Thank you.
Well, we're doing things a little differently this morning, given that this is our one-year
anniversary.
So we're kind of front-loading the sermon, and we're going to have a time of corporate
praying or praise and thanksgiving together.
I'll give you a little bit more on how-tos on that at the end of the sermon.
But one year today, a year ago, the first Sunday of October, it was October 6th, I remember
it.
We were excited.
We were anticipating what is God going to do in our midst.
It was a lot of fun.
It was a joy.
And here we are one year later, and we're going to celebrate this morning.
We're going to celebrate by giving God the glory that is due His name.
And so this morning, what I want to impress on you from God's Word is it's not about us.
It's about Him.
It's about His steadfast love and faithfulness.
And so this morning, we wanted to mark our anniversary Sunday as a celebration, a celebration
of God's love and faithfulness.
This past Monday, I made a purchase.
I purchased a gas-powered weed whacker.
It's awesome.
I started that thing off, and man, it growled.
Well, I got home, oiled it up, gassed it up.
And before I could initially fire that thing up, I had to do what's called priming the engine.
And basically what that is, you do a little pump on the side, and it gets gas into the
carburetor.
So gas starts flowing, so it actually fire up.
And so you better believe it.
I pumped that thing up, pulled on the ripcord thing, and man, it growled.
It was awesome.
Now, this morning, my job is to prime our engine of praise and thanksgiving.
And we're going to do that with God's Word.
So if you'd open up your Bibles to Psalm 115.
Psalm 115 is like premium gasoline for the Christian's heart to give praise to our God.
So let me read this in its entirety.
Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory for the sake of your steadfast
love and your faithfulness.
Why should the nation say, where is their God?
Our God is in the heavens.
He does all that He pleases.
Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands.
They have mouths, but do not speak.
Eyes, but do not see.
They have ears, but do not hear.
Noses, but do not smell.
They have hands, but do not feel.
Feet, but do not walk.
And they do not make a sound in their throat.
Those who make them become like them.
So do all who trust in them.
O Israel, trust in the Lord.
He is their help and their shield.
O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord.
He is their help and their shield.
You who fear the Lord, trust in the Lord.
He is their help and their shield.
The Lord has remembered us.
He will bless us.
He will bless the house of Israel.
He will bless the house of Aaron.
He will bless those who fear the Lord, both the small and the great.
May the Lord give you increase, you and your children.
May you be blessed by the Lord who made heaven and earth.
The heavens are the Lord's heavens, but the earth he has given to the children of men.
The dead do not praise the Lord, nor do any who go down into silence.
But we will bless the Lord from this time forth and forevermore.
And then there's the great hallelujah.
Praise the Lord.
And so this morning, I want to prime our engine of praise with several glorious truths about God from Psalm 115.
So let's jump right in.
Psalm 115.
We see God's steadfast love.
Not to us, O Lord.
Not to us.
But to your name give glory for the sake of your steadfast love.
God's steadfast love is his commitment, his gracious commitment to do our greatest good.
God wants good for us.
And his unmerited favor towards us wants good for us.
God has purposed to do us good in Christ.
And he's been graciously showing us his kindness and his goodness as a church over this past year.
Again and again and again.
God's goodness.
His love demonstrated over and over again.
And of course the greatest good of all is what God has done for us in Jesus.
He has rescued us in Christ from the wrath to come.
And he has reconciled us in Christ to himself.
All as a result of the shed blood of Jesus.
Romans 5.8.
But God demonstrates his love towards us.
And that while we are yet sinners, Christ died for us.
He shed his blood for us.
Our God is a God of steadfast love.
And what we read here in Psalm 115, it's not just limited to steadfast love.
He's a God of steadfast love and faithfulness.
Our God is faithful.
Not only is he committed to our greatest good.
He has saved us.
He will be faithful to see it through all the way to the end.
He's faithful to his commitment to us.
Another way you can understand faithfulness is he's reliable.
He's true.
He's solid.
He's stable and sure.
In Revelation 19, John the revelator shares a vision with us.
The return of Jesus.
And in verse 11, the heavens open up and there appears a white horse.
And there's someone riding on that white horse.
We all know it's Jesus, but John doesn't name him Jesus.
John names him the one riding on the white horse is faithful and true.
Our Savior, our God, is faithful.
He's faithful, faithful, faithful.
He's been faithful to us over this last year.
He's faithful to us now.
He will ever be faithful to us all the way until we see him face to face.
Now, you read a passage like this that God is steadfast love.
He is a God of faithfulness.
And how do you respond?
It's right there in verse 1 too.
Not to us, O Lord.
Not to us.
But to your name give glory.
Glory.
What is glory?
Glory.
Well, in the Bible it has a variety of meanings.
But at its most basic meaning, glory means weight.
Heavy.
Weightiness.
And when it's used to acknowledging God's weightiness, it's referring to his importance.
It's referring to his necessity, his value, his worth.
Our word worship comes from an older English word, worth.
Ship.
Giving God worth.
Revelation 4.11.
Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power.
For you created all things, and by your will they were created and existed.
In this one verse, God is saying, to God alone be the glory.
Exclusive praise to God.
And this morning, we're not gathering to glory in ourselves.
To pat ourselves on the back.
We're here to give glory to our God.
Because of his steadfast love and faithfulness.
Now, in John 1.14, John says a really interesting thing about Jesus.
And we beheld his glory.
Glory as of the only begotten of the Father.
Full of grace and truth.
We can understand it as full of steadfast love and faithfulness.
Jesus epitomizes, personifies steadfast love and faithfulness.
Is anybody getting their pump primed?
Anybody want to praise God?
So do I.
All right.
We belong to him.
We belong to our God.
Now, let me just point some other things out from Psalm 115 before we enter in our time of praise and thanksgiving.
In verses 2 through 8, we read something very interesting.
What I want you to see is that our God, not only is he a God of steadfast love and faithfulness, our God is alive.
And he is reigning.
Has anybody asked you a question like this?
Where's your Jesus now?
Anybody get anything like that before?
Where's your God now, buddy?
It's a taunt.
And we see that taunt in verse 2 of 115.
The nations say, those people who don't know God, they say, where's their God?
And the response is in verse 3.
Our God is in heaven.
Do you remember Exodus 3?
Moses is walking through a desert, stumbles across a burning bush.
Do you remember that?
God speaks through the burning bush.
Says, Moses, go deliver my people.
Moses says, of course I'll go, but who's sending me?
Do you remember what God said?
Tell them I am sent you.
I am who I am.
I am the self-existent one.
I am life.
I is.
That's what he's saying.
I am the one.
God is not dead.
God is alive.
He is alive.
A few years ago, I got to visit Myanmar.
Also known as Burma.
And part of that visit was going to the Shwatagon Pagoda.
And it's also known as the Golden Pagoda.
Because it is a pagoda of, it's 325 feet tall.
It kind of governs the skyline around it.
And it is gold gilded.
It is very impressive if you see it.
Part of this Buddhist complex also contained kind of Buddhist relics.
And so they claim to have hair from the Buddha himself there.
And of course, multiple statues of Buddha all around.
Would you look at verse 4?
Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands.
Every Buddha there was made with precious things.
Silver and gold.
Every Buddha there was made by human hands.
Every one.
Each Buddha had a mouth, but it couldn't speak.
Verse 5.
Each Buddha had eyes, but they couldn't see.
Verse 5.
Each Buddha had ears, but couldn't hear.
Verse 6.
Each Buddha there had a nose, but they couldn't smell.
They had hands, but they couldn't feel.
They had feet, but they couldn't walk.
Their throats made no noise.
No sound of breath coming from them.
Do you know why?
They were lifeless.
And here I am in this Buddhist complex watching these Burmese people present their children to these Buddhas.
As though they were alive.
We read in verse 8 those very sobering words.
Those who make them and trust them become like them.
Lifeless.
Ephesians 2, 1-3.
Dead, deceived, damned.
Lifeless idols.
And then we think about our God.
Jesus.
God in the flesh.
And we read in New Testament.
His mouth spoke words of eternal life.
His eyes saw the real heart of men and women.
His ears listened with compassion.
His nose smelled the stench of self-righteousness.
His hands touched lepers.
And then were pierced on a cross.
His feet moved towards sinners.
And then was pierced on the cross.
His throat was full of breath.
And his last breath on the cross was,
It is finished.
Done!
Three days later.
That first Easter morning.
Jesus breathed again.
He's not dead.
He's alive.
And he saved us.
We have a God who's alive and who saves.
He was raised from the dead.
And then he ascended into heaven.
And right now he is reigning at the right hand of the Father.
Here's what he's doing.
He's doing all that he pleases.
And what pleases him is to expand his kingdom
by transforming the hearts of men and women
from every tribe, tongue, and nation, and city
like Kenosha.
Here we are,
as a church,
experiencing the present reign of the living God
in our midst.
He's transforming us.
Our God is alive.
Our God is reigning.
He does all that he pleases.
He's not some lifeless idol.
You getting primed up?
I'll be quick in the rest of Psalm 115.
9 through 11,
Our God is our help and shield.
Our help and our shield.
Psalm 46.1,
God is an ever-present help in time.
of trouble.
Anybody in trouble?
Do you know who's with you?
Your God.
Who is your help?
Psalm 16.8 is one of these verses
throughout this year
that have been so dear to me.
I have set the Lord always before me
because he's at my right hand.
He's with me.
I will not be shaken.
Isaiah 41.10,
Do not be afraid.
Why?
I'm with you.
I'm your help.
I'm with you.
He's for us.
The God of the universe
with unmatched power
is for you.
He's your help.
God is our help.
God is our shield.
The shield being talked about
is Captain America shield.
You know,
the little kind of circular shield
that Captain America carries?
That's the size shield
that's being talked about here.
Psalm 3.3,
But you, O Lord,
are a shield about me.
My glory,
the lifter of our head.
We can take David's Psalm 3
and make it Christ the King's Psalm 3.
But you, O Lord,
are a shield about us.
You are our glory,
the lifter of our head.
You are our protector.
You go before us
and you come after us.
You are with us.
You are mighty to deliver us.
You are our shield.
God is for us.
How do you respond to that?
You trust in Him.
You see the word repeated
throughout,
9 through 11?
Trust in the Lord.
He is our help and shield.
We've been trusting in our Lord.
We will continue to trust in the Lord.
He is a God of steadfast love
and faithfulness.
Isn't that good?
Verses 12 through 18.
Our God remembers us
and blesses us.
He hasn't forgotten us.
He remembers us.
He knows us by name.
He knows the amount of hair
on your head.
He's got them numbered.
He knows you.
He knows us.
He will not forget us.
He shed His blood for us.
We belong to Him.
You is mine.
You is alive.
You is holy.
And He remembers us
to bless us.
To show us His kindness.
To show us His goodness.
We see that shown up
in Ephesians 1.
He has blessed us in Christ
with every spiritual blessing
in the heavenly places.
He is for us.
He's for our greatest good
to shine like Jesus
in this dark place.
How do you respond to that?
Verse 18.
He's blessed us.
We bless Him.
We bless Him forever
and ever.
We say praise the Lord.
Hallelujah.
In light of all that He's done for us,
certainly we can bless His name.
We see that in Ephesians 1.
Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ
who has blessed us
with every spiritual blessing
in Christ Jesus.
Your engine of praise primed up?
Let me give you a little direction
as we start moving that way.
The ABCs of corporate sharing.
A. Let's affirm what God has been doing
in each of our lives.
How has God been transforming you?
Maybe He saved you this year.
Maybe He has changed a particular area
that is a tremendous source of joy.
Share it with us.
Maybe it's a passage in Scripture.
Share it with us.
So A. Affirm what God is doing in your life.
B. Be brief.
Let's give as many people
an opportunity as we can.
And C. Be Christ-centered.
Not to us, O Lord.
Not to us.
But to your name give glory.
Our anniversary Sunday
is a day in which we are going to give glory to God
for His steadfast love and faithfulness.
Our God is a great God.
Let's pray and then we'll move into a time
of corporate praise and thanksgiving.
God in heaven,
we give you praise for all that you've done
so far in our life together as a church.
And God in heaven,
we anticipate that you're just going to continue
to show yourself
as a God of steadfast love and faithfulness.
Alive, reigning,
our help, our shield.
You remember us.
You bless us.
So God, I do ask in the name of Jesus
that you would cause your spirit
to fall afresh upon us now.
And that God, as we enter into a season
of thanksgiving and praise,
God, would you build us up
as we dwell on you.
We ask this in Jesus' name.
Amen.