[0:00] Psalm 8 that we read and have just sung and consider that psalm as we've seen in three ways God's glory, God's grace, God's greatness that this psalm brings forth and of course as we read in other passages in the New Testament that Jesus himself referred to in relation to this psalm as we'll consider later but you know when we look at this psalm, when we sing this psalm, when we read this psalm then you know this psalm is so encouraging, so helpful particularly, not exclusively but particularly when the Lord's people are cast down, troubled, needing encouragement. Well of course first and foremost we have God's word before us, all of God's word because God's word gives us comfort and assurance and peace when we hear God speaking to us through his word. I mean as Paul wrote of
[1:08] God's breathed out word, all scripture is profitable for teaching and reproof and correction and training righteousness. All scripture is profitable but it's so often the book of psalms that the Christian turns to when he, when she, children were saying look for help, help in affliction, when we seek that peace amidst all the storms and the turmoil that that happens in your life. Somebody wrote some years ago, I mean after all the psalms are the prayer book of Jesus and as we read the psalms, as we sing the psalms, we're sharing with the Lord Jesus, we're sharing with him and using the very words of God, the very word of God to come before him because we're coming before the God of all grace, we're bowing before him. Yes, even as we pray through the psalms, as you meditate in the psalms, as you apply the psalms to your day-to-day life and it's such a privilege to have these psalms before us and that your love for
[2:20] God might be enriched as you sing the psalms, as you read the psalms, as you apply the psalms in your life and indeed, as we'll see, I trust that your knowledge of the Lord Jesus is enhanced as you read the psalms, as we'll see, I pray, in a moment.
[2:40] We have such riches in this book of psalms, this book of 150 psalms and perhaps, I feel the way that things go, but maybe for the next few Sunday mornings, just take a psalm for your encouragement as you hear the voice of God speak to you to strengthen your faith in him, to encourage your love for him, to give you hope, that renewed hope in him, as you see in the psalms, the God of all grace, the God of all mercy.
[3:15] And, you know, we're not just saying things from the top of our heads, just not, because there is basis in reality, even the reality of the experience of God's people.
[3:26] St. Augustine who once remarked, how my love for God is kindled by the psalms. And truly that has to be the expression of the Lord's people and has been the expression of the Lord's people through the ages, through the centuries, that your love for God is kindled by the psalms.
[3:47] The more you dwell in them, the more you contemplate what God is speaking through his word, then, yes, your love for God is enhanced through reading, singing, meditating upon applying the psalms.
[4:03] The psalms tell us so much about God's character. They tell us about who he is and his majesty and his goodness and his grace and his mercy and, yes, and his wrath.
[4:14] And, you know, we have this treasure before us. Don't neglect the treasure, this treasury that you have here in the book of Psalms. And, well, we could pick any psalm, of course, but Psalm 8 particularly has helped the Lord's people through the ages as we're drawn to see the God of all grace, the God of all mercy, as we see God in his sovereignty, God in his power.
[4:40] And, yes, use, but use this psalm. You know, particularly when they are through times of perhaps difficulties, discouragement even, downheartedness.
[4:54] Use this psalm. This psalm will lift you up, will lift your soul, lift your spirit. As you see, yes, the glory of God, and you see the glory of the Lord Jesus proclaimed here in this psalm.
[5:07] So, let's focus the more particularly on this psalm and see, first of all, the praise of God's glory. O Lord, O Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth.
[5:18] You've set your glory above the heavens. Notice how David begins this psalm. He doesn't begin it with himself. He doesn't begin it with his own troubles and concerns.
[5:28] He begins this psalm with God the Lord. Remember when Jesus taught his disciples to pray? How did he teach them? He taught them with God first.
[5:40] The adoration of God. Surely that's the principle that we hold to when we come before God in prayer, when we come before Him in praise. We begin with God. We begin in worship of the Lord.
[5:54] And notice how he begins here. He's, well, several things, in fact three things to notice. He's very conscious that he's coming before God, the one in whom he has that eternal relationship with.
[6:08] And he's conscious who he's addressing as God, the Lord, the God of power, the God of majesty. And he's so conscious that he's coming before the God of all glory, the God who inhabits the earth, the God who created the heavens and the earth.
[6:25] And, you know, he's conscious that he's not just his Lord, but the Lord of all God's people. And so he's focusing in this song of praise, this song, you might even see this prayer song.
[6:37] He's focusing on God the Lord. And, you know, whatever, however, our style of worship is, the principle is absolutely central.
[6:51] It's absolutely central. God central. God first in our worship. Because if God isn't at the forefront of our worship, if God doesn't have first place in your thoughts, and your praise and your coming before him, then it's not worship.
[7:09] It's not worship. God has to. And God must be before you in your heart, in your mind. That's what we're doing. We're worshipping God. This is a service.
[7:20] We serve him in worship. And that's what David's doing in Psalm 8. He's expressing the priority of his heart. God the Lord is first.
[7:31] God the Lord is uppermost, firstly, first in his prayer. And this prayer song, the psalm, that's been sung through the generations.
[7:44] And notice in particular, he's addressing God as Lord. Notice the capital letters there. What we do in our English language to express God's covenant name, the name of Yahweh.
[7:56] The name that God gave to indicate his faithfulness to his people. And so, David's aware that he's addressing Yahweh, God the Lord, the faithful covenant God of his people, the God of Israel, the God who delivered his people from oppression in Egypt, God who saved his people from slavery.
[8:19] God who gave his people his law. And therefore, God who demands that his people obey him fully. And this is the Lord whom David's addressing.
[8:30] God the Lord. And if you're a Christian, if you're in that covenant relationship with God through the Lord Jesus, well, are you aware that you're worshipping God through Jesus?
[8:44] That you're coming before the God of all faithfulness? That God whose faithfulness has ensured that you have everlasting life, everlasting salvation, the Lord Jesus.
[8:57] That even in this act of worship this morning, that you, that I, that we are in the very presence of our great God and Lord and Saviour, whose word never fails, who's utterly true, utterly faithful, and in whom we can put and give all our trust.
[9:19] So, you know, when you approach God, when you, just think in yourself, when you're approaching God, are you truly, are you truly approaching the Lord of, of the Bible? Are you adoring him in worship for who he is?
[9:33] Because David brings out God in his majesty and his, in his all, being all powerful, all glorious. David has reverence as he's coming before God in prayer and in song.
[9:47] And surely that's a lesson for each one of us to come before God in reverence. We are coming before our great God and Saviour. Is that at the core of our worship?
[10:00] Well, it certainly was for David here as he, he's writing this psalm under divine inspiration because notice, you'll notice in your English versions, first line, O Lord, O Lord, these are two different words actually.
[10:12] As you notice, as the capital letters, the first word for Lord, the smaller case for the second word. This is another word for Lord.
[10:24] This is the name of God that speaks of God and his power. We've been looking at the creation account in Genesis 1 in our midweek meetings. In the beginning, God. And this is the word that's used.
[10:36] This is the, if you want to know the word, it's Adonai. This is the expression that the name that God has to relate to his power, to relate to his sovereign power.
[10:50] He's the ruler, ruler of the universe. He's the eternal one. He's the maker of heaven and earth. And yet, in his being maker of heaven and earth, he's not remote from us.
[11:00] He's not remote from his people. So, we can and must come before God, the Lord. He's the one whom you worship. Whether we worship him in a congregational setting such as this, or in the quiet of your hearts, even in your quiet time at home, you're worshipping God, the Lord, maker of heaven and earth, the God of all power, the sovereign one, the King.
[11:27] And is that how we are worshipping? Is that who you recognise when you come before God? You're coming before the God of all glory, God who made all things by the word of his power?
[11:41] When we come through these doors, even, are you aware that we're coming to worship the Lord of lords and the King of kings? Do you have that sense of the glory of God?
[11:53] Well, this psalm helps us to see that, to bring before our hearts and minds that this is whom we're worshipping. The God of faithfulness. the God of sovereign power.
[12:05] And David is recognising this. He's declaring God's greatness even in the opening words of this psalm. And words that you, yourselves, as I too, must use when we approach God.
[12:18] O Lord, O Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth. You've sent your glory above the heavens. Use this acclaim of God the Lord.
[12:29] I mean, look at what David's saying here. he's addressing God by name. As we said, he's showing that he knows that this is the God of faithfulness. He knows this is the God of sovereign power.
[12:43] And David's aware that the name of God is not just, you know, for David's benefit, but for all who are in that secure relationship with our Lord and Savior.
[12:56] In all the earth, there's this acknowledgement of God's majesty. And this is, you know, this is such an awe-inspiring thought. I mean, God's name majestic in all the earth.
[13:09] You know, we, we're mortal. We're sinful human beings. And yet God has given us this privilege to worship Him. You know, even sinless angels worship God in heaven.
[13:20] So we're joining even with sinless angels. We're joining with the saints in glory. We're joining with the saints in earth. We're praising God even now. We're in, as it were, together.
[13:31] One with another. With God's people. And even the very angels in heaven praising God. We might say we're, even in our small congregation here, part of this universal praise from heaven and earth as we're worshipping God.
[13:48] if you've given your life to the Lord Jesus, you have that privilege. You have that blessing. Because you are recognising the God of all majesty.
[14:00] You're coming before the God of all grace. You're coming before God the King. And it's, God is King. It's not because somehow He's inherited His majesty.
[14:10] It's not because someone's conferred majesty in God. No. God is God in Himself. God has bestowed Himself glory and majesty.
[14:23] And so we worship the God who is majestic. All majestic. All glorious. And yes, you might say, well this is a mystery. And it's a profound mystery. But it's that mystery that draws you closer to God.
[14:37] Yes, in our own limited weakness. Our own limited failing so often. And yet, God has given us sufficient to know to whom we worship.
[14:49] He's made known His name. The very name that David brings forth in this psalm here. And so, we join with every angel in heaven, every saint in heaven, every saint on earth.
[15:01] We bow before the God who is the King of glory. And notice this. Notice even children. Even children recognise the glory of God.
[15:13] Do you see as David says there in verse throughout the mouths of babies and infants. You've established strength or maybe you've ordained praise. That's why we read in Matthew 21.
[15:25] Remember, there's Jesus in the temple and Jesus is casting out the money changers and then He goes on to heal the blind and the lame. But it's not the religious leaders who praise Jesus for what He's done.
[15:38] It's children. Children. It was children in the temple who were crying out praise to the son of David. The Pharisees wanted nothing to do with Jesus. They wanted rid of Him.
[15:51] But children praised the Lord Jesus. And Jesus quotes from Psalm 8 to tell us that there is praise to God even from infants.
[16:02] Matthew 21 verse 16 read these words. Yes. Because you know even when we think of infants we're not just thinking of little children but even whom the world considers as weak and insignificant.
[16:15] And you know the world does rise up and challenges God and dismisses those whom they consider weak and insignificant in the world but God's Word assures us that God chose as Paul wrote Paul God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise.
[16:37] God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong. God chose what is low and despised in the world even things that are not to bring to nothing things that are so that no human being may boast in the presence of God.
[16:51] And the world might consider you who are a Christian to be weak and insignificant and a total irrelevance but you are the ones who praise God and give glory to God.
[17:04] And rejoice then. If God has humbled you if God has humbled you to raise you up then rejoice. Rejoice. Yes if you are considered one of the weak and maybe us as a little child and with childlike faith in the Lord Jesus but rejoice that in your weakness you praise God and are known of God.
[17:30] So the praise of God's glory but secondly we see here that the praise of God's grace you know you can just imagine David writing this psalm one evening and he's written the first two verses of this psalm and the evening's getting darker and darker and he looks up into the night sky and what does he see?
[17:51] He sees billions of stars he sees the moon and he's contemplating the God of creation as David looks up to the sky and then he asks in wonder what's man?
[18:03] What's man Lord that you are mindful of him? What's man? I mean the emphasis here isn't so much on man but the emphasis surely is on God I mean there's David gazing up into the night sky and what's he doing?
[18:18] He's testifying to the power and majesty of God God who's ordered creation God in a sovereign power who set the stars in their place God who made the moon and the moon is exactly as God intended it to be and what David sees brings him to glorify to give praise to the God of creation to the God who rules heaven and earth the God who in his might and his power cares for David and has compassion on him and all who are his by God's grace you see if God was just a distant deity if God so remote from his creation then we'd be lost we couldn't trust in a God who doesn't come near us but David's marvelling David's marvelling that God remembers him and remembers all who are his the God who created the vast array of the universe
[19:22] God cares for David as he cares for you as he cares for me the God who made the stars the moon the sun the God who made heaven itself that God should care for you for me and you know not just in our being human but you know in our sin in our frailty in our weakness that God is mindful of you and cares for you shouldn't that drive you to worship shouldn't that drive you to praise that he's mindful of you and this mindfulness of God has got nothing to do with the kind of modern new age kind of mindfulness that seems to be the vogue in so many places no God being mindful of his people tells us that God cares that God has compassion that he remembers you in all your needs and it's that grace of God that's seen in action God's action towards you in other words
[20:24] God isn't a passive God God's not an uncaring God he's with you he's for you he's beside you he's supporting you in every area of your life in every aspect of your life in every need that you have in life and that grace of God that grace of God comes beside you comes alongside you in your need God is the God who's carefree of course was seen and revealed ultimately in the coming of the Lord Jesus Jesus who took our nature our human nature was been accepted Jesus who came to earth to be with those for whom he came to give his life and then that's where we can try to cry out and wonder what is man what is man that your Lord Jesus came came for us you care for us so much that you left the glory of heaven and came to earth to be made sin for us so that you so that
[21:35] I so that we might be crowned with the righteousness that's yours through the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus so you know this psalm again brings out the grace of God and his compassion and his mercy towards sinner man it brings out God's closeness coming alongside you in your need and that's what David's bringing out here yes he's expressed if you like the tininess of man in relation to God and his greatness even seen in relation to God's creation God who created everything we see God still cares for you and David's marvelling he's marvelling at the wisdom of God the grace of God we'll see in more detail as we come to the next part of Genesis one in our midweek meeting when we look at the creation of man I mean God made man in his own image God created man man the highest aspect of God's creation
[22:37] God made man to rule the rest of creation that's what we're seeing here in verse 6 all of God's creation subdued by man in other words put under his feet God crowning man with honour with status giving man authority authority over creation because again revealing the order of God's creation man man at the highest point man's no animal man's not just a two footed animal no man is the highest point of God's creation and endued with greatness as man David's marvelling at God's greatness and bestowing and honour on man giving man authority what about David saying about the son of man that you're mindful of him the son of man that you care for him because you see David could only see partially you could only partially see the greatness of God and what God had done in his work yes David caught a glimpse of God's majesty when he recognised God delegating authority to man but you've been given the full revelation of God that God has revealed to us and that revelation that fullness of revelation seen in the Lord Jesus and that's why we see the majesty of God expressed here in this psalm it's reaching we might say its highest point because David's expressing praise to God for giving man dominion over the rest of creation putting everything under his feet and of course the fulfilment of that dominion the fulfilment of that authority seen in the Lord Jesus
[24:25] Jesus' ultimate authority over all and that's why we read in the book of Hebrews chapter 2 that's what we read there of the ultimate authority of Jesus over all Jesus the son of man Jesus in his human nature being made a little lower than the angels when he was made man as we read there in verse 5 and Jesus of course crying with glory and honour when he accomplished all that his father had given him to do Jesus in his death and the cross and his resurrection Jesus seated at the right hand of the father in heaven Jesus truly crowned with glory and honour and Jesus reigning in glory and reigning until all opposition to him comes to an end and Jesus comes again in glory when he comes in judgment and all things will be put under his feet and if we'd read again in 1 Corinthians 15 when Jesus comes again when all who've been opposing Jesus have been destroyed and the last enemy death is conquered
[25:35] Jesus will voluntarily be subject to God the father not in a inferior sense but showing that God is Lord God is sovereign now what's all this saying what's all this saying to you as we said David saw in part but you see even in this psalm what David saw that indicated fully the Lord Jesus Christ we're seeing surely the fullness of the majesty of God and that's why we're so privileged in having this full revelation of God we're seeing Jesus we're seeing Jesus here in this psalm and of course we see Jesus in the word of God we're seeing Jesus in his victory and therefore use the psalm to dwell in the Lord Jesus as somebody once wrote this if we want to read and pray the prayers of the Bible and especially the psalms we mustn't ask first what they have to do with us but what they have to do with Jesus and so we're seeing the glory of Jesus yes in this psalm so when we sing and we've sung this psalm already but you know when we sing it again sing with meaning sing with understanding and yes sing that yes truly
[27:07] Jesus is Lord and even the psalm will help you to see that when Jesus returns we'll never stop praising him never cease to praise him for who he is David wrote these words we reckon some 3,000 years ago that these words have resonance not just this side of eternity but they have resonance yes in eternity because yes we praise God in earth we're praising God in heaven and praising God in the new heaven and the new earth and yes we'll continue to praise him and say with prayer and with thankfulness oh Lord oh Lord how excellent is your name in all the air and we'll be praising him in heavens crying out oh Lord oh Lord how excellent is your name you who are all glorious all powerful you who have set your glory above the heavens and I pray then that these words will have touched your heart and that yes you will use even this psalm to help you to encourage you to look to the saviour to look to the one who is crowned with righteousness the one who is crowned with glory and honour and to him be the glory and the praise amen let us pray oh Lord oh Lord how excellent is your name in all the air and may it be that as we have considered these words that truly they will be from the heart that we praise you that we adore you that we recognise that you are the God of all grace the God who is great the God who is all glorious so help us Lord and we thank you that your word does help us and teach us to honour you so Lord be with us again we sing before you be with us in our fellowship one with another after this time of worship be with us for the remainder of this day that you will be honoured and glorified in it we pray these things in Jesus name
[29:20] Amen well let's sing now let's close in Psalm 24 in the Scottish Psalter Psalm 24 on page 230 the tune is praetorius and we'll sing from the beginning down to verse 5 the earth belongs unto the Lord and all that it contains the world that is inhabited and all that there remains for the foundations thereof he in the seas did lay and he hath it established upon the floods to stay and then these words who is the man that shall ascend into the hill of God and so on and then the answer whose hands are clean whose heart is pure and so on 1 to 5 1 to 5 some 24 hour the wind isaan oc QUESTIONS