Our Response To Revelation
Introduction
God has spoken and
we need to listen! Jehovah has revealed himself in both nature and
in the Bible. Psalm 19 describes both of these, plus what our
response to God’s revelation should be.
1.
God's revelation in nature (Psalm
19:1-6)
·
Specifically, it's the
revelation of God in the heavens (skies).
·
A continual telling -
Participles denote continual action, day-to-day, night to night.
Every second of every day the heavens are revealing the glory of
God.
·
Could see it in the sun, clouds,
sunsets, moon, stars.
·
The creation shows God's
infinite knowledge, his engineering skills; Look at the intricate
systems he made. His artistic abilities. There is beauty all around
us in nature. And demonstrates his power.
·
Pours out speech like a gushing
spring that pours out waters of revelation. His creation speaks
volumes about who he is it reveals knowledge. The more we learn
about our world, the more we see of the power and glory of god.
Examples are how intricate our bodies are designed, how all the
systems work together.
·
Natural revelation reaches every
place on earth, no one has an excuse not to believe in God, (Romans
1: 18-20). God has given all of mankind, regardless of what
language they speak.
·
The Psalmist uses the glory of
the sun to illustrate the points he has just made. Doesn't look
like there's too many people working with the no movement the sun is
like a bridegroom coming from his chambers, young, strong. It issues
from the end of the heavens, and the circles to the other end. The
sun covers the whole sky and its strength extends everywhere.
Nothing is hidden from the heat of the sun. God created the sun,
showing us how much more powerful He is.
2.
God's Revelation in Scripture (Psalm
19:7-10)
·
the same God who revealed
himself in the natural world is the same God who inspired the Bible.
God through the scriptures is showing us his personality and
character. The six occurrences of God's covenant name (YAHWEH), are
tied to the six names for scripture given by the psalmist.
·
Law of the Lord - the
instruction or teaching. It is not lacking in any way. Given for our
good, (2 Peter 1: 3). Provides comfort and encouragement.
Converting, reviving, or restoring. It brings new life to the soul,
(James 1: 21). Recall the words of the Lord in Matthew 4:4.
·
Testimony - God's word is sure
and trustworthy. We can trust what the Bible says about creation,
heaven, salvation. If we accept the testimony of the word and follow
it, we will become wise. We will not be easily LED astray. Those who
ignore the Bible are foolish, even if they possess the wisdom of the
world, (1 Corinthians one: 18-21.)
·
Statutes – precepts. The
Psalmist is possibly referring to the straightness of God's laws. By
obeying God's laws 1 keeps on a straight path. Also, his statutes
are upright, showing what men should be. Walking upright and
straight path makes the heart joyful, brings gladness to our lives.
·
Commandment - refers to God's
authority. The word is pure because God is pure. It's purity and
lightens us by purging out the darkness and showing us the right
direction, (Psalm 119: 105). Bright eyes are a sign of good health.
·
Fear - the Bible inspires all
and respect for God. It is clean - without blemish, error, or
defect. It will never fade or corrode, (Isaiah 40:8). Also, the
word has the ability to clean up our lives, our character, mouth,
thoughts and actions.
·
Judgments - the teachings of
God's word are true and sure, they are reliable and trustworthy. We
can have absolute confidence in building our lives upon them.
·
The Psalmist next describes the
great value of God's law; How wonderful these things are to him.
More valuable than gold, money, riches and possessions. If we
treated the Bible as more valuable than gold, we would probably read
or study it more diligently and frequently. Sweeter than honey karma
fulfills us and enriches us more than anything else in the world,
(Psalms 119: 72, 127.
·
God's word warns us of dangers
in this life of not heeding God's laws. It also warns us of the
eternal consequences of disobedience. There is great reward from God
and keeping his commandments. It keeps us from the bad consequences
of bad decisions periods righteous decisions bring peace and joy and
a clear conscience in this life and finally a reward in heaven,
(Colossians 3: 24).
3.
The response to God's revelation (Psalm
19:12-14)
·
The Psalmist knows he has
disobeyed God's word and not realized it. (vs12) we do many things
throughout the day that we do not realize our sins. We constantly
fall short, especially in how we treat others. We, like the
Psalmist, need cleansing, (Psalm 51:1, 2).
·
Presumptuous - Sins that we know
about and commit them willfully and rebelliously. God sees them even
if no one else does, (vs13). We all need help from God to keep us
from succumbing to our weaknesses. His word is a great help to us
for that, (Psalm 119: 133). We must not let sin rule over us.
·
The Psalmist asks to be found
acceptable in God's sight, (vs14). He is surrendering his mouth and
heart to God. He desires both his actions and motives to be
acceptable, (Psalm 51: 16, 17 ).
4.
Conclusion.
The Psalmist is moved by the revelation of God in nature and the
special revelation of God in his word. Let each of us possess the
attitude of Samuel who said “speak Lord for your servant is
listening”.
Prepared by Bobby Stafford
The church of Christ at Granby, MO
Located at
516 East Pine St.
P.O. Box 664
Granby, Mo. 64844
(417) 472-7109
For more lessons and Sermons please visit
https://granbychurchofchrist.org/
https://granbychurchofchrist.com/ |