2024-11-24 Sermon Notes1

💡Big Idea

Takeaways and Next Steps

📖Bible Passage

Psalm 104:31

Let Yahweh’s glory endure forever. Let Yahweh rejoice in his works.

Points

• The main purpose of Psalm 104 is to compel us to worship the Lord.
• What essential truth about the Lord do we learn from our text?
  • God is always first and foremost. He is the Almighty
• What do we notice in Psalm 104:31:
  • 1. God is always first and foremost. He is the Almighty.
    • Genesis does not start with creation. It starts with God.
  • 2. We see God’s affections toward His creation. He rejoices in His works.
    • Our God is a happy God. He delights in His works.
      • ❓: Do you think of God as a happy God?
        • We tend to think of Him as stately, dignified. We rarely think that He would stoop to happiness.
    • Song of Solomon 2:14
    • Isaiah 62:5: Your God will rejoice over you
    • Zephaniah 3:17: He will rejoice over you in gladness with singing.
      • ❓: Did you know that God sings?
    • God senses feels sorrow, but also joy.
      • He is not aloof. He is not without feeling.
    • When God looked at His creation, He said “It is good.”
      • God is a perfectionist.
    • What does God delight in?
      • He delights in His works?
    • Why does He delight in His works?
      • Because there is beauty in His works. It is beautiful in its design. It is bewildering in wonder. It is beguiling in its mystery. It is meticulous in its make.
      • In all that God does He is perfectly righteous and good.
        • All of God’s works are subservient to God’s perfect, moral purposes.
      • Revelation 4:8: The angels sing of God, continually, forever, “Holy, Holy, Holy”.
      • We fail to see God’s perfect holiness and righteousness today, because we live in a fallen world.
• Does the world believe this about God? No.
  • The world believes in amorality. The world believes that somethings are neither good nor bad.
    • This is not right. All of creation is good. God made no mistakes in creation. Every single action has a moral value in it.
      • Fallen man does not see this because the mind is darkened and cannot see it.
    • You might say, how could this be? Do you mean, if I eat a hot dog, or something small like that, then it could be moral or immoral?
      • 1 Corinthians 10:31: Therefore, whatever you do, do all for the glory of God.
      • Psalm 33:5 God loves righteousness and justice.
      • Psalm 45:6-9
      • God delights in righteousness because it reflects His own purity.
      • Psalm 11:7 God is righteous and He loves righteousness.
• Therefore, trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, who rejoices to save sinners.
  • In Luke 15, Jesus told three parables to teach us that God rejoices to save sinners.
    • The shepherd who found the one lost sheep out of 100.
      • He rejoiced greatly, and so does our Father in Heaven.
    • The woman who found the one lost coin out of 10.
      • He rejoiced greatly, and so does our Father in Heaven.
    • The father who found his one lost son out of 2.
      • He rejoiced greatly, and so does our Father in Heaven.

Application

• How does this affect us? What can we learn from it today?
  • 1. This truth, that God’s glory is forever, and He rejoices in His works, is immensely important to us today. It shows us that God values us, yes even us.
    • Many of us think, God does not rejoice over me. I’m a burden to Him. A nuisance.
      • This is not so. Jesus rejoices in you. He rejoices in you because He sees moral purity in you. The works of Christ in you.
      • God sees purity in the Holy Spirit convicting you in your heart.
      • Your worthiness before God is a non-issue. It has nothing to do with your security in salvation. It has everything to do with what God has done for you.
        • This is a very important truth for you to understand.
  • 2. There is a purposeful application of this truth for us in God.
    • Psalm 19:9: The judgments (thoughts, purposes) of God are true and righteous altogether.
    • Jeremiah 29:11:
    • Psalm 40:5: Many are God’s wonderful works. They are more than can be numbered
    • Isaiah 55:8-9 : God’s thoughts are higher than we could even fathom.
    • What does this mean for you and I?
      • It means that we can rest assured knowing that God sees and knows all these things. Though, they are disconcerting to us, for they are beyond our knowledge and understanding. They are not beyond God. He sees it and knows it, and all that He does is good, and pure.
      • This also affects our prayers. We know confidently that God hears and answers every prayer.
        • You may say that, but why hasn’t God answered my prayer.
          • You and I don’t know the answer to that question because we do not know all the good purposes of God which is beyond our knowing.
  • 3. There is a predictive purpose of this truth:
    • The Lord rejoices in His works: There is no doubt in these words.
      • This means that there is no scheme of devils, or any of Hell’s workers who could possibly overrule the purposes of God.
      • What does this mean to you and me?
        • Knowing this, is it right for you and I to get all upset as if evil owns everything.
          • Of course not.
          • Dear child of God, when you find yourself wanted to get flustered or angry, take yourself to God. He rejoices in His works. You and I should rejoice in Him.
        • He rejoices not only in His works.
          • He delights to redeem, and to show mercy.
          • He is preparing a place for us where there will be no sin, no pain, no tears.
        • This gives us hope.
          • We do not see all that God is doing. But we can rest sure in the hope that God is doing all things for good and for His glory.
          • Is there any question or doubt in this hope?
            • If there were doubt, then would the Lord delight in His works?

---

Further Study

---

💬Discussion Questions