Well, please, would you turn with me in your Bibles back to the Old Testament, to the book of Psalms, to Psalm 29.
Psalm of David, ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength, ascribe to the Lord the glory due to his name, worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.
Now, let's bow our heads just briefly in prayer before we come to the word.
Heavenly Father, bless us this night with being able to hear the voice of the Lord.
That's what the Psalm is about, and we thank you that you are a God who speaks into our world, speaks into our lives.
We pray that tonight we would be given the ears to hear what the Lord is saying,
and give to us an awareness of the Holy Spirit's work in us, opening us up to the gospel, to that good news of the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
Help us to see how that theme flows so clearly through the Psalm as we look for that hope that is in Christ,
and that we know the gospel is in these words.
We ask and pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.
Amen.
There is in our lives a fine line between awe and terror.
It is a fine line that is often marked by sheer stupidity.
It certainly has been in my life on a number of occasions.
I've done profoundly stupid things, like sitting on top of a hill watching a thunderstorm,
and thinking, wow, this is pretty cool.
Not thinking, oh man, I'm on the top of a hill, and it's a thunderstorm.
Sometimes we see things in our lives that ought to put us on our heels, give us pause, make us stop in our tracks,
and realize that what is happening before us is either awe-inspiring or utterly terrifying.
And actually, tonight is one of these times.
Every Sunday, as you gather for worship, it is one of these times where something so awe-inspiring is taking place.
Something is being transacted here that you dare not sleep through, that you dare not pay no attention to,
but ought to realize this is a thunderstorm.
This psalm is a psalm about the voice of the Lord.
It's a psalm about God speaking to people.
And the background to this is probably a number of occasions that David would be well aware of.
He was a child, a young man who had been, in some way, mentored by Samuel.
And you have the beginning of Samuel's story, one where the voice of the Lord had called to Samuel quietly in the night.
Samuel?
Not realizing what it was, eventually he clicks, or Eli clicks, and says,
it's the Lord speaking to you.
Go and listen.
For David, it's a language that's steeped in the language of the book of Exodus,
where at Mount Sinai, the voice of the Lord had spoken directly to the people,
not through an intermediary like Moses, but directly.
At Mount Sinai, when the Ten Commandments are given,
it is the Lord speaking from the mountain to the people.
So terrifying, in fact, was that situation,
that at the end of it, the people said to Moses,
we never want to be in that situation again.
In future, you go up the mountain, you speak to God, hear what he has to say, and come and tell us.
Because listening to the voice of the Lord is a terrifying thing.
You have the voice of the Lord calling out to Adam and Eve in the garden after they had sinned.
Adam, where are you?
A searching question.
Not a booming voice, not a thunderous voice speaking from the mountain,
but a searching question nonetheless,
and one which Adam found terrifying.
And so he hid in the garden.
You have the power of the voice of the Lord as well.
In the very beginning, the first verses of the Bible,
there was darkness over the face of the deep.
And the voice of the Lord spoke and said,
let there be light.
And there was light.
It's an authoritative voice.
The same voice that speaks in the New Testament in the words of Jesus,
where he commands evil spirits to come out of people,
where he commands the storm to be still.
There is an authority in the voice of God as he speaks.
And that authority makes the voice of the Lord a terrifying thing.
Because if God is speaking, it demands a response.
It is a voice that calls for action on our part.
So I want tonight to look at this psalm,
considering the voice of the Lord.
But we need to note, first of all,
the first thing, in fact, that we need to see
is that hearing the voice of the Lord occurs in the context of worship.
It's interesting that the psalm actually begins this way.
It's not just a reflection on the voice of the Lord.
It's a psalm that's meant to be sung corporately
for the people of God to rejoice in a God who speaks.
And so that's why at the end of the service tonight,
we'll sing this psalm in its fullness.
Ian was a bit intimidated earlier
because it says the Scottish Psalter version,
and it's like 50 verses or something.
I don't know.
It's not.
There's only six stanzas in the St. Psalms version,
and that's what we'll sing.
But we're going to sing this psalm
and reflect and glorify God
that he is a God who speaks to us
in life-changing ways.
And we know it's meant for corporate worship,
not only because it's in the book of Psalms,
but because it begins with a call to worship.
Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due to his name.
Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.
So that is an invitation to these people,
the heavenly beings,
to come into this place of worship before the Lord,
to ascribe to the Lord
the glory and strength that is due to his name.
The heavenly beings are the angelic host,
the sons of God,
the court of Yahweh and glory.
And so really, by extension,
what David means is
everyone who is conscious
and who can worship God.
Both the mighty angels
who are before the Lord
continuously in his presence,
some of them,
the seraphim, the burning ones,
reflecting his glory radiantly themselves.
Others, winged creatures
that cover their faces and their feet
before the presence of God
because they are in the presence
of the holiness of God himself.
These heavenly beings, along with us,
ought to go before him
in a posture of worship.
That is the purpose, in fact, of humankind.
That is why we exist.
We exist to worship the living God.
God created us as worshipers.
And that worship,
it's expressed in our lives
in all sorts of different ways.
But chiefly, it is expressed in us
ascribing to the Lord
glory and strength,
recognizing his divine majesty
and his absolute sovereign power.
That tonight,
as we've gathered together for worship,
that's what we've been drawn into.
We've been drawn into the activity tonight
of recognizing the sovereignty
and the power of God over us.
I wonder, did you think about that tonight
as you came to worship?
Tonight, did you come just out of routine,
thinking, this is what I do on a Sunday night?
I have to confess, sometimes in our house,
getting to church can be a bit chaotic.
You've got kids to kind of marshal
and you're trying to make sure
everything lines up
in terms of getting the car into it,
getting the keys,
making sure you've got everything you need
out the door.
It can be hectic, can't it?
Or sometimes it can be, you know, rushed.
Sometimes it can be just routine.
But ultimately, we are here tonight
to worship God.
And everything we do is about
ascribing glory to him.
Everything we do tonight
is about recognizing
the beauty of the holiness
of the living God,
of seeing his splendor
and saying,
this is who we tonight love.
This is who we worship.
And chiefly, it's not just because
he is the God who has created us,
and who has created all things,
but because he is the Lord
who has entered into
a covenant with us.
We know that because the language
that David uses
is the language of covenant.
Ascribe to Yahweh,
ascribe to the Lord,
this glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord,
ascribe to the Savior,
the one who came to Abraham
and called him out of the Chaldeans
and said,
I will bring you to a promised land
and you will have an inheritance.
And part of that inheritance
will be the one who will
deliver my people
in Jesus.
The seed
that is promised
all the way back to the woman.
The promise of the gospel
in Jesus.
It's that God
that we are worshipping tonight.
It's that
making much of Jesus
that is most important.
I might wonder this week
when our king
went to Rome
to pray
with the Pope,
we might wonder about that question
and say,
well,
are they praying even to the same God?
What are they doing praying together?
The key question is,
are they making much of Jesus?
Is Jesus the highest
of their object of worship
alone?
A glory shared with none other.
Not with Mary,
not with the saints,
but Christ alone.
And that question
is crucial to you and I tonight.
Because that tonight
is where the rubber meets
the road and our experience.
We tonight
are people
who must meet
with the living God
in the person of Jesus.
And that tonight
is why
the call to worship
in this psalm
is not just a call
to worship the Lord,
but it's also a call
of how we should
worship the Lord.
It says,
worship the Lord
in the splendor
of holiness.
That's an interesting expression,
but what it's driving at
is the way you come to God
is just as important
as the God you come to.
And so tonight
you might be saying,
I'm going to church
to worship the living God.
I'm going to church
to worship the God
who sent Jesus
into the world.
I'm going to sing praises
to him.
Fine, good, well done.
But are you coming
in the splendor
of holiness?
Jesus mentions this
in that passage
in Matthew 22
that we read
in the parable
of the wedding feast.
There are many people
invited to the wedding feast
and they all come.
But the king,
as he's going around
the wedding feast,
he spots somebody
who's dressed inappropriately.
He's not dressed
in the clothing
of the wedding.
He's dressed
in his own gear.
Now he may have thought
his own clothes
were fine.
He may have thought
his own clothes
were quite lovely,
that they were pretty
top notch.
But they were not
appropriate for the wedding
because they were not
the clothing
that the king
had appointed.
And tonight,
I would urge you
to consider
how you have come
to worship.
Have you come
in a sense of pride?
I am coming
to worship tonight.
This is about me.
Have you come
in a sense of laziness?
It's just the routineness
of what I do.
And I would ask you,
is that really coming
in the splendor
of holiness?
Are you therefore
tonight able
to stand before
the living God
in worship
and hold up
a pair of hands
that are clean,
that are unstained
by the world?
Can you do that tonight?
Can you say,
I've come
with a pure heart
to worship the Lord?
And I would say
to you that tonight,
the answer to that question
for each and every one
of us is probably
no,
except by one root.
And that is,
if we have come
to the one
who will give us
holiness,
if we have come
to the one
who clothes us
in righteousness
because he shares
his righteousness
with us.
I mean,
this psalm is actually
about the doctrine
of justification.
It's saying that
worship belongs
to the justified.
Worship is the activity
of those who have been
cleansed in and through
the blood of Jesus.
Those who have had
their sins
taken away
through what Jesus
has done.
And that is where
true worship begins.
That is where
true worship
originates from.
It originates
from hearts
that have been
cleansed through
the blood of Jesus.
And so I'm saying
to you tonight,
not only who have you
come to worship,
I hope you have
not just come to
have a nice hour
pass by,
but that you've come
to worship the living God.
I hope that's true.
But I hope also
that you're recognizing
that to come
and worship
the living God,
you need to come
to Jesus.
that you need
to find Christ,
that you need
to receive
his gospel
in order for
your worship
to be acceptable.
Because the only
way to come
and worship God
is in the splendor
of holiness.
The book of Hebrews
says it's impossible
to please God
without faith,
without actually
trusting in Christ,
without making
Christ your
righteousness.
It is impossible.
to come
to worship.
So that is how
we should come.
And that is why
we should come.
The psalm goes on
though,
the central section
of the psalm
is a psalm about
this thing,
the voice of the Lord.
And it's a phrase
that's repeated,
it's almost every line
in fact of the psalm.
The voice of the Lord
is over the waters.
The God of glory
thunders
the Lord over many waters.
The voice of the Lord
is powerful,
the voice of the Lord
is full of majesty,
the voice of the Lord
breaks the cedars.
The Lord breaks
the cedars of Lebanon
and makes Lebanon
skip like a calf
and Syrian like a
young wild ox.
So Lebanon is up
in the north.
You know the geography
of the Holy Land
of Israel.
Lebanon is to the
northwest of Israel.
And the picture
that David is painting
here is of a storm
sweeping through
from the north
and it passes
actually Jerusalem
because at one point
the temple is in mind.
All those in the temple
in verse 9
cry glory.
But then the storm
recedes away off
down into the southern
desert,
down to the wilderness
of Kadesh.
And so the storm
just recedes into the
distance away from them.
And there's some people
looking at this psalm
and they would say
ah well,
now what's going on there
is this thing,
this piece of philosophy
that we would call
the God of the gaps.
And maybe you've heard
of this,
that people would say
well in the past
people didn't understand
how thunder works.
And so David here
is saying
I don't really understand
how thunder works
but I think that's
God speaking.
And so when you hear,
see something in the
natural world
that you don't understand
you say that's God.
And people are quite
dismissive of
biblical Christianity
because they say
oh,
biblical Christianity
is full of that.
It's full of things
that we don't understand
in the past
we now do understand.
We didn't understand
where life came from
before.
So now we think
well,
there's evolution.
Life's originated
from millions and
millions of years
of slow gradual
steps of development.
We don't need the
story of creation anymore.
We don't need God
to fill in the gaps.
But that is not
what's happening
in this psalm.
David's not saying
that thunderstorm
that's sweeping
through the land
is God speaking to us
because David knew
full well
what God's speaking
looks like.
When God speaks
it's audible.
When God speaks
it's discernible.
When God speaks
it's with clarity.
And he knows that
because of all the times
he's heard about it.
He's heard about it
from Samuel.
When God spoke to Samuel
he gave him
specific messages.
Samuel wasn't looking
at a thunderstorm
and thinking
I think that's
what God means.
There might be
some confusion
about it
but I'm pretty sure.
It's not when God
spoke at Mount Sinai
the people weren't
trembling and thinking
that's a thunderstorm
that's out of control.
They were trembling
because the holiness
of God was presented
to them in the
Ten Commandments
and they said
we are not worthy
to stand before
this God.
His holiness
is too much for us.
There is no mistake
in it.
There's no ambiguity
about what God
has to say.
When God spoke
in creation
there's no confusion
over it.
When God's in the garden
speaking to Adam and Eve
it's not a gentle breeze
passing through the garden
and they think
oh maybe God's there
in the gentle breeze.
God said
Adam where are you?
And that tonight
is something
that we need
to be sure about.
When God speaks
there is no doubt
about what he is saying.
And what he is saying
is dramatic
and life changing.
So David's using
the thunderstorm
almost in fact
as a metaphor.
It's a picture.
When the thunderstorm
sweeps through the land
the land
is shaken by it.
The cedars of Lebanon
were considered
to be the strongest
timbers you could imagine.
They are shaken.
So terrifying
is the storm
as it wreaks chaos
through the land
that the deer
are prematurely
giving birth
in fright.
They go into labor early.
So terrifying
is this experience
that the world
is changed by it.
The cedars of Lebanon
are stripped
of their leaves.
The world
is changed
when God speaks.
Is your life
changed when God speaks?
I mean that's the question
of this psalm.
Okay you've come
to worship
you're hearing
the voice of the Lord
in the context
of Christian worship
every Sunday.
Is your life
changed by it?
Is there a transformation
in your experience?
Do you look at your life
and you say
there are things here
that are wrong
that need to be
taken away?
Do you look at Christ
and you say
there is someone
who I must worship?
Do you look at
the work of the Holy Spirit
and you think
that is something
I need to long for?
Do you look at
the love of God
and you think
that is something
I need to emulate
and reflect
in how I live
and how I care
and love for others?
Do you look at
the marvel
of what God
is saying
in Scripture
and fall down
before Him
in awe
or perhaps
in terror?
Because when God
speaks
there ought
to be
a reaction
when God
speaks
nothing is the same
when God
speaks
the world
is
transformed
and
tonight
that's maybe
the biggest
question for us
it's not just
have we come
to worship
and are we coming
in the right way
but are our ears
open to the
life-changing
message
that God
speaks with?
Are you hearing
Him?
The picture
is one of
awe
and marvel
and basically
there are two
reactions
that emerge
for some
it's one of
absolute
terror
the voice
of the Lord
speaks
and people
are freaked
out
they're in
dismay
people are
distraught
it is a
picture of
of just
trembling
folk
but when the
storm comes
to the
temple
in the
temple
the response
is different
in the
temple
the response
to the
voice of
the Lord
is this
word
glory
the word
glory
in association
with the
temple
there
reminds us
that this is
probably
talking about
the place
of the
radiance
of God's
presence
Solomon's
temple
certainly
when it
was erected
the glory
of God
resided in
the temple
it's probably
there in the
tabernacle
as well
and certainly
when David
brings the
ark of the
covenant
and erects a
tabernacle
in Jerusalem
there's a
sense there
that the
glory of
God is
present in
that place
a point
of infinite
perfection
that resides
between
the
cherubim
the
angelic
beings
that are
molded
onto the
lid
of
the
ark
of
the
covenant
the
mercy
seat
and the
radiance
of God
resides
among
his
people
in that
place
and as
the voice
of the
Lord
is heard
those
who love
the
temple
those who
love
what the
temple
is
about
and what
the
temple
represents
they
recognize
that when
the voice
of the
Lord
speaks
to
them
it
is a
!
glorious
thing
it is a
wonderful
thing
because of
what the
temple
is all
about
the
temple
is the
place
where
God
and
humankind
were
reconciled
it's a
place
where
reconciliation
would take
place
so if
you've
sinned
against
God
the
temple
was where
you went
with your
sacrifice
to make
things
right
if the
harvest
had come
you wanted
to give
thanks to
God
the
temple
was the
place
you would
go
with
your
thank
offerings
to give
glory
to
God
because
of
his
great
bounty
towards
you
recognize
the
Lord's
goodness
in
your
life
and
countless
other
things
if there's
impurity
in your
life
if there's
illness
if there's
leprosy
there's a
temple
the
tabernacle
that you
go to
in order
to be
cleansed
and to
recognize
that
cleansing
that
has
come
and so
for the
Israelites
the
temple
is a
place
where
God
is
present
bringing
reconciliation
to them
and when
the voice
of the
Lord
is heard
those
who
recognize
that
God
wants
reconciliation
with his
people
those
who
realize
the
temple
is the
place
where
that
reconciliation
happens
when
they
hear
the
voice
of
the
Lord
they
are
not
dismayed
they
are
in
awe
and
they
worship
the
Lord
by
crying
out
glory
the
holiness
of
God
does
not
intimidate
them
in
the
same
way
it
doesn't
terrify
them
and
if we
can
think
about
this
in
terms
of
the
New
Testament
as
we
ought
we
have
to
understand
that
this
is
talking
about
Jesus
because
the
temple
for us
is not
this
building
the
temple
for us
is not
a place
in
Jerusalem
that
we
have
to
go
to
the
temple
for
us
is
the
place
where
God
is
reconciled
to
mankind
and
that
is
through
Jesus
who
at
his
cross
took
his
sin
upon
himself
and
took
our
guilt
rather
upon
himself
our
sin
and
took
that
away
and
who
offers
to
us
his
righteousness
his
cleansing
who
at
his
resurrection
conquered
death
and
invites
us
now
to
follow
him
in
that
hope
of
the
resurrection
it's
through
Jesus
that
man
and
God
are
now
reconciled
rebels
come
and
find
reconciliation
with
this
sovereign
God
whom
they
have
wronged
and
rebelled
against
it
is
there
that
hope
is
found
for
us
and
so
for
us
who
know
Jesus
for
us
who
reside
as
it
were
in
the
temple
for
those
of
us
who
in
fact
are
the
temple
of
God
as
Paul
says
in
the
New
Testament
that's
one
of
the
most
wonderful
things
that
can
happen
in
the
life
of
a
Christian
you're
sitting
in
church
you're
sitting
at
home
you've
got
your
Bible
open
in
front
of
you
you're
reading
it
you're
hearing
the
word
of
God
preached
you're
hearing
the
gospel
and
you
say
amen
Lord
I
love
what
I'm
hearing
the
wonder
of
the
gospel
of
Jesus
Christ
it's
a
mark
of
real
assurance
me
and
we
know
the
voice
of
Jesus
and
we
are
thrilled
when
we
hear
it
we
rejoice
because
into
our
lives
into
the
chaos
and
darkness
of
our
lives
light
comes
through
the
gospel
the
good
news
of
Jesus
comes
to
us
and
we
rejoice
in
that
hope
we're
battling
through
our
own
sin
we
read
the
Bible
the
gospel
that
assures
us
of
the
promise
of
forgiveness
for
God's
children
that
will
be
forgiven
and
our
hearts
thrill
we're
in
the
darkness
of
despair
and
depression
we
read
something
like
Psalm
42
or
Psalm
43
and
I
will
reflect
and
remember
that
I
will
once
again
come
before
God
in
his
holy
place
and
there's
the
invitation
of
God
that
says
you
can
come
to
me
we're
in
the
mire
of
sorrow
of
the
death
of
loved
ones
who
have
departed
before
us
we
come
to
the
passages
of
scripture
that
talk
about
the
resurrection
the
death
cannot
hold
them
because
there
is
power
in
the
blood
of
Jesus
to
conquer
death
and
our
hearts
are
lifted
and
we
say
glory
because
the
Lord
is
speaking
because
the
Lord
is
announcing
his
presence
amongst
us
and
we
are
taken
from
the
sorrow
of
this
world
and
lifted
up
into
the
clouds
with
Christ
and
we
say
glory
we
recognize
our
God
and
so
tonight
that
is
my
challenge
to
you
what
are
you
hearing
when
you
hear
the
voice
of
the
Lord
what
do
you
hear
do
you
hear
something
that
terrifies
you
or
do
you
hear
something
that
brings
hope
and
delight
into
your
experience
the
psalm
then
it
moves
on
into
its
conclusion
and
our
time
is
nearly
done
so
we'll
finish
on
this
the
Lord
sits
enthroned
over
the
flood
the
last
two
verses
they
serve
as
a
sort
of
book
end
of
the
psalm
and
they
reflect
some
of
the
language
of
the
beginning
of
the
psalm
as
well
so
the
metaphor
is
no
longer
in
play
now
David
is
talking
literal
truth
the
Lord
sits
enthroned
over
the
flood
he
says
the
Lord
sits
enthroned
as
king
forever
may
the
Lord
give
strength
to
his
people
may
the
Lord
bless
his
people
with
peace
with
shalom
the
picture
is
no
longer
there
it's
now
truth
something
infirm
that we
need
to
lay
hold
of
the
God
who
speaks
is
the
God
who
is
enthroned
and
where
he
is
enthroned
matters
earlier
on in
the
psalm
we've
seen
the
voice
of
the
Lord
is
over
the
waters
and
now
the
voice
of
the
Lord
sits
enthroned
over
the
flood
the
flood
in
David's
world
it's
called
a
chiasm
it's
like
when
you've
got
two
ideas
the
same
at
both
ends
of
a
piece
of
text
they
act
like
bookends
and
they're
trying
to
point
out
something
really
important
and
what's
really
important
here
is
that
the
idea
of
the
word
the
flood
is
really
telling
in
the
Old
Testament
the
flood
goes
back
to
both
the
days
of
Noah
and
even
further
back
to
the
very
beginning
of
creation
so
before
God
begins
the
work
of
creation
the
way
over
the
face
of
the
earth
and
it's
into
this
that
God
says
let
there
be
light
and
then
God
separates
the
earth
from
the
sea
and
God
creates
the
sky
and
so
on
there's
that
sense
that
before
God
began
the
work
of
creation
there
is
just
chaos
everywhere
and
that
same
chaos
is
what
engulfs
the
world
in
the
flood
of
Noah
that
the
human
race
is
almost
exterminated
in
fact
because
of
the
flood
that
comes
and
wipes
everything
out
it's
utterly
terrifying
and
the
Lord
sits
enthroned
over
all
of
this
that
tonight
that's
something
we need
to lay
hold
of
as
Christians
that
this
God
who's
speaking
to
us
this
God
whose
voice
we
love
he
is
enthroned
over
everything
that is
happening
in our
lives
so
tonight
you
might
be
here
really
in
turmoil
you
might
tonight
be
facing
the
turmoil
of
I
don't
know
a
recent
cancer
diagnosis
I
don't
know
the
turmoil
of
a
recent
bereavement
in your
family
circle
perhaps
the
turmoil
of an
impending
bereavement
in your
family
circle
you
might
be
facing
a
marriage
that's
chaotic
and
messy
maybe
relationships
that you
don't
know
about
unemployment
looming
perhaps
school
not
going
well
perhaps
prospects
before
you
seem
utterly
empty
and you
don't
know
what's
going
on
and the
point is
if there's a
God at all
who speaks
and if there's a
God whose
voice we can
hear
he sits
enthroned
over all
of that
he sits
enthroned
in fact
as king
forever
the
whole
of human
history
stretching
back to
the
beginning
the
whole
of the
human
future
before
us
stretching
to
the
return
of
Christ
and
beyond
in the
story
of
humanity
in the
new
heavens
and the
new
earth
whatever
that will
be like
he is
enthroned
over all
of this
he is
king
and
this
psalm is
saying to
us
we need
to be
settled
in that
truth
we need
to be
at peace
with that
truth
the God
who speaks
is the
God
who rules
and he
rules over
everything
and so
tonight
we can
come to
that God
and we
can request
of him
strength
for his
people
and the
blessing
of peace
because that's
what he wants
to give us
that's what he
wants to
share with
us
he actually
shares with
us his
own divine
nature
he shares
with us
the reality
of the
power
the risen
power
of Jesus
and he
makes us
his
children
he gives
us
that
power
as
children
of God
to rest
in the
fullness
of what
Jesus
has done
for us
to be the
ones who
can now
hold up
clean hands
to him
and receive
the strength
that he
gives
a strength
that Paul
tells us
so clearly
is made
perfect
in our
weakness
in our
absolute
dependence
on hearing
the one
who will
speak to
us
and he
will take
away from
us any
sense of
war
any sense
of conflict
because the
blessings come
through
Jesus
who is
described in
the New
Testament
his title
in fact
even in
the Old
Testament
his title
is
Prince
of Peace
the one
who is
enthroned
is our
God
the triune
God
the Father
Son and
Holy Spirit
and the
Lamb who
is in the
midst of
the throne
is the
Prince
of Peace
the God
of Peace
is the
one who
establishes
our peace
in all
that we
are going
through
ultimately
stemming
in fact
from peace
with himself
because we
have come
to the
temple
because we
have come
to Jesus
to that
place of
reconciliation
where peace
is had
and so
tonight
that's what
he's offering
that's the
invitation
that's the
gospel
the good
news
come
to
Jesus
you'll
hear the
words that
are most
commonly on
the lips
of Jesus
in the
New
Testament
follow
me
an
invitation
to
enjoy
his
peace
which is
found in
his
way
now
tonight
is where
I would
leave
you
the
free
offer
of
Christ
come
to me
and you
will know
peace
let's
pray
heavenly
father
we thank
you
that you
are
indeed
a
God
who
speaks
and we
pray that
tonight
therefore
we would
come
continually
to worship
you
in the
right way
that we
would come
clothed in
the righteousness
of Christ
that we
would be
able to
come in
the splendor
of holiness
before you
we pray
father
tonight
that you
would help
us to
see your
glory
that when
you speak
that we
would see
the wonder
of Jesus
and what
you are
saying
and the
wonder
of the
gospel
and that
we would
know
therefore
peace
because
of it
and that
we would
know the
blessing
of God
and that
we would
be settled
in the
identity
of this
God
who is
speaking
to us
help us
to hear
your voice
clearly
then
both
tonight
and always
and to
receive
by faith
the peace
that is
promised
not just
peace in
this world
and with
other people
but a peace
ultimately
with God
himself
peace that
passes all
understanding
we ask
these things
in the name
of Jesus
Amen
We're going
to sing
that psalm
now to
God's
praise
sing
psalms
page
34
we're going
to sing
the whole
of this
psalm
to God's
praise
you mighty
ones
give to
the Lord
as is
right
ascribe
to the
Lord
God
both
glory
and
might
to the
Lord's
name
due
glory
and
honor
accord
in
beauty
of
holiness
worship
the
Lord
through
to the
end
of
the
psalm
the
Lord
over
floods
sits
as
monarch
alone
the
Lord
sits
forever
as
king
on
his
throne
the
Lord
makes
the
strength
of
his
people
increase
the
Lord
gives
his
people
the
blessing
of
peace
I often
think
you know
wherever we
read that
word
the Lord
in
scripture
we can
rightly
substitute
the name
of
Jesus
it's
proper
for us
to do
this
the
covenant
name
of
God
at
which
every
knee
should
bow
and
every
tongue
confess
that
Jesus
himself
is
Lord
Jesus
is
the
one
who
gives
us
these
great
things
and we
rejoice
in the
gospel
of
Christ
because
of
it
you
mighty
once
give
to
the
Lord
as
is
right
a
In beauty of holiness worship the Lord.
The Lord's voice is over the waters abroad,
And thunder proceeds from the glorious God.
Above all the waters God's thunder is heard,
A powerful voice is the voice of the Lord.
The voice of the Lord is majestic and bright,
By the voice of the Lord the great cedars are found.
Yes, even the cedars of heaven and all,
The Lord breaks in pieces and shatters them all.
Like the leap of a calf, each egg's level and trot,
And Syrian's kept life has startled my loss.
The voice of the Lord causes lightning to flash,
The voice of the Lord makes the wilderness crash.
The Lord makes the desert of Caddish to shake,
The Lord causes ox of the forest to quake,
The trees of the forest he slips off their knees,
And he in his temple great glory receives.
The Lord overflows, sits as monarch alone,
The Lord sits forever as king on his throne,
The Lord makes the strength of his children increase.
The Lord gives his people the blessing of peace.
Now the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,
The love of God the Father,
And the fellowship of God the Holy Spirit,
Be with each one of us now and always.
Amen.