter 1:20, “knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. 21For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” The Bible is inspired by the Holy Spirit revealing to us the realities of who God is. It is the Inspired Scriptures that gives us a right understanding of the Maker of the Stars that we read about last Sunday. It is the Living Word that reveals to us such truths that cuts us to the heart. It is the Holy Bible that enlightens our hearts to see God the way He truly is and keeps us from worshiping counterfeit gods. It is God's Word that anchors us in absolute truth. So with that said, let us read from this awesome book and discover together who our God is as stated in Psalm 9.

• Psalm 9 – “To the choirmaster: according to Muth-labben. A Psalm of David.1I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. 2I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. 3When my enemies turn back, they stumble and perish before your presence. 4For you have maintained my just cause; you have sat on the throne, giving righteous judgment. 5You have rebuked the nations; you have made the wicked perish; you have blotted out their name forever and ever. 6The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins; their cities you rooted out; the very memory of them has perished. 7But the LORD sits enthroned forever; he has established his throne for justice, 8and he judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with uprightness. 9The LORD is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. 10And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O LORD, have not forsaken those who seek you. 11Sing praises to the LORD, who sits enthroned in Zion! Tell among the peoples his deeds! 12For he who avenges blood is mindful of them; he does not forget the cry of the afflicted. 13Be gracious to me, O LORD! See my affliction from those who hate me, O you who lift me up from the gates of death, 14that I may recount all your praises, that in the gates of the daughter of Zion I may rejoice in your salvation. 15The nations have sunk in the pit that they made; in the net that they hid, their own foot has been caught. 16The LORD has made himself known; he has executed judgment; the wicked are snared in the work of their own hands. Higgaion. Selah 17The wicked shall return to Sheol, all the nations that forget God. 18For the needy shall not always be forgotten, and the hope of the poor shall not perish forever. 19Arise, O LORD! Let not man prevail; let the nations be judged before you! 20Put them in fear, O LORD! Let the nations know that they are but men! Selah”
  
  

Intentional Praise

The first thing I want to draw your attention to is David’s intentionality in this Psalm. As the Psalm begins, it is as if David is working himself up to worship, as if he is reminding himself as to what he is doing.

• Psalm 9:1-2 - “I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. 2I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.”
  
  

Why does David need to say this to begin the Psalm? Why doesn’t he just start praising Him instead of talking about praising him? I can’t be for sure, but I wonder if it is because David’s knows the weakness of his sinful flesh. Perhaps David knows that if he is not intentional about his praise, his worship will fall flat. Perhaps some of you can relate. I know that I can.

If we are honest, Church has a risk of becoming routine. We meet at set time, in a set place, and we have our set expectations. Every Church has their liturgy. We know that around 10:00 we all funnel into the sanctuary and I say, “Welcome to Cornerstone Church, we are glad you are here. Why don’t we all stand and sing our first song…” And then away we go.

The question we should ask ourselves is, “Are we ready to worship?” Are our hearts prepared to praise the God of the Universe? Or are we risking worshiping God in vain? Are we at risk of going through he motions, playing church? If so, we must fix this for Jesus had some very harsh words towards false worshipers.

• Matthew 15:8-9 – “You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:8’This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; 9in vain do they worship me,’”
  
  

So how do we fix this problem? The same way David does in Psalm 9. We are to preach to ourselves. Before we sing praise to the name of God, would must remind ourselves of all the wonderful deeds that God has done in our lives. We must bring them to our minds and to our hearts. We must turn our eyes to gaze upon the greatness of our God. We should not assume that real worship just happens.

One way that we could do this is to come to Sunday School. Spend time studying God’s Word with your brothers and sisters in Christ from 8:30-9:30 every Sunday. Another way is to grab a couple people and find a space in the Church and be in prayer together, thanking God for all that he has provided. Yet another way could be to come into the sanctuary and find your place a couple minutes before service begins and close your eyes or open your Bible and draw near to God. God promises if we draw near to Him, he will draw near to us. Or another way could be to wake up earlier and have a time of devotion to the Lord. Let us choose to be intentional in our praise.

Enthroned Forever

At this point, some of you may ask the question, “What shall we recount? What shall we remind ourselves about God?” To answer that, perhaps we should look at what David considered. When reading this Psalm you see a reoccurring view of God by David.

• Verse 4 – “you have sat on the throne, giving righteous judgment
  
  
• Verse 7 – “But the Lord sits enthroned forever; he has established his throne for justice”
  
  
• Verse 11 – “Sing praises to the Lord, who sits enthroned in Zion! Tell among the peoples his deeds!”
  
  

David, as he sets his mind of God, sees him sitting on a throne. David places a crown on the head of God as he recounts who He is and what He has done. This view of God being on a throne is a very common one in the Bible, even Jesus frequently speaks of the throne of His Father. But what is interesting is that almost every time someone has a vision of God in Heaven, He is sitting upon his throne. Let me read the four most familiar visions.

• Isaiah 6:1 – “In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple.”
  
  
• Ezekiel 1:26-28 – “And above the expanse over their heads there was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like sapphire; and seated above the likeness of a throne was a likeness with a human appearance. 27And upward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were gleaming metal, like the appearance of fire enclosed all around. And downward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and there was brightness around him. 28Like the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud on the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness all around. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking.”
  
  
• Daniel 7:9 – “As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire.”
  
  
• Revelation 4:2-6 – “At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne. 3And he who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian, and around the throne was a rainbow that had the appearance of an emerald. 4Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads. 5From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God, 6and before the throne there was as it were a sea of glass, like crystal.”
  
  

What I think is interesting is according to John 4, God is Spirit. God doesn't take any tangible form. He is not a creature, and he doesn’t need a place to sit. He does not necessarily need a throne, per se. Having said that he frequently reveals to us an image of him upon a throne. Why? What is God attempting to convey to us about himself? What attribute of God is He revealing?

When we think of a King what comes to mind? A Kingdom. A king is not a King if he does not have land or a people. Regarding both of those things, land and a people, the Kings relationship with them is one of authority. The King is the highest authority over his Kingdom. There is no check or balances for a King. Whatever the King desires, he gets. If the King wants all the trees cut down, then so it is. It the King wants to send you into battle, then so it is. Another word that we could use to describe a King is the word Sovereign. A King is the Sovereign, one with ultimate and complete authority over all things in his kingdom.

So what attribute is God revealing to us every time He speaks of sitting on his throne? He is revealing His sovereignty. His complete and unchecked authority over all things. And by all things, I mean all things. The Sun, the moon, the stars, the Earth, the nations, you and me. Everything, whether you believe it or not, is under the sovereign rule of God.

We Reject the Ruler

Now for those of you who just went through the evangelism class over the last three weeks we know that even though God is the ruler, we all reject the ruler. Every person who has ever been born of man has rejected the one who is enthroned forever. Instead of doing things his way, we try to do things our way without Him and we make a mess out of ourselves, society and ourselves.

• Romans 3:10-12 - “None is righteous, no, not one; 11 no one understands; no one seeks for God. 12All have turned aside; “
  
  

This is what David is talking about in Psalm 9. Verse 17, “ the nations that forget God.” The world as a whole has rejected God. They are enemies to God and all those who are associated with God. Humanity has rebelled and is attempting a coup on the sovereign God of the Universe. The nations are guilty of treason, and God will not let this rebellion occur without judgment. Verse 19, “Arise, O LORD! Let not man prevail; let the nations be judged before you!” Every nation and and every person will stand before the throne of God and God will judge them with righteous judgment. For those who are guilty, the punishment is not just a slap on the hand.

• Psalm 9:5 - “ You have rebuked the nations; you have made the wicked perish; you have blotted out their name forever and ever. 6The enemy came to an end in everlasting ruins; their cities you rooted out; the very memory of them has perished.”
  
  

The rejection of the Sovereign Lord of the Universe leads to perishing, being blotted out, ruin, and being forever forgotten, and this judgment is not unfair, it is righteous.

God is infinitely Holy and Awesome. He provides us with everything, even our own existence. Rejecting him, forgetting about him, disobeying Him deserves a punishment that matches the rebellion. And this judgment is coming for all mankind. Once again, as we have been studying in our evangelism class Hebrews 9:27 says, “Man is destined to die once and face judgment.”

Put Them in Fear

This destiny of judgment may occur today, and yes, it is my intent to cause in some of you a fear of this judgment day of the Lord, for this was one of the purposes of Psalm 9.

• Psalm 9:20 - “Put them in fear, O LORD! Let the nations know that they are but men!”
  
  

David was praying that God would cause people to fear this coming day of judgment. Why? So instead of blindly walking into the throne room of God, they would see their rebellion for what it was, foolishness, and seek the grace of God that is mentioned in verse 13. This grace is of course the salvation that only comes through the Son of the King, Jesus Christ.

Too often our soft American Christianity wants to leave out judgment and punishment. Too often we see this as too uncomfortable to tell our loved ones about the coming wrath of the Sovereign Lord. But if we leave out the warning of the coming day of the Lord, we are basically participating in hospice care for Hell. We are basically enablers, for we are leaving out the reason why they would need to turn to Christ. You don't need a savior if you do not need saved.

Instead what we must do is to warn people. To tell them about God's authority, and our rebellion, and his coming judgment. We must speak of death and judgment and Hell. We must love them enough to tell them the truth, and then we must tell them about Jesus Christ, the only means to get right with this Sovereign God. The one man who did not rebel against God. The one man who lived a perfectly holy life. The One Man who was also the Son of God, and who took our place and died on the cross and took the punishment from God that we deserve. Jesus who not only died for us, but was raised from the dead and was made ruler of this World and who offers forgiveness and eternal life to all those who rely on his death and resurrection and submit to His lordship.

And for those who God does give a fear of him to, who have ears to hear, and turn from their rebellion and to Jesus Christ they can join in the celebration of Psalm 9 and say, “I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. 2I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.”