Transcript: "(00:00) Okay, I'm going to interrupt your conversations for a minute or a few minutes. >> Little while. >> I know I I gave you one that requires more time. You have to pick up your conversation after our time this morning, but I'm [snorts] glad to glad you had something to talk about. So, that's that's encouraging right there. (00:24) And uh if I can get Pastor Renee to sit down, then we'll be all set. So, um, [laughter] I, uh, am glad that you are here today. I just want to take a couple of minutes, a few things this morning I wanted to, uh, cover. First of all, last weekend was our retreat. Uh, if you were able to make it, uh, some of you, I want to just say well done. (00:47) It did rain a little bit while we were there. Um, just a little, uh, mainly at night, so it wasn't terrible. Unless the rain happened to seep into where you were sleeping, then it came challenging. But uh uh we did have a great time actually last weekend. For those who toughed it out, it was fantastic. The uh for those of you who've been there before, the pavilion in the center there of camp was our main hangout and we had a fire going there all the time and just hanging out in there and had a good time together. (01:15) We had a lot of fun. Was not a lot of play in the river this year. Um, but as it rained, it came up higher, but it was it was not when it was higher than normal. Put it that way. That wasn't bad. But it was beautiful up there. And so again, to those who made it, well done. Thank you for making the effort. It was good to have you there. (01:35) And for those of you who didn't make it, well, we're praying for you. So, um, and maybe next year you will be listening to God on that. No. Uh, it was it was a very good time. Another thing I'm very excited about this morning is that the Schweitzers are back with us from South Africa. So that's really cool. (01:52) Now, some of you may not know them yet. Uh we are excited as a church family to be connecting with them and with their ministry in South Africa, Love Justice. And uh uh Kirk spoke for us, I think it was last year. I've lost track of time. I think last year and hopefully we'll hear more as time goes on. If you are not connected with them uh online or through uh the different I want to say emails, I get different things. (02:14) I don't remember where it comes from, but emails. Um, I encourage you to do that. Um, they're doing some amazing work. Uh, Love Justice is and and the ministry they're involved in there. In fact, Kirk, I'm going to ask you to come up and give us just a an update. And, um, actually, Kirk's going to be doing the message this morning. (02:31) I didn't tell him that. No, I'm [laughter] just kidding. So, [snorts] >> uh, good morning. It's good to be back. Yeah, I was looking at my notes and I I think I was with you about a year ago. >> That's what I thought. >> Really close to this time in July. Um, really quick, work with Love Justice International and we fight human trafficking around the world around 20 countries mostly in Africa, in South Asia. (02:54) Um, and we intercept people as they're being trafficked. So, as they're being moved in the pro as they're crossing that border, as they're um getting off that bus, getting on the next bus, we have teams of monitors that are searching for people and are trained to identify trafficking narratives and identify them and persuade them to stop. (03:07) And so, um, since I was last here, um, organizationally, since the start of our anti-trafficking work, we crossed a 100,000 total intercepts that we've had, >> which was a big milestone for us that we were really excited about and just >> excited to see where God leads. That's that's one of the main things that kind of comes out of our the impact of our work. (03:27) But another part of the impact that we've been really praying over as an organization is to see justice. Um, and and so we want to see traffickers arrested. And that's not because we believe traffickers are just, you know, the worst forms of human, but we we want justice for victims and we believe arrests and convictions is part of that. (03:43) Even as our heart breaks even for the traffickers involved in this work, um and and God willing, we've seen just an increase in arrests. I was looking at this morning some of our um kind of the numbers that come in each month and and I saw that in June we had 68 arrests, which I believe is the highest number of arrests we've ever had stemming from our interception work. (04:02) And then part of our work is all of our monitors are Christians and they they look for those opportunities to share the gospel knowing that the gospel is not idle in the face of people's emergencies. And so that's why we're stepping in and we're intercepting people. And yet we also want to share the words of Jesus. And so um this last month we had 128 people profess to accept Christ as a result of our work as well. (04:22) >> The last piece of our work that I I want to just take a brief moment to share about is we we look to empower the potential victims that we intercept. Many of the people that we're intercepting are traveling and are are taking these risky kind of situations that they're in because they're looking for job opportunities. (04:38) They don't have a better opportunity in their village in Nepal or wherever they might be. And so on it's always been on our heart to economically empower these individuals to help just insulate them or prevent them from from needing to take these these opportunities. Um and so we have been in this last month we've been kind of finalizing and we've launched an economic empowerment program and we're going to be piloting that in South Africa to begin and I was I was struck by the words of um one of the songs the the last song there and in the verse it (05:11) said cries for injustice and feels every sorrow Jesus does. Um, and it our our CEO challenged kind of our entire organization before shortly before we left for the states to to pray with tears. >> Um, and and as we were and kind of around this idea of empowerment, economically empowering and and really challenged us if you don't know somebody who's who's in a situation where they need to be empowered, get to know get to know those types of people so that you can pray with tears because that's what Jesus does. And that's there's there's an (05:43) emotion. There's a feeling. Every sorrow. And for us to walk um the path Jesus did means to embrace that heart. Um at Love Justice, we talk about how what qualifies us to kind of enter into the kingdom work that Jesus invites us to isn't it is the anointing of a broken heart. That's it. It's not it's not necessarily it doesn't have to be a degree. (06:05) It's not the experience, but it's the anointing of the broken heart is the most important thing. Um, and so that's a reminder for me too of it can be easy for me to kind of sit largely behind a laptop screen in my work. Um, but to be reminded of just the broken heart that Jesus has for those the least of these around the world and and um, wanting that as well. (06:24) So we we are visiting the states for a few weeks here. We're in the middle of a sbatical after 10 years with the organization. Um, I got a sbatical, a fiveweek sabbatical that we're in the middle of. It's our kids um, they're in class now. It's our kids school break in South Africa. So, we're visiting the family and creating some space for whatever God might want to speak into our hearts and minds and lives. (06:43) But yeah, excited to be back. Thank you. >> That is fantastic. Thank you very much. Appreciate it. Welcome. Welcome here and welcome back. [applause] Yep. And again, I just want to say and encourage us as a church family. Don't just uh assume that the church as a whole is connecting with them. We as individuals need to be connecting with them. (07:02) So, we can be praying uh specifically for their needs. we can be, the more informed that we are, the better kind of like you were saying, the connection, the the passion we can have for what they're doing. So, I encourage you stay connected with their ministry. Talk to them afterwards. See how uh ways you can be connected with them. (07:19) So, thank you, Kirk. I appreciate it. Um, all right. We are in a series on Psalm and we're Psalms and we are going to pick that back up this morning. If you're joining us online, I'm thankful that you're here and uh it's good to have you. As I often say, we enjoy having you in person even more so we can connect with you face to face. (07:41) But I'm thank you for joining us online. And let's take a minute to pray, center our attention, and we'll dive into Psalms. God, you are so good and we often determine your goodness towards us based on our circumstances. And I pray that um and as I was listening to Kirk speak there uh May [clears throat] we be conduits of your goodness based on who we know you to be not based on what we think we want or need or deserve. (08:41) Give us in the midst of that um the ability to truly uh connect with other people, not based on what we want from them or who they are or what they've done, but simply in light of how you see them. give us the ability to uh put others first. You ask for that. It's not easy for us to do. So, I just pray that as we look [clears throat] today uh [snorts] at your word that you will give us insight into our value but also the value of others. (09:28) Thank you for the way that you speak to us, the way you have made yourself known. Thank you for your word. And we pray this in Jesus name. Amen. I uh as many of you know, we moved recently [snorts] and dove into a project that's a little bit bigger than we anticipated. Uh and I think it keeps growing. (09:55) So, um, I spent the a good portion of the last several days, uh, tearing out hardwood floors. So, um, that's a me problem. I understand that. However, I'm [snorts] a little sore this morning. And I was thinking about just how, um, oftentimes we can how do we see God in the midst of the things that we are living? How how do we know God? And that's part of the reason that we are in this series in the book of Psalms is that I believe that in um I was listening uh this week to somebody somebody's u commentary on the book of Psalms and their introduction to the to (10:36) this and talking about how oftenimes we misunderstand what Psalms the Psalms are about and we need to kind of step back and take a view of how they were constructed because when we understand how they were constructed and put the book itself was put together. It's a lot of individual psalms, right? And we kind of read them as that. (10:59) However, there is a structure to the book of Psalms. And we started in Psalm 1. And Psalm one was intentionally put there as instructions on how to read the rest of the book. And and what does it say? Blessed are those who do not walk in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of the scornful. Uh it goes on to talk about how we are not the things we don't do. (11:23) And then it talks about what the blessing that comes from walking with God and that we'll have we'll be like trees planted by living water and that will bear fruit in season. See, that's the introduction that we looked at that the psalms are not just a feel-good. I'm having a hard day. Let me find a psalm that speaks to where I'm at and now I'll feel better. (11:43) Too often I think that's that's our idea. or or we choose our favorite psalm because it tells us something specific that we like to think about God, but we don't want to see the whole picture of God. The book of Psalms is written, I honestly believe that the book of Psalms is written so that we understand what it is to walk with integrity, to walk with openness, to walk with transparency before God. (12:12) And in that what it does is it pulls out of us in the transparency and the honesty it pulls out of us a relationship is beginning to be formed with the God who intended to uh to know you and for you to know him. See we it takes into account our rebellion and and rejection of God. It then talks about how we can and I'm going to talk about this a little bit today. (12:38) We can choose to come back to God. But if we choose, there are other steps in that process that we need to be mindfully aware of so that we are becoming those who are going into a true relationship with God. We as followers of Jesus often speak of, oh yes, I'm in I'm in a relationship with God. But [snorts] if I were to ask you what that looks like, we put it down to prefuncter things. Well, I pray. (13:04) I I'm I read try to read my Bible. I'm not real good at it, but I try to read my Bible. And I we come up with those list of things and I I'm really good to my neighbor sometimes when they don't bother me. And you see we come up with our list of what it looks like to have a relationship with God. (13:20) But it's not the relationship that he has described. I want us to discover the relationship he has described. And in the book of Psalms, I believe we have it. Uh well, that's message is going to be a lot longer today. Um, [snorts and laughter] I believe we have for us on the pages of the Psalms, we have what it looks like to have a relationship with God, an honest soulbased uh, relationship, redeemed soul in the presence of my savior relationship. (13:57) Not something I've been told I'm supposed to have, not something that we manufacture. an actual walking daily experiencing God. And so that's why we are in this series. Uh you will find as we're going through this, I'm not trying to develop necessarily the uh you know go through every word and develop it for you. (14:18) It's this is a little different than uh a typical expository preaching on the book of Psalms. I'm wanting us to really develop the relational touch points and key things we can connect to. So we see ah that's what I today tomorrow the next day this is who I am because God knows me loves me and I have come to know that and I live according to it. (14:42) That's why we're doing this series. Okay. So we've covered a few different psalms. We're going to go into Psalm 8 today. And just for the sake of not abandoning anyone, I will uh or taking too long or bothering anyone, I will pick those notes up. Um, now I told you that we recently bought a new house. (15:05) I don't tell you that because I think somehow that makes us special or anything else. We just moved to a new place and there were certain things we were looking for and God opened the door and we're very very thankful for it. At our new place, the back patio area sits out and it's just it's soul reviving for me. I'm going to just tell you that. (15:26) That's one of the reasons that what we were looking for. It's the setting. It's the trees. It's just it's just beautiful and I am so thankful for it. And so one of the things we have done is uh I have always loved feeding birds, feeding, seeing birds, everything. The wildlife out there on the property is great and it's awesome to see. (15:48) And I think I've told you we have deer that walk through all the time. There's a coyote that comes through regularly. Um there's uh because we sit near the edge of a we can't see it but the quarry there's a cliff 500 foot drop off not far from our place. The wind comes up. There's vultures always sitting and and and um hawks just floating right on the edge in the air. (16:08) There's just be a line of them. They're just sitting out there floating because the wind comes up. They like it. Last night I don't know if 10 of them or so flew over one after another. It's like hey we're still alive down here. Um, but uh I have been noticing just all the different birds. (16:24) We put a feeder out and uh we have a bunch of different finches and and we have some sunflower plants out on our back patio and there's there's a um a black capped green finch that likes those sunflower a lot. But when they land in the sunflowers, they totally disappear. They look like they're same as the foliage in the flowers. (16:45) They're beautiful and it's fun to watch them. And there's just all just watching the activity of these birds. It's it's very very fun. Well, the other day I was walking around a portion of the property and I saw a bird I hadn't seen before and it'll pop up behind me here if it hasn't already. And um the uh is it there? There it is. (17:06) Um I saw it and noticed it because of the yellow uh tail feathers. Real bright yellow on the tail feathers. Now, how many of you know what that bird is? All right. I love it. Okay. So, I had not seen that bird before. So, I was watching it. It was one thing that was real interesting. It flying around where I was walking and it kind of flew off. (17:24) Well, I started whistling at it, just making little little chirps at it. It came back and it started kept coming closer and closer and the more I was sitting there whistling at it and it got within I I can't say it could have touched it, but it was in a branch that was real close and it was just sitting there looking at me. (17:39) It's a beautiful bird. It's a uh now I bought cedar wax. Thank you. Cedar waxwing. And uh it is a very interesting. It doesn't come and around our patio as often or at least it didn't. It just started in the last couple of days to show up. Just briefly would show up and then it leaves. I think it's one of the prettiest birds that we have flying around there. (18:03) Now, why do I tell you about that bird? Well, because of because of this passage. Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, [snorts] what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will uh will wear. Is not your life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air. (18:29) They [snorts] do not sow or reap or store away in barns, yet your heavenly father feeds them. You're much more valuable than they. [snorts] Now, I was sitting there watching the birds that bird showed up and I was thinking, I've never made the connection between that passage in Matthew and the fact that I had the privilege of feeding a bird. (18:54) You see, God knows those things, though. God is aware of the little meaningless details of life. Those You see, God says, "I know and I feed them." And God says,"I going to give you the privilege of being part of what I do." And he invites us into the everyday activity of what he wants to do. (19:20) You and I are given the opportunity and the privilege be part of what God is already doing. Are you aware of that? See often times I don't believe we are because we only will see the activity of God in the things that we have put in a box and say God you have to work here. God says, "No, it's all mine, and I invite you to be part of what I'm doing. (19:53) " And in that, you will begin to understand that you are part of a relationship with me. And through that relationship, you have an impact even on the little creatures that many will overlook and nobody may care about. But I want you to see it the other side. God makes, and we're going to talk about this in a minute as we get into Psalm 8. (20:10) God has given us a world that is intricately woven together. amazingly beautiful. I it's if we will stop, we should be profoundly in a sense of awe. And we I believe are called to live in a relationship based and first uh what I say flowing from a sense of awe. And I think most of us have lost that. And it makes me that that is a spiritual deprivation not just a mental loss. (20:46) We are spiritually losing out when we lose a sense of awe. when I cannot see what God is doing when he allows me to be part of what he has ordained or to see that a bird can be an instruction on my relationship with God. We always want to make it about routine and things we have to do. What about just being in awe of God? Because I honestly believe we start with an awe and a sense of awe for God, it will change everything we do. (21:24) Because suddenly God rises above the mundane to where we begin to see and say, "God, may I be with you today." I begin to look for God in my day. Let's jump into Psalm 8. And I would like to read it together. And in reading it, it is God's word. So can we stand together? >> [snorts] >> taking it from the New Living Translation and it says, "Oh Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth. (21:59) Your glory is higher than the heavens. You have taught children and infants to tell of your strength, silencing your enemies and all who oppose you. [snorts] When I look at the night sky and see the works of your fingers, the moon and the stars you set in place, what are mere mortals that you should think about them? Human beings that you should care for them. (22:21) Yet you made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor. You gave them charge over everything you made, putting all things under their authority, the flocks and the herds and all the wild animals, the birds of the sky, the fish in the sea, and everything that swims. the ocean currents. (22:39) Oh Lord, our Lord, how majestic your name, how majestic your majestic name fills the earth. You may be seated. I want to break that uh down just a little bit from a relational perspective this morning. I just want to walk through it and I because I believe this is a psalm of David and I believe in this psalm he is honestly laying out for us how to start how to have a foundation to a relationship with God. (23:11) What that foundation looks like. So let's just start with verse one. Lord, oh Lord, your majestic name fills the earth. Your glory is higher than the heavens. I love it. First word, Lord. He's he's addressing God, but then he can't even just say Lord. He's he moves it from Lord of control to our Lord. You see, he instantly makes his connection personal. (23:40) And I think if nothing else, we draw away from that the reality of a truth that God intends for us to know that he desires to be personally known by you because you are personally known by him. And I'll prove that within this passage in just a moment. He moves on and he says, uh, your majestic name fills the earth. (24:07) A person's name in Old Testament culture, we don't carry it as much in our culture today, but in the Old Testament culture and when [snorts] this was written, a person's name was their character. It spoke to who they were. It was literally, as I heard uh one speaker talk about, it's a concept that's hard for us to often relate to on a from a oh this to this translate into our culture. (24:35) It's it's tough because what it was was the everything of a person. It was their reputation. As [snorts] I said, it was their character. It was to speak of a person's name drew instantly who that person was and what they were and what you could expect from them. And then he gives a descriptor to the name of God and he says your majestic name. (25:03) So he is saying and we if you'll catch this in a second here he's saying your name fills the earth. He is saying look you are everywhere. And so he's asking the person who's reading this statement that he is making. He's speaking to a personal God who can be seen out that window right there or turn to your left or to your right and God can be seen. (25:31) Now that may be a little scary but it's true. You see God it's not that it's not that God is in nature. It is that God has created it and expresses himself through nature. God has created you and has breathed his spirit into you. He has given you life so that you are becoming and so is your neighbor and your friend and your best enemy. (26:02) a person that God has expressed himself through. Now they may and we may and you may be rejecting that and that does have effect but God as David proclaims here he is seen in all the earth and it's a majestic expression that is out there. That word majestic is the idea it brings uh forth if we were to go and dig into it that it's supposed to not just a thought about something but it is supposed to be a response to something when he is saying that God's name is majestic that God's name causes a result in him that causes him to be in (26:43) awe of God's existence when he looks around if he will open his eyes he says I can see my God is Here I want to ask you an honest question now. How many of you saw God this week? Because he is here. He is in your life, your world, your day. But too often we get to the end of the day and we're asking God, "Where were you?" And he says, "I was right there. (27:17) Where were you? I created you to be in relationship with me, but you're living this strife against who I am. There's no sense of awe. There's nothing you will look at that will cause you to go, "Oh, God, you are good. You are amazing. You are overwhelming." As I said a few weeks ago, we are so uh focused downward that we forget to look up. (27:42) And this is exactly what David's going to tell us here in a minute. We don't see the leaves that that shudder in the wind. We just feel an annoyance because we're chilled, but God is there. And it's it's that relationship of awe that should cause a response toward God throughout our day. So much so that we have a hard time staying focused on anything but God. (28:12) You see, if we actually were to take this concept and apply it into the teaching of Jesus, you begin to see that yeah, he actually does kind of intend that. I read to you from Matthew 6 and it's like he says, "Why do you worry about all these things that don't matter?" But we do, don't we? We worry all the time, things that really are going to fade away. (28:34) And in two months, it's be like, "What? What was I don't remember that." See, God wants you to be so in awe of him that the things that want to steal your attention just fall to the wayside. And you know what? You'll suddenly find you have more time, less stress, more joy. You will suddenly come alive because you live in awe of God. (28:56) And you find that he is everywhere out here. And it will totally change your relationships because you'll start to treat people and with a sense of awe toward God. Man, God, you made a funny one there. I'll let you deal with that. The the reality is I think we lost our sense of awe. So I want to encourage you this morning, if nothing else, I want you to go back home this week today and start this week and go, God, restore a sense of awe for you. (29:36) I want to encounter my day from the moment I rise to the t day time I lay my head down to be encountering you in such impactful ways that I kind of forget about everything else. This goes to something else I was listening to this week. Um and it was the idea of uh Sabbath rest and that we have given up Sabbath rest without realizing the cost. God didn't give us and and command a Sabbath rest because he uh just wanted to create a little extra uh stress in your life because I I got one less day to work. (30:14) He did it I believe to maintain a sense of awe. that overwhelming sense of God, you are majestic because we can be driven and consumed and God wants your attention. He knows what's good for you and what's good for me. So go home and start asking God, restore a sense of awe in my life. Let me see you in my world, in the one that you created and placed me in. (30:43) You breathe life into me. You did it for a purpose, and that purpose is that I can see you. I want you to understand. Do you understand how amazing it is that God created this world and placed us in it? That should overwhelm us. That means that everything we can encounter has a beautiful purpose to express God. (31:06) Have you met him in those things today? Look for God. He goes on in that verse. I promise the other verses I'll pick up more speed. Your glory is higher than the heavens. That statement, what he is saying in that is all that I see cannot contain you. That's that's what he is saying to us as we read this. All that I see cannot contain the God who is present with me and has made himself known. (31:36) In fact, if we dig into this further, there's this there we could go into other psalms that David has written and and in the Psalms, it becomes evident that this truth is not only can this world not contain God, but God contains the world. He holds it. So, I want you to think about that. this world that you walk out into. (31:54) That last week we got to enjoy the refreshing rain up there at Trout Creek. But it was beautiful and God was present and we had joy in the presence of our God. Even if our sleeping bags were wet, God was still present. And so it's everything that we see and experience for me sitting on my back porch watching, you know, 15 different varieties of birds and it's re causing me to relax and breathe a little easier. (32:25) I need to shift it even to the sense of awe that God you created that for my experiencing you. And in that I need to be reminded that that is just part of something that he holds in his hand and he's aware of it. That should overwhelm me. That should empower me. That should set me free to love life and live it fully because our God is beyond the heavens and he holds them. (32:59) He shaped them. He'll go on here and he'll talk about the fact that he put the star and the moon in place and he names them all and he knows what is going on. Our God should overwhelm us. Verse two, you have taught children and infants to tell of your strength, silencing your enemies and all who oppose you. (33:18) There's really a very intricate and and awesome truth in this verse. And again, I said I wouldn't go into it as long, you know, I could tell you what, we've got a few hours. We're okay. Um no the what he is talking about here is the fact that the simplest and the most often overlooked are those who often most clearly understand God. (33:42) We think we ha we mature and become sophisticated and we know things. Sometimes knowledge gets in our way if it's a knowledge that we thought will put us in a better place. And knowledge of God starts with the soul and with the heart and with with relationship. Look at how Jesus treated children. And there's we know that, right? He talked about children and how to treat them. (34:21) He talked about how to give respect. Why? Because children haven't learned all the sophisticated things that create barriers between them and God. That's what adults learn. We need to become childlike because children still have a sense of awe. I remember as a kid being taken by my parents to uh uh Grand Tetons National Park and getting to see I mean I I love that area. (34:57) I still love that area. I remember walking with my aunt up to Bradley Lake if any of you know that area. We were going fishing and running into a bear. My family, this is where some of that comes from. Um, my family thinks I'm nuts because I love bears and I will go seek them out. And uh, I I was at Glacier a couple of years, several years ago now, bringing my daughter back from college and she was sleeping in the trailer. (35:23) We were up at Mini Glacier and I heard that there was a bear not far away. So, I took off and she was very upset with me. Dad, don't leave me here. What if the bear doesn't you don't come back from the Oh, yeah. I forgot about that. Okay, never mind. [snorts] I I won't do that again. But I remember now back in the Grand Tetons, we uh walking along and seeing uh a bear uh up close for the first time. (35:46) And I've had several upclose encounters with bears in my life. They're awesome. They're amazing. But not because of who they are or what they are, but the one who created them. It took me years to be able to mentally get to that now. But when I was a kid, I saw God in the bears. I didn't have to think about it. (36:10) They were bigger than me, stronger than me, fiercer than me. They could devour me. And my God made them and put them there. I just want to praise God for them. Often times we so limit our experience with God because we think we have more important things to do. It's not what David is telling us. He's saying turn and listen to the children. how they respond, the innocence, the joy, the unencumbered approach to knowing God, become like a child. (36:52) What inhibits your relationship with God? I can hear David asking us out of that statement. What keeps you from loving God as a child loves life? I got to play with my our former neighbors came over to our house this week and their little kids were there and getting to to uh chase them around the we have a play structure in the back and play chasing around having a good time with them and there is an innocence in children that just wants to have fun. (37:23) Do you just want to have fun with God? That's where life soaks in. You see, when I was thinking as I was chasing those two kids around in our in our yard and [snorts] they're giggling and having fun, they're learning something in that process. That life is intended to be fun. We slowly start letting that be taken away as we get older. (37:48) And I think sometimes we don't realize that that is a spiritual thing as much as it is economic or mental or anything else. >> [snorts] >> Feed your spirit in your love for God and you will discover the God who is out in all the world for you to see and know him. [snorts] Verse three, it says, "When I look at the night sky," see, now he moves to the night and to the sky. (38:12) He says, "See the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars you set in place." Goes back to he's repeating a truth that we just saw a minute ago. Your glory is higher than the heavens. He's going back to the heavens again now because he's wanting it to us to understand specifically that God is aware of and put everything out there. (38:30) It's easy for and in in his days astronomers would would look at the sky and try to determine certain things. David's saying look beyond what you see there to the one who is behind them. He is the one that you can know. He is the one that should be overwhelming you. He is the one that should leave you with the sense of awe. (38:48) When you look up and see the star, don't just go, I wonder what that bright star is. Why did God make it bright? What's going on in in the in the skies? Why did he place have it build a sense of wonder as you seek your God? I mentioned a couple weeks ago, the month of June was a great month for looking at the sky. (39:08) I hope some of you did what I encourage you to do. There was a lot of things happening from the activity of the moon to the planets lining up. There was once, which doesn't happen very often, five planets were visible in the night sky during June. Did you see him? I hope you did. I went out and looked for him. (39:25) It was beautiful. It reminded me that my God's always active and I can see him if I look for him. So, David [snorts] looks up to the to the night sky. Now, there's something that maybe we haven't picked up on yet that's being woven through this psalm. It's praise. He's building to praise God. And he's giving a reason why we praise. (39:52) But he's also telling us something else. Our praise should be structured. You're going, "Oh, that doesn't sound very childlike." Let me show you what I mean. He's telling us that one, we need to choose. We have to have a willful choice. He started that off. When he starts off, he is saying, "Are you looking? Have you made a willful choice to look for God? Oh Lord, our Lord, I've got to be looking for God and seeking him before I'm ever going to find him. (40:23) The second thing is we have to consider. I have to mindfully consider and what I observe. We oftentimes will see things but there's no it's like we hold it here but it doesn't reach me. I've got to consider it. what I see, what I experience that has to do with relationships with people, to the beauty of nature around me. (40:47) And then the the third thing, it goes back to that sense of aweh. There needs to be a response. He's repeating that in this psalm. If you haven't picked that up yet, you need to be uh make a choice. You have to consider what you you see and experience and you need to respond to it. If we if you need structure, he just gave it to you. (41:07) But he continues on. He says, "What are mere mortals that you should think about them and human beings that you should care for them?" Now, if you are reading this from a literary structural standpoint, he's just done something very interesting. He laid out how to have a relationship with God and how to become what I just said, mindful. (41:33) He'd consider or make a choice, be mindful, and then respond. He's laid that out in the process of just looking out at the world around. Verse four, where's the focus go? Read it to you again. What are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings, that you should care for them. (41:51) His focus is now on God, isn't it? But I want you to notice something. It's now God who is calling, who's being called the one who is mindful. God is mindful. We are being called in the beginning to be mindful of God. And he says look around you. Let it make the choice to consider God. Consider it. Be mindful of it. And then let it cause a response in you. (42:17) Now he says God you are mindful of us. I want you to think about that for a minute. That that verse right there to me should cause us to emotionally respond. What are mere mortals that you should think about them? Go back to what I read to you in Matthew chapter 6. Why do you worry about these things? Your God knows what you need. (42:55) You see, God is mindful. I want to make this real personal of you. Do you understand what that does for your value? See, the God that breathed life out there, put put plants and animals and water from land and fish in the sea and all of these things. He was mindful of you when he did it. And he's still mindful of you. (43:26) You see? So the invitation and the reason for the shift in verse four is for the invitation that is to come. You should be God is choose to be. Be mindful of God. Be mindful. God is mindful of you. I I wish we had time to truly develop that in a personal let's sit down and have a cup of coffee. I'll go with hot chocolate. You go with coffee. (43:55) We'll talk together about what it is that God is mindful of you. You see, we are so often concerned about what we're experiencing rather than the God who is wanting us to experience him. That we really, it goes back to what we start at the beginning. We miss the opportunity to meet with a God who knows you by name. David is literally telling you that the God who put the moon in motion knows your name. (44:37) He knows the purpose of why he breathed into you. The word mindful, I I heard a someone say it's a willful choice to ignore the distractions. Nothing is distracting God from you. That's what David is saying. The distractions that could exist don't distract God. So that means when you are talking to God and you are beginning to live with a sense of awe, seeing life and all of creation as a means of expressing who he is so that you will know how to relate to him. (45:23) You approach him then from a sense of just wonder and continual communication. You're talking with the one who created it all for you, who is well aware of you, who can't be distracted by anything from you. And in all of that, you get to live life. I can't think of anything that gets a whole lot better than that. If you can, please let me know. (45:47) the God who holds creation who thought it up and right there's a little speck called Joel but God is focused on me and nothing's going to distract him and he has the ability to be focused on each one of us without distraction because he made for us to know him love him and walk with him but you and I live in a state of distraction Okay, [snorts] little quiz. (46:20) What do you call a tree that comes from an acorn? Legitimate question. Oak. Yeah, there you go. There's you know it. What sound does a frog make? A croak. We'll go with croak. So, I heard different. We're gonna go with croak. We'll we'll keep on a rhyme here. [snorts] Funny story told by a comedian. Thank you. and the white of an egg. (46:51) >> You see, we get easily distracted. That's okay. Just so you know, I did the same thing. That's a yoke. No, it's Yes, it is. Okay. Anyway, you see, we live, we are distractable really, really easy. See, I told you, no, we're going to go with the rhyme. I set you up right there. You see, it's it's just how our brains work. We get distracted. (47:18) God does not. And he invites you and I to begin to live with such an abandoned sense of awe that nothing can distract us from him. We are we are saturated with the presence of God. God did not intend you to live a distracted life. He created you to know a focused life. solely on him. Solely on him. And he made all of this around you to help you stay focused. (47:51) When was the last time you talked with God? Because it should come naturally out of that relationship. What have we been told in the New Testament? Pray without ceasing. How do you do that? by being in a sense of awe and wonder of a God who saturated everything around you to focus you toward him. Thank him for the birds. (48:16) Thank him for the dust in the air. Thank you for the ability to work. Thank you for just this life. It's amazing. You think that kind of mentality, that heart change, that soul response of awe toward God might change how you live your life with others in relationship? Absolutely. Because the value of others just got notched up, didn't it? Ratcheted up because they too were part of God's intent when he created this world for them to know him. (48:53) And just like I was saying, God gave me the privilege to feed a bird that some I will never I may not see it again, but it's part of me being able to live in relationship with him. What if I treated other people that way? They are part of the opportunity to be overwhelmed with awe toward God. How majestic is your name because of this person. (49:20) I think a lot of stress would disappear. I think a lot of joy would enter into the picture. I think kindness would become natural and we suddenly give value to human life. Let's go just a little bit further. Verses 5 through8. [snorts] I'm dropping everything up here today. Yet you made them only a little lower than God. (49:42) speaking of you and I and crown them with glory and honor. Just momentary thing there. Glory and honor is actually saying if we did were to really look at that hard, we would discover it's talking about the Bible talks about glory belongs to God. When it says you created them with glory and honor, you know what he's saying is we reflect the glory of God. (50:04) What a gift. What a privilege. You and I are a reflection of the glory of God. He continues on, you gave them charge over everything you made, putting all things under their authority. Don't worry about uh life and the things coming. Look at the birds or the grass of the field. They don't ever even think about anything. (50:24) But I take care of them, don't I? Absolutely. Because he put this world under our control. Do you see how amazingly valuable and important God sees you? And he's saying to you, enjoy life with me, not a heavy burden that I put authority upon you. I gave you the joy of authority to do in this world what will reflect my glory. And he continues on, the flocks and the herds and all the wild uh animals, the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, everything that swims, uh the ocean currents, it's all there for you because you were created to reflect his (51:04) glory and to walk in a saturated, overwhelmed sense of awe of the God who made you. Isn't he good? Just as we close this morning, I want you to think about something. Take this with you as you walk away. The truth of God's mindfulness of you should empower you. [snorts] Your sense of the this world that you live in should create a sense of awe so much that you are distracted by the things around you to be focused on God. (51:42) Is that true for you? Ask yourself that question. >> [snorts] >> And then I think it should also produce for us a longing to not miss God in the little things. This here's here's a problem and a struggle that I have and just real open and honest with you is that I'm often thinking of the big next thing. I have been purposely trying to stop thinking of the big next thing and look at just the next thing. (52:14) that God brings along. be the reason is is because my I know this about me and I result and when I am not uh when I am focused on the next big thing I am driven to to to uh ignore and kind of move things out of the way and get things done and get oh good I got there and I [snorts] could you could ask me and I go I didn't really pay attention to what was along the way people or things or process or God. (52:43) So maybe you're like me. That's where my struggle is. [snorts] I need to reverse my process of living to be with God in this beautiful little thing world that's beyond my uh comprehension. He's there in the midst of them. God wants to meet us in the small things of life. >> [snorts] >> Then I also think that when that starts to happen, we can be those who live with gratitude. (53:15) If you have found yourself, and I just real honesty here, if you're lacking gratitude in your life, if what you don't have is more on your mind than what you do have, I would say that you're still lacking a sense of awe for God. We do not measure life by what we don't have. Uh how can you compare it to what we already have and what God has given us? Live with gratitude. (53:45) [snorts] You are worth so much more than you understand because God is mindful of you. I think that's a really cool thing. Oh Lord, our Lord, [snorts] your majestic name fills the earth. David does. He's taking us in a circle here and he's bringing us back now and he's going, "Okay, just I walked you through a truth. (54:15) What are you going to do with it?" Giving you an opportunity. Oh Lord, our Lord, you can put in there if you want to. Oh Lord, my Lord, how overwhelming is your character and who you are in all this life that I live and see. May I live focused only on you to produce for you your glory. Reflect back to you what you made me for. (54:46) You put authority upon me so that you would be seen in me. May I experience you, the joy, the gratitude, life with my savior, my God. Let's pray. Jesus, I want to thank you. You are so good to us. God, you created this with such a I'm I'm overwhelmed if I start to to think about it for much at all. the wind that blows the trees and that sound that is created, it states us. (55:24) It's it's singing a song of your intent. The clouds that roll in and block out the sun for a moment, we're reminded you are still not far and you still have a purpose in the rain and you give relief in the shadow. the creatures of this world. We often don't understand and we wonder what's all that up with that. (55:52) Rather than seeing, wow, what were you doing and what can I learn? Oh, the joy of being with you. God, move us to a sense of awe. May we not a day of being overwhelmed by you. May we know you. May we love you. May we live with you. We pray this in Jesus [music] name. Amen. I want to read to you just real quickly um a theologian by the name of Thomas Mertin. Some of you may know him. (56:31) He wrote this in a um writing that he entitled conjectures of a guilty bystander. I like the title. He said this sunrise is an event that calls forth solemn music in the very depths of our nature as if one's whole being had to attune itself to the cosmos and praise God for the new day. Praise him in the name of all the creatures that ever were or ever will be. (56:59) I look at the rising sun and feel that now upon me falls the responsibility of seeing what all my ancestors have seen in the stone age and even before it. praising God before me. Whether or not they praised him then for themselves, they must praise him now and me. When the sun rises, each one of us is summoned by the living and the dead to praise God. (57:23) Can you live in a world like that? That's what life is. That sun rises, we take it for granted, but it's a proclamation of a God calling you, the one he thinks of, into relationship with him. God is good."
