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God as Creator and Judge 0:09 Good morning. Welcome to the Oasis of Praise as our journey through the book of Psalms continues. Today, we're looking at Psalm 75 through 77, verse 10 of chapter 75. For god says, I will0:21 break the strength of the wicked, but I will increase the power of the godly. Have you noticed how prominently creation appears in the book of Psalms? And this0:33 understanding of god as creator is foundational. Number 1, to his authority, number 2, to the worship that is due him as the creator. And number 3, the reason we should be praising him.0:45 Now in our 1st psalm today, Asaph writes a psalm of thanksgiving, praising God, who as the creator of the earth will judge all of the earth, which by the way is a warning to those0:56 who reject the authoritative word of God and his offer of debt forgiveness. The bottom line is judgment is coming. Psalm 76 is also a Psalm of thanksgiving, but1:08 for victory and deliverance from their enemies. And then Psalm 77 is a corporate lament for help. Verse 1, chapter 75, we give thanks to you, oh god, we give thanks1:20 for your wondrous works declares that your name is near. Alright. Let's look at this. Notice the psalm. The psalm begins with praise 1st, praise and thanksgiving. Jesus, when1:32 he taught his disciples to pray, the prayer began with praise. So we too should begin our prayers of petition with praise and thanksgiving, and we we need not look any1:44 further than creation for a reason to thank and praise him. And notice this phrase that it where it says, your name is near. Now that phrase,1:56 you know, we've discussed this previously on the journey, but the name of god is not a title. It's not a social media handle. God's name is descriptive of his character of who he is. And and the the the psalmist is2:08 saying, through your wondrous works, through creation, your presence, your power, your character is reflected. Verse 2, when I choose the proper2:20 time, I will judge uprightly. As the creator as the creator, god will serve as the judge of all the earth, not just those who acknowledge him, but those who2:32 ignore him and reject him will be judged by him. And he is appointed the time of that judgment. Now we don't know. We don't know when that will be, but we2:44 do know that it is coming. Verse 3, the earth and all its inhabitants are dissolved. I set up its pillars firmly. I said to the boastful, do not deal boastfully. And to the wicked, do not lift up the2:56 horn. Do not lift up your horn on high. Do not speak with a stiff neck. Now the reference to to a horn means strength. Right? In other words, don't raise your fist3:08 of defiance toward heaven. Consider yourself warned and humble yourself before the judge of all the earth while there is still time. Verse 6, for exaltation3:20 comes neither from the east nor from the west nor from the south. Where does it come from? Well, verse 7, but god is the judge. He puts down 1 and he exalts another.3:32 I I know this to be true. Alright? But I'll be I'll be very candid this morning. I really struggle with why god allows the ungodly to be promoted and to lead.3:45 And I'm not talking about this is not that's not a partisan statement. That's just a statement of reality of of life in general. Because, you know, when you when you have these these leaders that fail to acknowledge god3:57 and and walk in his ways, they lead people astray. And many many people are hurt and even destroyed by these ungodly leaders. And I and I see or read about this almost every day. And it's not just4:08 political leaders, it's pastors, it's business leaders, it's entertainers. It's difficult. Verse 8, for in the hand of the lord, there is a cup, and the wine is red and is4:20 fully mixed, and he pours it out. Surely, its dregs shall all the wicked of the earth drain and drink down, But I will declare forever, I will sing praises to the God of Jacob. All the horns of the wicked,4:32 I will also cut off, but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted. I fully believe the end of the story, and I know how it ends.4:44 But again, in the process, the wicked lead many people astray, and it's it grieves me. Alright. Psalm 76 is another Psalm identified with Asaph, but it is not,4:56 is we I think we talked about this last time. This is not the same Levite from the time of David. It's it's 1 of a similar name or of his family. This psalm is thought to have been written as a psalm of5:08 thanksgiving after the defeat of the Assyrians in 7 0 1 BC, which is recorded in 2nd Kings chapter 19. Alright. Let's start in verse 4. You are more gracious and excellent than the5:20 mountains of prey. Now god is greater than the greatest opposition that we can face. Alright? Grab a hold of that this morning. I think somebody needs to to get that. God is greater than the opposition5:32 that you're going to face today. Let's go to to 2nd Kings chapter 19 where we can see exactly what it is believed that the psalm the psalmist is related to here or talking about.5:44 The Syrian king sends a letter to Hezekiah saying surrender or you'll be like the other nations that I've destroyed. And Hezekiah prays to the Lord. Verse 16, incline your ear, oh Lord, and5:56 hear. Open your eyes, oh Lord, and see and hear the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent to reproach the living God. Now again, he's appealing to making this about god. We've seen this over and6:07 over again. Truly, lord, the king of the Syrian of kings of Assyria have laid waste the nations and their lands and have cast their gods into the fire, for they were not gods, but the works of men's6:19 hands, wood and stone. Therefore, they destroyed them. Now therefore, oh lord, our god, I pray, save us from his hand that all the kingdoms of the earth may know,6:32 pay attention to this, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you are the lord god alone. So the Assyrians, they surround Jerusalem. There's no way out because the opposition is overwhelming.6:44 But look, verse 35. And it came to pass on a certain night that the angel of the lord went out and killed in the camp of the Syrians 185000. And when the people arose early in the morning, there were corpses6:56 all dead. Back to, Psalm 76. You yourself are to be feared, and who may stand in your presence when once you are angry? You cause judgment to be7:08 heard from heaven. The earth feared and was still when god arose to judgment to deliver all the oppressed of the earth. Notice this, that god's judgment of the wicked is the7:19 deliverance of the righteous, his people. And, again, this is this is not a statement of a a a boastful statement or arrogant statement. We are clothed in the righteousness of Christ when we accept him.Victory and Deliverance from Enemies 7:32 And and so we're we're we're not righteous on our own accord. We're righteous because we're clothed in the righteousness of Christ. Verse 11. Make vows to the lord your god and pay them. Let all who7:44 are around him bring presents to him who ought to be feared. He shall cut off the spirit of princes. He is awesome to the kings of the earth. You would do well to praise and7:55 worship the god who holds the lives of even kings in his hands, and they would be wise to fear him. Psalm 77 is a cry for help. As the psalmist cries out toRemembering God's Faithfulness in Silence 8:07 god, he hears crickets. Separated from god, he asked in verse 9, has god forgotten to be gracious? Has his anger shut up his tender mercies? In other8:19 words, has god's anger replaced his favor? The psalmist is finally heard by god, but how? Well, let's look. Verse 2. In the day of my trouble, I sought the lord. My hand was stretched out in the night8:31 without ceasing. My soul refused to be comforted. I remembered god and was troubled. I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Hearing nothing, this is what the psalmist does, verse 10. And8:43 I said, this is my anguish, but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most high. Verse 11, I will remember the works of the8:54 lord. Surely, I will remember your remember your wonders of old. I will also meditate on all of your work and talk of all of your deeds. Your way,9:06 oh god, is in the sanctuary. Who is so great a god as our god? You are the god who does wonders. You have declared your strength among the peoples. You you have with your your arm9:18 redeemed your people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Now drop down to verse 19. Your way was in the sea, your path in the great waters, and your footsteps were not known. You led your people like a flock by the hand of9:30 Moses and Aaron. Look where the psalmist goes. He goes to those demonstrations of god's power. And and we see this over and over for the children of Israel. It was the parting of the Red Sea, that9:42 defining moment that brought them out of bondage onto the path of freedom. So here here's what I want us to take away from this this morning. What do you do when you don't hear god9:54 and and and and and there's no evidence? That you don't see the evidence of his spirit at work in your life in that moment, and you're about to give up in desperation, here's what you do. You10:06 remember when god's right arm was at work on your behalf. Remember when god intervened in your life and saved you and took took you out10:18 of the bondage of sin and set you onto the path of the the abundant life. You you you stir up your faith, thinking back on the things that god has done, and you confess10:30 those things. You talk about those things, and you hang on just a little bit longer remembering all that god has done because what he has done, he will do again. And and and and and10:42 in Philippians verse 1, chapter 6, being confident of this very thing, that he who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.10:54 What God has started in your life, he will finish. Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you, father, for the hope that is in your word. And, lord, even as the psalmist I mean, these11:06 are these are the the men that you used, you inspired to write your word for us. Thousands of years later, we're reading this.11:17 Lord, even they struggle being your instruments of of of feeling and sensing your presence. There are times where we just don't, lord, we just don't feel it. We don't see it. The evidence isn't there.11:30 But, Lord, may we stir up our faith, recounting what you have done, the deliverance from the bondage of sin onto the path of life and the life more abundant11:41 that Jesus has provided. Lord, I I pray that you would encourage those on the journey today. Lord, I know there are some struggling. Encourage them. Lord, may they look back on what you have done with confidence of11:53 knowing that you will do it again and that what you have begun in their lives, you will see to completion. For we pray and ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. Alright. Thanks for joining me this morning. And12:05 until next time, keep standing on the word.12:11 Today's study comes from the Stand on the Word Bible Reading Plan available for free at f r c dot o r g slash bible. By following along in just a few minutes a day, you12:23 can read through the entire Bible in just 2 years. Learn more and request the free reading guide at f r c dot org slash bible.In this video 0:00 God as Creator and Judge7:31 Victory and Deliverance from Enemies8:04 Remembering God's Faithfulness in Silence
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