My name's Steve, I haven't met you before.
Senior pastor here is St Paul's, and if you've just joined in,
we are now partway through a series looking at the Bible,
and with the hope that we would grow in confidence
that what we have in front of us is God's Word,
because we want confidence not just so much in God's Word,
but we certainly want confidence in the God of His Word.
So we've looked at God's Word as truth in its entirety,
we've looked at why we should be able to take it seriously,
historically, and now we just started last week
in looking at some of the attributes of the Bible,
such as God's Word is enough, the sufficiency of Scripture,
and today we're looking at the necessity of the Bible.
So keep your books, Bibles open, sorry, at Psalm 19.
In his book, Reflections on the Psalm, C.S. Lewis declares
that Psalm 19 is the greatest poem in the Psalter.
And one of the greatest lyrics in the world.
And so that puts a little bit of pressure on me this morning.
Thank you for that, C.S.
But Psalm, I would agree, Psalm 19 is a phenomenal psalm.
It's all about how God communicates to us.
And this psalm breaks up beautifully, for my sake, into three parts.
It tells us about the silent Word of God,
the perfect and powerful Word of God,
and finally, the necessity of the Word of God.
That's the three steps we're taking this morning.
So the first six verses in the silent Word of God
are all about communication.
They refer to declaring, proclaiming, speech,
revealing knowledge about God and His glory.
This speech is coming from the natural world.
It's from the heavens, the moon, the stars,
the oceans, the mountains, the valleys, that sort of thing.
The paradox of this speech in verse 3,
which says,
they have no speech,
they use no words,
no sound is heard from them.
And yet, verse 4,
their voice goes out into all the earth,
the words to the ends of the world.
That's the paradox in verses 3 and 4.
There is no sound,
and yet there isn't a place in all creation
where the knowledge of God isn't loudly heard,
clearly heard.
This paradox is simply a poetic way
of describing non-verbal communication.
There is such a thing as speechless speech.
As wordless words.
That is, we can communicate through gestures,
we can communicate through facial expressions.
The natural world,
is what it's saying here,
is sending us
non-verbal information about God.
Psalm 19 is an answer
to a whole set of questions,
if you like.
Questions like,
why is it when we gaze at the ocean,
or see a sunset,
or an eagle soaring,
or stand before a mountain peak
that's capped with snow,
or stand on the precipice of a huge gorge,
or lay on our back in the darkness
out in the country,
can't do this in Chatswood,
and you look up
and you see the galaxies before you,
why do these things
captivate us?
Move us.
Fill us with a sense of
joy,
or wonder,
or grandeur,
or
the wow factor.
Why does it do that?
The answer of the Bible
is nature affects us
like
great art,
or a
blockbuster movie,
or a great piece of architecture,
or well-written music,
because that is what
the created order is.
It's a masterpiece.
It is the work of God's hands.
Everything in nature
is declaring to us
that we are not an accident,
that we are a product
of an artistic vision.
We're the product of design.
We're the product of passion,
of imagination,
of purpose,
of intentionality,
of the greatest artist
and designer
that this world
has ever
or will ever know.
And even if
our life
is a entire
mess,
or even if
we don't believe
in God
at all,
you still can't help
to be captivated
by the natural world.
No matter
our belief system,
we can't stop
the natural
order
speaking to us.
we are not an accident.
Verse 4 tells us
that at some level
everyone is hearing
this message
in the world.
As John Calvin
puts it
in his commentary
on the Psalms,
there is certainly
nothing
so obscure
or contemptible
even in the
smallest
corners
of the earth
in which
some marks
of the power
and the wisdom
of God
may not be seen.
There is no
language
nor speech
where their voice
is not heard.
Frankly,
I don't know
of another
view of reality
that gives
us
a higher view
of the natural
world
than Christianity.
Eastern religions
and philosophies
basically see
the natural world
as an illusion.
The Western
secular world
sees the natural
world
as a random
accident.
What other
view of reality
gives us
more reverence
for the world
and for others
than biblical
Christianity?
Now,
as good
as all
this is,
Psalm 19
cannot end
at verse 6.
nature
by itself
is not
enough.
Nature
doesn't tell
us enough
about God.
It doesn't
give us
everything we
need to
know.
As great
as nature
is in
terms of
revealing
a divine
designer,
that
information,
that revelation,
if you like,
is mixed.
It is unclear
and non-verbal
communication
is always
like that.
You cannot
communicate
specifics
non-verbally.
You cannot
say,
I'll meet you
at dinner
at 6 o'clock
tonight down
at the Bavarian
Beer Cafe
in Chatswood
and it's on
this street.
You can't
communicate
that non-verbally.
You need
specifics.
You need
words.
Non-verbal
communication
is always
mixed.
Falling to
sleep during
the middle
of a sermon
is a form
of non-verbal
communication.
But it's
mixed
communication.
You may
be entirely
bored or
you may
have sleep
apnea.
It's still
non-verbal
even if
you're
snoring,
by the
way.
It's a
result of
many things.
So does
nature really
point to a
designer and
a creative
God?
Yes.
But there
are mixed
messages because
in this same
created order we
have natural
disasters.
We have all
sorts of
disease and
decay.
And Romans
1 tells us
it is so
easy to
misinterpret
and repress
what nature
is telling
us.
We need
something more
than God's
silent word.
We need
his perfect
and powerful
word.
God.
The doctrine
of the
necessity of
scripture
reminds us
of our
predicament.
The God
who we
need to
know the
most cannot
be discovered
on our
own.
It also
assures us
that the
solution to
our predicament
is in fact
to create a
God who
has made
himself known
through his
word.
So as
the
Westminster
Confession
of Faith
puts it,
although the
light of
nature and
the works
of creation
and providence
do so far
manifest the
goodness,
wisdom and
power of
God as
to leave
humanity
inexcusable,
yet are
they not
sufficient to
give that
knowledge of
God and
his will
which is
necessary for
salvation.
The
Westminster
Confession
goes on to
say,
the Bible
is most
necessary.
Or to
use a
phrase again
of John
Calvin's,
the Bible
are the
spectacles
through which
we see
God,
we see
the world
and we
see
ourselves.
That's
Institutes
Book 1
chapter 6
in case you
want to
look that
one up.
We cannot
truly know
God,
his will
or the
way of
salvation
apart from
the Bible
and we
see this
in Psalm
19.
In verses
7 to
12,
King David,
the author
of this
psalm,
introduces
us to
the perfect
word.
This is
the perfect
necessary
word of
God.
The
perfect
necessary
particular
specific
communication
to God,
from God
to humanity
comes to
us through
the
scriptures,
the
Christian
Bible.
Notice
again the
emphasis in
these verses
on words,
laws,
statutes,
precepts,
commands,
decrees,
they are all
different ways
to express
the same
reality and
that is
the entire
word of
God,
the scriptures.
They're not
referring to
different parts
of the Bible,
they are all
different ways
of referring to
the Bible.
people.
And these
verses tell us
two things
about the
Bible.
Firstly,
the perfection
of the
Bible.
See the
words that
are used
to describe
the Bible
in the
perfect,
trustworthy,
right,
radiant,
firm,
precious,
sweet.
They are
very good
and they
are very
strong words.
Take,
for instance,
the word
right in
verse
eight.
It's a
really
important
word because
it literally
means the
straight edge.
It's a
straight edge
by which
all other
things are
measured.
God's
word is the
straight edge
by which
all other
words are
measured.
We cannot
determine
whether
scripture is
true or
right by
any other
standard.
All other
standards are
judged by
the scriptures
themselves.
Take also
verse nine.
where it
says the
decrees of
the Lord
are firm
and all
of them
are righteous.
The word
firm there
means sure
and certain,
bedrock,
foundational.
This verse
is saying
that every
single
part of
scripture
is equally
sure,
equally
certain,
equally
trustworthy,
equally
right,
equally
perfect.
All of
it.
The
perfectionist
scripture
scripture is
stated in
the most
remarkable
way in
this psalm.
But the
second thing
we notice
is the
power of
the Bible
in these
verses.
I get this
from the
second line
of each
of the
poetic
statements.
So for
instance,
verse seven,
the Bible
has the
power to
refresh the
soul.
I'm just
going to pick
up three of
them.
has the
power to
refresh the
soul.
The word
soul there
in verse
seven,
the original
word is
the word
psych.
The best
way to
translate
this is
that the
Bible has
the power
to show
you who
you are,
who you
really are.
It has the
power to
restore who
you are,
to restore
your true
identity.
Of course,
this means
that there
is something
desperately
wrong with
our
identities.
We are
out of
touch with
who we
are,
who we
really are.
It's an
amazing
claim.
It's saying
only the
Bible can
do that
because when
David writes
in verse
seven,
the law
of the
Lord is
perfect,
refreshing
the soul,
he is in
this moment
contrasting the
scriptures
with
nature.
The
Bible and
the Bible
alone can
show you
and make
you who
you are
meant to
be.
Nature
cannot do
that in
itself.
Even
though when
we're all
out of
sorts,
nature is
often the
first place
we escape
to.
please do
that.
I mean,
it's a
great thing
to do,
but take
your Bible
with you.
The
Bible shows
us just
how much
we are
broken,
how sinful
we are,
how flawed,
even more
flawed than
we're prepared
to acknowledge,
but also at
the same
time,
how valued
and affirmed
and forgiven
and accepted
and loved
we are,
more than
we'd ever
possibly imagine
or dream.
We are
far worse
and far
better than
we ever
imagined,
and the
Bible shows
us who
we truly
are.
The
Bible has
the power
to refresh
the soul,
but it
also has
the power,
verse 7
again,
to make
wise the
simple.
It has
the power
to make
us wise
so that
we are
able to
navigate
God's
world
well.
One of
my favourite
quotes from
American
humorist and
author Mark
Twain,
in fact it's
probably the
only quote
really,
I should have
clarified that,
the only one
that I can
remember,
and it's
therefore my
favourite one,
is the one
where he says
he's reflecting
on his life,
later in life
reflects on his
life and he
made this
claim,
he said,
when I was
16,
he said,
I could not
believe how
ignorant my
father was
about the
ways of the
world.
he said,
when I
turned 25,
I was
astounded by
how much
he'd grown
up.
Every
growing,
developing,
maturing
person I
know is
able to
look back
on their
life 15
years ago
and see
how foolish
they were
back then.
Now it's
pretty obvious
when you
compare your
10-year-old
self with
your 25-year-old
self.
You look
back on your
10-year-old
self and
you go,
I knew
nothing.
But it's
also true
when you
compare your
25-year-old
self with
your 40-year-old
self.
Or in
my case,
my 55-year-old
self,
my 40-year-old
self,
and you
realise,
I didn't
know my
heart as
well then
as I do
now.
I can
think back
of things
in that
time and
I view
them differently.
My
perspective
has changed.
My heart
and my
emotions have
shifted.
In that
time.
How much
has changed
in 15
years?
I was
simple then.
I'm wiser
on those
things now.
Of course,
you realise
the implications
of this,
don't you?
So,
our current
selves are
going to
look simple
and foolish
to our
15 years
from now
selves,
which means
you're
foolish now.
It means
you're
simple now.
Well,
me too.
I mean,
I'm throwing
myself in
that one
as well.
It's not
an accusation.
I'm throwing
myself in
that one
as well.
So,
what do we
do with
that,
with the
acknowledgement
that God's
word is
telling me
that I'm
simple and
foolish now?
Verse 11,
by them,
talking about
his word,
your servant
is warned
in keeping
them,
there is
great reward.
The Bible
warns us
against the
foolishness
of life
now,
to get
wise now.
It makes
wise the
simple
now.
Third one,
the Bible
also has
power to
delight our
hearts.
Verse 8,
the precepts
of the Lord
are right,
giving joy
to the heart.
Verse 10
expands on
that joy.
They are
more precious
than gold,
than much
pure gold.
They are
sweeter than
honey,
than honey
from the
honeycomb.
What is
interesting
about this
is that
we would
normally,
for the
Christian person,
we would
normally
associate
the sweet
words of
God,
attach them
to his
promises,
his mercy
and his
grace.
We would
not normally
attach the
sweetness of
God's
word to
his law
and his
commands.
We would
not normally
do that.
We put up
with the
laws and
the commands
because of
the sweetness
of your
character.
That's how
we would
normally
respond.
Verse 1
says a
similar thing
as this,
blessed is
the one
whose delight
is in the
law of
the Lord,
who meditates
on his
law day
and night.
commands.
You see,
left to
our own
devices,
we don't
know how
to obey
commands
except through
some kind
of coercion.
How do
we get to
the point
where we
delight in
God's
commands in
such a way
they are
sweet,
they are
good,
they are
majestic,
they are
beautiful,
they are
joyful?
How do
we get to
that point?
that requires
a complete
reset of
the driving
motivations of
our lives.
How do
we get to
this entire
reformed
identity
where the
simple are
made wise
and the
reset of
the inner
drive of
our lives?
How does
that come
about?
This is
where we
turn to
the last
section of
Psalm 19
and my
last point.
Reading from
verse 12.
But who
can discern
their own
errors?
Forgive my
hidden faults.
Keep your
servant also
from willful
sins.
May they
not rule
over me.
Then I
will be
blameless,
innocent of
great
transgression.
May these
words of
my mouth
and this
meditation of
my heart
be pleasing
in your
sight.
Lord my
rock and
my
redeemer.
Now,
there's a
contradiction
in these
verses.
An apparent
contradiction
to these
verses.
David starts
with who
can discern
their own
errors.
It's a
rhetorical
question where
you're meant
to come up
with the
conclusion of
well actually
no one
can.
No one
can know
their own
errors.
And then
he adds
keep your
servant
also from
willful
sins.
May they
not rule
over me.
Then I'll
be blameless,
innocent of
great
transgression.
He adds
there that
the very
best he
can hope
for is
that he
might be
able to
at very
least identify
the obvious
sins in
his life,
the willful
sins in
his life,
the ones
that he
deliberately
chooses to
break,
if you like,
the laws
he chooses
to break.
And he
says if I
can avoid
those,
then I'll
be innocent
of great
transgressions.
He's speaking
here like a
moralist.
If I can
avoid the
big things,
then I'll
be innocent
of great
transgressions,
the obvious
ones,
the deliberate
singing,
the stuff
everyone
sees.
But one
thing he
says that
I cannot
overcome
the sins
that are
deep down
in my
heart.
I can't
overcome
those ones.
I can't
overcome
them because
I can't
even see
them.
It's the
sin that's
below the
sin.
It's the
driving force
that gives
rise to
the obvious
sins and
the breaking
of the
law.
The pride,
the self
justification,
the defensiveness,
the greed,
the resentment,
the unkindness,
all the
stuff that
is ultimately
the things
that are
keeping us
awake and
messing up
our lives
are the
things that
we cannot
see.
Ironically,
the sin
that most
dominates
us,
the sin
that most
hurts us
and hurts
others are
the ones
that we
cannot see
and therefore
we justify.
to quote
Derek
Kidner
on this
verse,
the fault
may be
hidden
not because
it is too
small to
see but
because it
is too
characteristic
to register.
It is so
much part of
our life
it has become
acceptable to
us.
it has become
respectable,
justifiable.
David goes
on to say
in verse
14,
may these
words of
my mouth
and this
meditation of
my heart
be pleasing
in your
sight,
Lord,
my rock
and my
redeemer.
the word
pleasing
here
is crucial.
It's a
word that's
used
in every
instance in
the Old
Testament
referring to
the sacrificial
system.
The aroma
was pleasing
to God.
The sacrifice
was pleasing
to God.
And the
sacrifice we
know that
was pleasing
to God
was an
animal
without
blemish.
And so
David here
appears to
be,
if you like,
confidently
contradicting
himself.
How can
he say,
may these
words of
my mouth
and this
meditation
of my
heart
be pleasing
without
blemish,
without
fault,
without
failing,
in your
sight,
when he
can't even
see them.
And he
can't
overcome
them.
How can
he say
that?
How can
you say
that?
How can
I say
that?
That the
meditations
of my
heart are
pleasing to
God when
I've got
sin there
that I
can't
even see?
me?
The only
possible
answer is
the very
last words
of this
psalm.
Lord,
my rock
and my
redeemer.
The reason
why David
is so
confident
is because
he knows
that God
is his
redeemer.
And what
is, if you
like, a
general
statement for
David here
is a much
more specific
statement for
the Christian
now.
You see, the
Bible tells us
that King
David was
the forerunner,
the shadow
of a much
greater king,
one who
delighted in
the law of
God completely,
one who was
completely pure
of heart,
sinless
in perfection.
the New
Testament
declares that
Jesus himself,
Jesus Christ,
is the king
of kings.
He is the
great King
David.
And notice
that at
every instance,
Satan and
others tried
to divert
him to
move into
sinfulness
himself.
Satan comes
after him.
And what is
Jesus'
response to
Satan?
I mean, he
was already
out in nature,
he was out
in the
wilderness.
What was
his response
to Satan?
Have a look
around at the
moon and the
stars to see
the glory.
No.
It is
written.
It is
written.
It is
written.
When the
religious elite
came after
him, it
is written.
It is
written.
It is
written.
In the
Garden of
Gethsemane,
on the way
to crucifixion,
the cross
itself, it
is written.
It is
written.
It is
written.
Scripture
after
scripture
after
scripture
after
scripture,
in every
part of
his life,
Jesus, you
cut him and
he bleeds
scripture.
In every
instance of
life,
scripture was
his response.
Jesus
delighted in
scripture.
He is the
only one who
completely
delighted in
scripture.
He is the
only one who
ever kept
every precept,
every law,
every command.
and he dies
on the cross
as our
substitute
for our
disobedience,
our
breaking
of every
command.
And by
his death,
he has
redeemed us.
He's paid
the price.
He's brought
us back into
God.
And so
when we
see our
failure,
we come
to him,
we trust
in him,
and his
great reward
becomes
ours.
His
fulfillment
of all
the law
becomes
ours.
It's the
great exchange,
the punishment
for our
imperfect
law keeping
has gone
across to
him and
the reward
for his
perfect record
transfers to
us.
This is
the gospel.
this is
the good
news of
Christianity
and it's
only this
that ultimately
rewires the
heart.
It's only
this that
gives us a
firm and
confident
identity
regardless of
the reality
of our
ongoing
imperfections
and failures
and sin.
Nature,
the created
order in
itself can
never rewire
the heart
like that.
God's
solution
The Bible
is absolutely
necessary for
us to see
our true
predicament,
God's
solution and
therefore the
rewiring of
our hearts
in such a
way that
God's word
becomes
glorious,
majestic,
sweet,
delightful,
joyful.
You see,
the moralistic
religious person
seeks to
obey the
word of
God out
of fear.
The
relativistic
person is
indifferent to
the word of
God.
The
Christian
delights
in God's
word
because
Jesus,
the one
who delights
in the
word,
became a
curse
for you
and for
me.
He is
our
redeemer
and because
he is our
redeemer,
he is our
rock,
he is our
refuge,
he is our
safe place
and the
Bible is
absolutely
necessary for
refreshing the
soul,
for making
wise the
simple,
for delighting
the heart
because when
the Christian
through the
work of the
spirit looks
into the
Bible,
they see
beauty,
they see
majesty,
they see
glory.
The Bible
becomes the
window through
which we see
the beauty
and the
majesty and
the glory
of everything
else.
That's why I
appreciate a
David Attenborough
and some of
the insights
he has and
the little
crews that
he has of
filming the
intricate
details.
And yet I've
got something
more than
him.
I see
glory when
he doesn't
see glory.
The Bible
becomes the
window through
which we see
beauty and
majesty and
glory in
God who
redeems,
the God who
creates and
recreates.
glory.
All of us
crave glory.
We're designed
to crave glory.
We are
designed by
God to
marvel at
majesty,
to have the
wow factor.
glory.
And every
one of us at
some point in
life need to
go beside
us, you
know, the
sea or
stare at the
ocean or to
look at the
galaxies or
whatever it
might be to
get that
awe factor,
if you like,
to make us
feel hopeful,
to make us,
give us
perspective on
life.
And yet the
necessary source
of the greatest,
greatest glimpses
of glory we
have is
sitting on our
bookshelves.