Getting to Know God – Dr. Daniel Baugh, Jr. – October 29, 2023

by | Oct 31, 2023 | Sermons and Sermon Notes | 0 comments

Getting to Know God

Psalm 19:1-14

Introduction:

  1. Quotations
    1. German philosopher Immanuel Kant: “Two things fill the mind with ever new and increasing wonder and awe, the more often and the more seriously reflection concentrates upon them: the starry heaven above me and the moral law within me.”
    2. S. Lewis: “I take this [Psalm 19] to be the greatest poem in The Psalms and one of the greatest lyrics in the world.”
    3. The emphasis in the psalm is on God’s revelations of Himself in creation, Scripture, and the human heart.
    4. Two distinct parts and two different names for God
      1. In vv. 1-6, “El” speaks of His power, especially power exhibited as Creator,
        • El for the name of God, meaning the “Mighty One.”
        • He is the Mighty One in creation — “In the beginning Elohim [Elohim is the plural of El] created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1:1).
        • Elohim is His name as the Creator.
      2. In vv. 7-14, “Lord” (Jehovah) fits the relational focus.
        • Jehovah is used seven times in this section
      3. In the Old Testament God revealed Himself to mankind through both Creation and His Word.
        1. We all stand accountable to Him because of both His non-verbal and verbal communications.

 

  1. Knowing God Through Creation – vv. 1-6
    1. Where is this revelation? – vv. 1–2, 4-6
      1. “The heavens declare the glory of God.”
        1. The stars are God’s oldest testament.
        2. Paul says it this way in Romans 1:20, “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.”
      2. God’s wisdom, power, and glory are seen in His creation.
        1. Modern science would have us study “natural laws” and leave God out, but the psalmist looked at the marvels of heaven and earth and saw God.
        2. Both by day and by night, God’s creation is speaking (v. 2), but this speech is not heard with the human ear.
        3. We hear the voice of God in creation by seeing His wisdom and power.

 

  1. Who sees this revelation? (vv. 3–4)
    1. The testimony of the Creation comes forth consistently and clearly to all who live on earth, but sinful people persist in resisting it.
    2. Creation speaks a universal language to all nations (vv. 3–4).
    3. People all over the world can see this “soundless sermon.”
      1. It is this fact that Paul used in Rom. 1:18–32 to prove that all people everywhere are under the wrath of God.
    4. Creation preaches a thousand sermons a day to the human heart.
      1. Each day begins with light and moves to darkness, from waking to sleeping, a picture of life without God.
      2. Each year moves from spring to winter, from life to death.
      3. We see the grass mowed down (Isa. 40:6–8), the tree cut down (Luke 13:6–9; Matt. 3:10), the fire destroying the waste (Matt. 13:40–42).
      4. Creation, under the hand of God, is filled with vivid object lessons to the hearts of sinners but, many do not want to see or hear.
      5. Lemon tree in backyard – blooms, small fruit, green, yellow, falls off the tree, then shrivels and dies
      6. Complete picture of life in one tree
    5. How can anyone ponder the heavens and not be overwhelmed by the glory of the Lord!?

 

  1. Knowing God Through His Word – vv. 7-11
    1. What the Bible Is – vv. 7-9
      1. The revelation of God in creation is truly wonderful, but it is limited when it comes to manifesting the attributes of God and His purposes for creation.
      2. The heavens declare God’s glory, and the Scriptures declare His grace. See Heb. 1:1–3. This law, testimony, commandment, word, of course, is a personal revelation from God, for the name used is not “God” but “LORD,” meaning “Jehovah.” This is the personal, covenant name for God.
        1. The heavens declare God’s glory, but the Scriptures tell us what God did so that we may share in that glory.
        2. David recorded six different names for God’s Word, six attributes of the Word, and six ministries of the Word in the lives of those who receive it and obey it.
      3. The perfect law of the Lord – v. 7a
        1. There is no error in the Bible, either in historical fact or in spiritual truth.
        2. Of course, the Bible records the lies of men and of Satan, but the total message of the Bible is that of truth.
        3. This is the Hebrew word torah, which means “instruction, direction, teaching.”
          • Jewish people call the scrolls of the Law “The Torah,” but the word refers to all of God’s revelation.
        4. It comes from a word that means “to shoot an arrow,” for a teacher aims to hit the target and achieve specific goals in the lives of the students.
        5. God’s Word is perfect, flawless, and complete and through it, He achieves His goals in our lives.
      4. The sure testimony of the Lord – v. 7
        1. The Word does not change; it is sure and steadfast, Ps. 119:89.
        2. It is God’s testimony to man, His witness of what is true and right. See Matt. 5:18.
        3. All of the Scriptures are God’s witness to us of who He is, what He has said and done, and what He wants us to be and to do.
        4. The witness God bears of Himself in the written Word is sure and reliable.
      5. The righteous statutes of the Lord – v. 8
        1. “Statutes” means “precepts, rules for daily living.”
        2. Some rules are wrong rules; God’s Word is right.
        3. These are the God’s detailed instructions concerning the practical matters of everyday life.
        4. Obeying the Word brings blessing to daily life.
        5. When we obey them the statutes of the Lord bring joy.
      6. The pure commandment of the Lord – v. 8
        1. See Ps. 12:6; 119:140; Prov. 30:5.
        2. God’s Word is pure, even when dealing with sin.
        3. Nothing in the Bible, rightly understood, could lead a person into sin.
        4. The word means “that which is appointed.”
        5. Because the Lord loves us, He commands us what to do and warns us what not to do, and how we respond is a matter of life or death (Deut. 30:15-20).
        6. God’s commands are pure and lead to a pure life, if we obey from the heart.
      7. The clean fear of the Lord – v. 9
        1. This is an unusual name for the Scriptures, but it reminds us that we cannot learn the Word of God unless we show reverence and respect for the God of the Word.
        2. To fear God makes a person clean.
        3. To teach the Bible is to teach the fear of the Lord (34:11; Deut. 4:9-10), and the mark of a true Bible student is a burning heart, not a big head (Luke 24:32; 1 Cor. 8:1).
        4. While some of the fears people have might be distressing and even defiling, the fear of God is clean and maturing.
      8. True, righteous judgments of the Lord – v. 9
        1. God’s decisions, verdicts, evaluations of men and things are true; He knows all things completely.
        2. It pays for the Christian to believe what God says and not to depend on his own evaluation.
        3. Throughout the Bible we see the Lord passing judgment on what people and nations do, and His rewards, rebukes, and punishments help us understand what pleases Him and our need of His grace.

 

  1. What the Bible Does – vv. 7-9
    1. Converts
      1. “Restore” is the same word used in Psalm 23:3 and means “to revive, to give new life.”
      2. The Word of the Lord not only has life (Acts 7:3; Heb. 4:12), but it imparts spiritual life to all who receive it (1 Peter 1:23), and it sustains life as well (119:25, 37, 40, 88, 107, 149, 156, 159).
    2. Makes wise
      1. Through the Word, we become wise concerning salvation (2 Tim. 3:15) and the principles of successful living (Prov. 2; 8:33; 10:8).
      2. The “simple” are not naive people who believe everything, but the childlike people who humbly receive God’s truth (Matt. 11:25; Luke 10:21-24).
    3. Rejoices
      1. Some of the statutes that legislators have passed are not right and have brought grief, but the statutes of the Lord bring joy.
      2. The spiritual believer finds joy in obedience to and comfort of the Word (Jer. 15:16).
    4. Enlightens
      1. “The entrance (opening) of Your words gives light” (Ps. 119:130, nkjv).
      2. We are enlightened and learn God’s truth when we obey what He says (John 7:17) and not just when we read it or study it (James 1:22-25).
      3. We are strangers on this earth, and the Word of God is the road map to guide us (119:19).
    5. Endures
      1. Other books fade and are forgotten, but God’s Word remains!
    6. Enriches
      1. It is better than gold or silver (Prov. 3:13–15).
    7. Satisfies
      1. The honey satisfies the body; the Word satisfies the soul, your spiritual appetite.
    8. Warns
      1. It is better to prevent sin and avoid trouble than to confess sin and try to remedy mistakes.
      2. Knowing the Word and obeying it guides the believer on the safe path.
    9. Rewards
      1. Money cannot buy the rewards of a godly life: a clean conscience, a pure heart, joy, peace, and answered prayer.
      2. Notice that v. 11 says there is a reward in keeping the Word, not for keeping it.
      3. The reward comes in the doing: “This man shall be blessed in his doing” (James 1:25).
    10. The way we treat the Bible is the way we treat the Lord, so it isn’t difficult to determine if we are rightly related to God.
      1. Do we desire His Word because it’s precious to us, even more than wealth?
      2. Do we find satisfaction in “feeding on” God’s Word?
      3. Would we skip a meal to spend time meditating on the Scriptures?
      4. Do we attend church dinners but not church Bible studies?
      5. Do we accept the warnings of the Word and act upon them?
        • To know the warning and not heed it is sin (James 4:17).
      6. Do we enjoy the blessing of the Lord because we’ve obeyed His will?
      7. To have an appetite for God’s Word is a mark of a maturing Christian whose priorities are right.

 

  • Knowing God Through Prayer – vv. 12-14
    1. The Witness Within Us- vv. 12-14
      1. When you come to know God through Creation and His Word, then you become concerned about sin, because you learn that God is Holy, Holy, Holy!
        1. The Word is a light (119:105) and a mirror (James 1:22-25) to help us see ourselves, search our hearts (Heb. 4:12), and recognize and acknowledge our sins.
      2. Unless we have a personal relationship with the Lord so that God is our Father and Jesus is our Redeemer, what we see in creation and what we read in the Bible will not do us much good.
        1. The Magi in Matthew 2:1-12 started on their journey by following God’s star, a special messenger in the sky to direct them.
        2. Then they consulted God’s Word and found that the King was to be born in Bethlehem; so they went to Bethlehem and there found and worshiped the Savior.
        3. Then God directed them on a safe route home!
      3. When you study God’s creation with a Bible in your hand, you can’t help but see Jesus!
        1. “Name Above All Names!” taken from the Musical “God With Us” by Don Moen, et al

Name Above All Names

In GENESIS Jesus is the Ram at Abraham’s altar

In EXODUS He’s the Passover Lamb

In LEVITICUS He’s the High Priest

In NUMBERS He’s the Cloud by day and pillar of fire by night

In DEUTERONOMY He’s the City of our refuge

In JOSHUA He’s the Scarlet Thread out Rahab’s window

 

In JUDGES He is our Judge

In RUTH He is our Kinsman Redeemer

In 1st and 2nd SAMUEL He’s our Trusted Prophet, and

In KINGS and CHRONICLES He’s our Reigning King

In EZRA He is our Faithful Scribe

In NEHEMIAH He’s the Rebuilder of everything that is broken, and

In ESTHER He is the Mordecai sitting faithful at the gate

In JOB He’s our Redeemer that ever liveth

 

In PSALMS He is my Shepherd and I shall not want

In PROVERBS and ECCLESIASTES He’s our Wisdom, and

In the SONG OF SOLOMON He’s the Beautiful Bridegroom

 

In ISAIAH He’s the Suffering Servant

In JEREMIAH and LAMENTATIONS it is Jesus that is the Weeping Prophet

In EZEKIEL He’s the Wonderful Four‑Faced Man, and

In DANIEL He is the Fourth Man in the midst of a fiery furnace

 

In HOSEA He is my Love that is forever faithful

In JOEL He baptizes us with the Holy Spirit

In AMOS He’s our Burden Bearer

In OBADIAH our Savior, and

In JONAH He is the Great Foreign Missionary that takes the Word of God into all of the world.

 

You go on and you see

In MICAH He is the Messenger with beautiful feet

In NAHUM He is the Avenger

In HABAKKUK He is the Watchman that is ever praying for revival

In ZEPHANIAH He is the Lord mighty to save

In HAGGAI He is the Restorer of our lost heritage

In ZECHARIAH He is our Fountain, and

In MALACHI He is the Son of Righteousness with healing in His wings

 

In MATTHEW Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God

In MARK He is the Miracle Worker

In LUKE He’s the Son of Man, and

In JOHN He is the Door by which everyone of us must enter

 

In ACTS He is the Shining Light that appears to Saul on the road to Damascus

In ROMANS He is our justifier

In 1st CORINTHIANS our Resurrection

In 2nd CORINTHIANS our Sin Bearer

In GALATIANS He redeems us from the law

In EPHESIANS He is our Unsearchable Riches

In PHILIPPIANS He supplies our every need, and

 

In COLOSSIANS He’s the Fullness of the Godhead Bodily

In 1st and 2nd THESSALONIANS He is our Soon Coming King

In 1st and 2nd TIMOTHY He is the Mediator between God and man

 

In TITUS He is our Blessed Hope

In PHILEMON He is a Friend that sticks closer than a brother, and

In HEBREWS He’s the Blood of the everlasting covenant

 

In JAMES it is the Lord that heals the sick

In 1st and 2nd PETER He is the Chief Shepherd

In 1st, 2nd, and 3rd JOHN it is Jesus who has the tenderness of love

In JUDE He is the Lord coming with 10,000 saints, and

 

In REVELATION, lift up your eyes Church, for your redemption draweth nigh, He is King of kings and Lord of lords!

 

  1. The apostle John: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God….All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:1–3).
    • This is the Lord Jesus Christ.
  2. Colossians 1:16, speaking about the Lord Jesus, says, “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him.”
  3. He is seen in the vine (John 15), the sun (John 8:12; Mal. 4:2), the stars (Num. 24:17), the lambs (John 1:29), the apple trees and lilies (Song 2:3, 16; 6:3), the seed planted in the ground (John 12:23-24), and the bread on the table (John 6:35).
  1. Creation is God’s “wordless book,” and the Scriptures are God’s holy Word to us, but God wants to hear our words as “sacrifices” that please Him.

 

  1. Actions – vv. 12-13
    1. “Who can understand his errors?”
      1. Too often we rationalize our sin.
      2. We are pretty good at giving excuses, but God won’t accept them.
      3. God says that you cannot understand your errors.
    2. “Cleanse me from secret faults.”
      1. Secret faults are the problem with a great many people today.
      2. It is important confess our sins immediately and allow the Word and the blood to cleanse our heart.
    3. “Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins … and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.”
      1. Un-confessed sins, even if committed ignorantly, grow within our heart and begin to rule over us.
      2. This leads to our committing willful disobedience.
      3. It is by an accumulation of the little secret sins of v. 12 that the person gradually walks into the great sin.

 

  1. Words and Heart– v. 14
    1. “Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.”
      1. Who was David’s strength? Christ!
      2. Who was his redeemer? Christ.
      3. He is also my strength and my
      4. He becomes that through the grace of God.
    2. The words we speak begin with the thoughts in our heart (Matt. 12:33-37).
      1. It’s important that we meditate on God’s Word and God’s works.
      2. The meditation of the heart controls the words of the mouth (Mark 7:14–23).
        • The word “meditation” here has the image of a musician plucking the strings of a harp.
        • Who controls the music of your heart, God or Satan?
      3. If we delight in God’s Word, we will naturally meditate on it, talk about it with the words of our mouth, and this will help to keep us from sin.
    3. The prayer of v. 14 ought to be on our lips and in our hearts all day long.
    4. When you look at God’s Creation, is it all that God wants it to be to you?
    5. Is your Bible all to you that God wants it to be?
    6. Read this psalm again and ask God to help you to love the Word, live in it, and obey it—and He will bless you.
    7. What a wonderful psalm this is!