Sunday Morning, January 24, 2021 AM

If you're watching us on live stream, we're glad that you're able to join that way as well as we get started. We've got a few announcements this morning looking ahead. Come back this evening for our evening service.

That's at 530. Looking ahead to Wednesday again dinner for the whole church. That's at 545. Come for that and for fellowship and then at 630 Bible study for the adults and tag for the kids also looking ahead.

Next Sunday fifth Sunday of the month. So kind of a busy Sunday. We'll have communion in the morning next Sunday and then music night next Sunday. I'm gonna throw it to mr. Brian Barcelo. He'll have more to say about that.

So we would love we'd love to have you share with us.

Any gifts of music or whatever for that night and then after the service next Sunday night. There is truth group meeting for the young adults. In relationships that are related to that there are a few spots left in April May and August of this year to help feed.

Those young people so said it last week. I'm sure they'll eat about anything. So don't feel like you have to provide a you know, five-course meal for them or anything. All right. Our fighter verse for this week comes from Romans chapter 11 verses 33 through 36.

This is so so good. Oh. The depth of the riches and the wisdom and the knowledge of God. How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways? For who has known the mind of the Lord or who has been his counselor or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid.

For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. It's a good verse to memorize this week Operation Christmas child. We're just trying to get out ahead of that. So in the four-year, there's a box where you can give certain items this month are Bars of soap and washcloths and then in February they're going to be collecting hats and gloves.

It's just to try and put as much stuff together for when we do that in November and December. Later this year as we can and then lastly I just wanted to recognize Mrs. Starley Bullard today is her birthday.

So if you know Starley to know her is to love her. So we're so thankful for her and for the gift that she is to our church. Oh. Would you like we can do that when we sing? I'm sure she would appreciate it.

Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, dear Starley. Happy birthday. All right. We're thankful for you Starley. One more thing there's a nice insert in your bulletin about an upcoming Abolish abortion day at the state capitol in conjunction with that there is a two-day conference that's going on.

If you're interested in attending that there is a registration that you'll have to do but that's February 9th. Coming up at the beginning of next month. All right, if there's no other announcements this morning.

We're gonna have a time just of quiet prayer and preparation for worship.

And then after we're done with that dad will open us in prayer. Heavenly father.

It is a blessing to be able to gather together this morning, but we come this morning Because we are a needy people. We need you. We need to draw near In Christ this morning. Or would you help us? To do that today.

For the glory of your name. Lord as we come this morning may we come with glad and sincere hearts. May we give thanks to you for the blessing of Jesus our Savior to be able to come Into this place and and before and into your presence in Jesus name.

Lord, we bow down and give you thanks this morning. We give thanks to your name For your steadfast love and your faithfulness. Lord we we give you thanks for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.

Lord may we come Into your presence today with joy in Jesus. And we give you glory on and honor and praise and blessing in Jesus name. Amen.

Would you stand with me for our call to worship this morning? We're gonna continue in Psalms 57 today. Read verses 7 and 8. Read with me together. My heart is steadfast. Oh God. My heart is steadfast.

I will sing and make melody. Oh wait, my glory Awake. Oh harp and lyre. I will awake the dawn. Our first song this morning is a song that we sang the last week. We're gonna start with the chorus. Be exalted.

Oh God. Thank you can be seated for our next song. The blessing to know God. The blessing that he's revealed himself to man. Brother Michaels been talking about how he's preserved the Word of God for us that we have and we have it translated in Language we can understand.

Of course. The ultimate revelation of God is the Lord Jesus Christ. Sent to live a sinless perfect life. To die on the cross for our sins. Raised the third day. We might have victory over sin an eternal life with him.

Of course God created everything he created us. He created the universe the world. The incredible power of God so our next song is going to talk about that. It's like the song is like a Bible study. Okay, you can just List as you sing listen to the words.

Meditate on the words in your heart. Through the Word the God the Father from before the world began. Every star and every planet has been fashioned by your hand. All creation holds together by the power of your voice.

Let the skies declare your glory. Let the land and seas rejoice and. Every verse is just rich in the truth of the power and glory of our God. So sing with your whole heart to him across the lands. I.

Was forced to use my crummy old work glasses to read up here a wife. I Mentioned it to her and she bought me some new ones which are destruction proof. Provided I don't do anything that will destroy them.

Just so you know, let's stand for the reading of God's Word Deuteronomy 31 Starting in Verse 14. And we'll read to the end of the chapter. Then the Lord said to Moses behold the time for you to die is near.

Call Joshua and present yourselves at the tent of meeting that I may commission him. So Moses and Joshua went and prepared themselves at the tent of meeting. The Lord appeared in the tent or of cloud and the pillar of cloud stood at the doorway of the tent.

The Lord said to Moses Behold you are about to lie down with your fathers and this people will arise and play the harlot with the strange gods of the land Into the midst of which they are going and will forsake me and break my covenant Which I have made with them.

Then my anger will be kindled against them in that day and I will forsake them and hide my face from them and they will be Consumed and many evils and troubles will come upon them so that they will say in that day.

Is it not because our God is not among us that these evils have come upon us? But I will surely hide my face in that day because of the evil which they do for they will turn to other gods. Now therefore write this song for yourselves and teach it to the sons of Israel.

Put it on their lips so that this song may be witness for me against the sons of Israel. But when I bring them into the land flowing with milk and honey Which I swore to their fathers and they have eaten and are satisfied and become prosperous.

Then they will turn to other gods and serve them and spurn me and break my covenant. Then it shall come about when many evils and troubles have come upon them that this song will testify before them as a witness.

For it shall not be Forgotten from the lips of their descendants. For I know their intent which they are developing today before I have brought them into the land which I swore. So Moses wrote this song the same day and taught it to the sons of Israel.

Then he commissioned Joshua the son of Nun and said be strong and courageous. For you shall bring the sons of Israel into the land which I swore to them and I will be with you. It came about when Moses finished writing the words of this law in the book until they were complete.

That Moses commanded the Levites who carry the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord saying Take this book of the law and place it beside the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord your God. That it may remain There as a witness against you.

For I know that your rebellion for I know your rebellion and your stubbornness. Behold while I'm still alive with you today. You have been rebellious against the Lord how much more than after my death.

Assemble to me all the elders of your tribes and Your officers that I may speak these words in the hearing and call the heavens and the earth to witness against them. For I know that after my death you will act corruptly and turn from the way which I have commanded you and Evil will befall you in the latter days.

For you will do that which is evil in the sight of the Lord Provoking him to anger with the work of your hands. Then Moses spoke in the hearing of all the assembly of Israel the words of this song until they were complete and The following chapter is that song which you are free to read.

Let's pray Heavenly Father. We're so grateful to be here today. I pray Lord that you will Help us to remember to just take this time forget about the Things going on in the world around us and just use this time to worship you.

Just pray for Michael as he comes that you would strengthen him and quicken to his to his mouth the words that you've put on his heart just pray that you'll bless us today and Just help us to follow you closer as a result in Christ name.

Amen. You may be seated.

Hopefully as you came in you picked up our next song In the back on the podium in the back Jesus shall reign where the Sun and then after that we'll go right into Page 133 you are the Lord and we'll on that one.

We'll start on the course Jesus shall reign where the Sun Your Bibles and turn with me to Psalm.

115 Psalm 115 we are coming back to the Psalm again. Hear a little bit more. But the Lord who was our help and our shield. We are looking at this psalm, which apparently is my favorite psalm. I did not know that until I began preaching through it.

But it's my favorite psalm right now 116 may prove even more precious. But we have been exhorted in the psalm to trust in the Lord. Because he is our help and our shield. Repeatedly we are exhorted to trust in the Lord.

Because he is our help and our shield. He is the only help and shield. For he is the only God. He is The only God and he is a faithful God and he is a gracious God. And so we are to trust him as our help and our shield this morning we should think and ask ourselves to What end?

Why is he our help and our shield? What is his desire in this? What is his aim in being our help and our shield? To what end do we trust him as our help and our shield? That is what we are thinking about.

This morning let me pray for us and Then we will read the text father we come before you and I I Give an amen an echo to my my brother Ken. We are here because we are needy. We are here because we need you.

We are here because we are hungry and you have our food. We are here because we are thirsty and you have our drink. We are here because we are simple and you Have our truth and our knowledge and we are foolish, but you have our wisdom.

We are sinners. But you have our forgiveness. You have our atonement you have our Acceptance you have our grace. We are mortal, but you have our everlasting life. So we come to praise you today. We come to glorify you today.

And I pray that you would help us in this. And that you would bring these words that you have breathed out by your Holy Spirit that were born along by a holy man long ago. Faithfully brought to bear in our lives here this morning bring these words Home to rest and reign in our lives and in this world and through your word.

We pray for these graces looking only to Jesus Christ the one with whom you are well pleased. Amen, I Invite you to stand with me as I read Psalm 115. These are the words of our Lord. Not unto us. Oh Lord not unto us.

But to your name give glory. Because of your mercy because of your truth. Why should the Gentiles say? So where is their God? But our God is in the heaven. He does whatever he pleases. Their idols are silver and gold the work of men's hands.

They have mouths, but they do not speak eyes. They have but they do not hear. They have ears. But they do not hear noses. They have but they do not smell. They have hands, but they do not handle feet.

They have but they do not walk nor do they mutter through their throat. Those who make them are like them. So is everyone who trusts in them. Oh Israel trust in the Lord. He is their help in their shield.

Oh 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 been Mindful of 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 small and great. May the Lord give you increase more and more you and your children. May you be blessed by the Lord who made heaven and earth.

The heavens even the heavens are the Lord's but the earth he has given to the children of men. The dead do not praise the Lord nor any who go down into silence. But we will bless the Lord from this time forth and forevermore praise the Lord.

Thanks be to God you may be seated in the first three verses of This psalm we talked about the exaltation of our God. Not to us not to us, but to your name give glory. Verses four through eight. We saw the excoriation of other gods.

The mockery the shame heaped upon the false gods of the nations of the pagans. In verses 9 through 11 Considered the exhortation of the godly that the heart of the psalm is exhorting one another to trust in the Lord as our help in our shield.

And then last time we considered the explanation of our good verses 12 and 13 the nature of the Lord's blessing and grace upon us. And now here in verses 14 through 18, we're considering the expansion of God's glory the expansion of his glory.

Now last last week we talked about the blessing. He will bless us. He will bless the house of Israel. He will bless the house of Aaron. He will bless those who fear him. That's a lot of blessing. That is that's a heap of blessing.

What what are they all for what are all these blessings for. What why is he blessing and blessing and blessing? It's possible that for Christmas or a birthday. Because I know half of you have your birthday in January.

It's possible that for Christmas or a birthday. You received a gift that came with a qualifying lecture or label. A young man's first knife comes with the Qualifying lecture. This is a tool not a toy.

Has to come with that Qualified lecture. This is what it is for. Some gifts come with the qualifying label. Use only as directed. You've seen that label before. You may have taken that label off. You may have discovered that label when cleaning but that label is on all kinds of products and items.

Use only as Directed. You find it on propane tanks and chainsaws and pressure cookers and prescriptions. Use only as directed. Indicates that this tool or this substance is powerfully good and useful.

When used according to the instructions use only as directed and if it is used in a way that is not directed. It may not turn out so well. The Lord's blessings are to be used only as Directed. They are powerful and they are good and they are abundant as we've seen the abundance of blessing but they are to be used as Directed in accordance with the end for which he has given them and.

And to this end he is our help and our shield and That end is that he would be praised and glorified. The end of the psalm tells us the point of all of the blessings that he would be praised that he would be magnified.

That his name not to us not to us, but to his name be glory in honor and Praise. When used as directed God's blessings promote his praise. How we know if we're using his blessings appropriately. Am I using his blessings in a way that brings him glory that that promotes his?

Praise that is toward the end that God would be seen and Treasured and known as good and right and glorious. You see he helps us and he shields us for his praise to the end that he would be magnified and glorified.

So let's consider the expansion of God's glory as the end. For which he blesses that the point the reason why he blesses and blesses and blesses again. Why does he do this for the expansion of his own glory?

That's what the psalm has been about from the beginning not to us not to us but to your name. Be glory. That's the point. That this that's the what this creation this world has been about from the beginning.

Is that God would be glorified that God would be honored that God would be praised. The heavens declare the glory of God. And their song traverses the earth, which is filled with the fruit of God's manifold works.

Read psalm 19 and psalm 104. The whole point of God's creation is that is that his glory would be manifest. That his praise would be heard throughout all of his creation. When we are thinking about how to use God's blessings to promote his praise.

In the text it comes down to a question of three things. And the first is that of privilege. The first is that of privilege which is all the rage. These days. As we've talked about before we're very often using the same vocabulary in different dictionaries.

So where. What in the world does this word mean? Comes from the latin privis and lex private law special special rights special access. Special access is the idea. And that's what's so offensive to many that some have special access that others do not and that is in today's religion.

In the pagan religion of our culture that is an abomination that some have special access where others do not. And the gospel that is preached On our televisions and from our politicians is that all should have the exact same access on every single level in every single case.

Yeah. And not even not even just special access, but also access means results and that's why this word is such a hot topic because it stands at the heart of as as the prominent sin in today's religion.

And yet as we read the scriptures, we discover that the bible is full of privilege. Of some having special access that others do not. And in fact, we've discovered that privilege is throughout the bible sovereignly ordained.

And righteously desired. In fact, it's prayed for right here in our text. May the lord give you. Increase more and more you and your children. Well, who's the you? Who's the you the. The house of israel the house of aaron.

Those who fear the lord not every single person from every single Nation, not not not everybody from every single religion. Just just you. Why are the worshipers there in jerusalem? Why are these these people who have gathered back to jerusalem back to rebuild the temple?

They've been in exile in babylon. But now they've come back to jerusalem the rebuilding the temple and they're looking at one another and saying trust in the lord. He's your help and your shield. And then they invoke blessings upon one another and say may the lord.

May the lord give you increase more and more you and your children. And the person on the other side says you too. Why aren't they saying that about? Their neighbors who are giving them such political trouble.

Those who are trying to ensnare them in in various traps. Why are they why are not saying that about other? Kinds of people. Why are they praying? For special access. Why are they desiring these things.

What's their basis for that? Look what they're praying for. They're praying for blessing. And they're praying praying for blessing from the lord. So there's a supply that they are praying for. That they are desiring from a particular source.

May the lord give you increase more and more you and your children may you be blessed of the lord who made heaven and earth. So there is the supply and then there's the source. What are they asking for?

They're asking for blessing in general. Increase just a word that means more. More of this and more of that they're praying for increase. They're saying may god increase you may god increase you in in general in all the ways.

That he can increase you may he increase you and not just in general but generously more and more. And not just generously but generationally you and your children. May it just keep going. What is the basis for these requests?

How did they learn to pray like this? How did they learn to desire these things and consider in their minds that this would be a good thing? That they should seek and desire blessing of the lord in every respect and that this would be over the top and down the road.

Why would they desire these things? Why are they praying this way? And is it right That they would seek Such privilege in this world. The basis for this comes from genesis. And of course, there's the big picture of how god repeatedly blesses mankind.

Adam and noah blessing and blessing upon blessing. Lord blessed them. But then specifically in terms of abraham in genesis chapter 12 in verses 1 through 3. Now the lord said to abram get out of your country from your family and from your father's house to a land.

That I will show you. I will make you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you. I will curse him who curses you and then you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

Well, then you begin reading the story. Some of you are already reading the story. You're reading about how abraham Gets blessed and blessed and blessed you read from the rest of genesis 12 all the way through genesis 23.

And story after story goes to emphasize and demonstrate how god keeps his promises and his blessing Abraham, he blesses him economically. He fills up his household with all kinds of flocks and possessions and slaves.

And then he blesses him politically. He becomes powerful in the region and people must deal with him because abraham is great. He blesses abraham numerically as he gives him his son. And promises that others will be Descendant from him.

In fact change his name from abram to abraham father of of many nations. He blesses him spiritually Speaking with him and strengthening his faith and guiding him according to his promises. And so it is that when we come to genesis chapter 24 When abraham is ready to find a wife for his son isaac.

The very first verse says this now abraham was old well advanced in age and the lord had blessed abraham in all things in all things. So when these Worshippers have gathered back to jerusalem and they're rebuilding the temple and and living in faith in Anticipation of god sending the messiah and starting up the new covenant.

They are operating based on these Well established principles that god said to abraham i'm going to bless you and i'm going to bless your descendants. I'll make them as numerous as the Sands on the seashore and the stars in the heavens and they're going to possess the gates of their enemies and i'm going to bless bless bless their sandals off.

And so Here the exiles have regathered to jerusalem and they're not numbered in the hundreds of thousands. They're numbered in the tens of thousands. They are not a great power anymore. They are not really significant in world events anymore but they're looking at one another and saying May god bless you.

May he Increase you may he do so more and more and make your descendants blessed as well and they're doing that on the basis of The promises that god made to abraham concerning his Descendants. So are they desiring the right thing?

I would say yes. Not only are they desiring the right thing but from the right source. They don't want to be blessed in they don't want to be blessed from just anyone. Just from anywhere. They want their blessing to be from the lord.

May the lord give you increase. May be blessed by the lord the one who made heaven and earth the only true god. Be blessed by him. They say to one another. We notice this as well in the life of abraham in genesis 14 a story where Abram's blessing is very obvious his prominence and his his power.

He is blessed politically militarily, he's blessed Materially. As he rescues lot. And his family and his neighbors all the residents of sodom and gomorrah abma and zeboim and zoar. He rescues them all from the clutches of cheddar lairmore and the mercenary northern armies and he has delivered them Militarily and he is but he did so gathering together others with him who respected him and honored him and now he has rescued them and gathered all of the Former captives and spoils of war and it goes to the city of salem erasulim.

Where he meets melchizedek priest of god most high king of salem and they worship god together. And abraham gives a tenth of all the spoils To melchizedek because he's saying this is all from the lord.

The lord is the one who did all this. And then the king of sodom gets the idea that the loot is getting split up. It's time to deal with the loot so he says to abraham here here's what i'll do. I'll give you all the stuff, but you give me all the people.

Abraham says no I'm, not going to take anything from you not even a sandal strap because I don't want you saying Oh king of sodom that you have made abram rich. The source matters and so the people Gather together and they say may god bless you more and more.

You and your children may god do it. May god do it. What do we see here then in verses 14 through 15 that god's blessings should be desired for his praise. That god's blessings should be desired for his praise.

The lord has done it. Look what god did. Look how god blessed us. More and more how he increased us over and again us and our children and our children's children. God's blessings should be desired for his praise.

I find this a significant matter for us in our time because there is two particular ways to fall off the path here. I remember reading about a Christian pursuing faithful through in pilgrims progress and coming to a very difficult Period and he's trying to follow the path.

The path is very narrow and either side you can fall and it's bad both ways. When it comes to blessings I think there's two temptations for us presently. There could be more. One is that we fear man and so we fear leaving or losing our surplus.

We fear losing our surplus to man. But those worshipers in jerusalem here in psalm 115 are not desiring surplus. But they are seeking supply. And there is a difference in this sense. They have said not to us not to us.

It is surplus which magnifies man. Where we locate our boast in our self-sufficiency. I don't need anyone. I have a surplus. Therefore I am Independent self-sufficient. Nobody can tell me where to go.

I have a surplus and we fear man when we fear the loss of our surplus due to what man may do to us. So desiring surplus is not what is being prayed for here. This is not the invocation in psalm 115. They're not asking for surplus when they say more and more.

And on and on that's not what they're asking for asking for surplus. That would be the barnology of the fool. You know what barnology is, right? When the young man came to jesus and said my brother's not splitting the inheritance with me in the way that I think he ought.

To jesus told him a story about a fool a fool who received great increase one year where he had a an abundance he had a surplus and so in his Foolish barnology he decided that he would tear down what he had and build bigger and better.

So he could put the more stuff in the more stuff that he had and so he would have the stuff. That's barnology of the fool. We're not to trust in surplus. We're not to seek surplus from god. But we are to seek supply from god and supply from god is intended for his praise for his glory for the magnification of his name.

Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom. Let the wise man glory in his wisdom. Let not the mighty man glory in his might nor let the rich man glory in his riches. But let him who glories glory in this that he knows me and understands me.

The lord who exercises loving kindness. Faithfulness and truth for in these I delight declares the lord. Some trust in chariots some trust in horses, but we will remember the name of our lord the name the lord our god.

But him who glories glory in the lord. The supply is to be used as directed from its source to his specifications. The other way we can go wrong with this is if we believe That blessing upon blessing more and more on and on that this this this Desire or or the actual results of the answer to these prayers that god would supply in such an abundant way.

The thought is today That in and of itself that that is wrong. That that is wrong. Righteousness is being looked for in the absence of privilege or in the Taking up of privilege and the bearing of it and the wasting away of it or the giving away of it the denial of it.

That holiness is somehow in asceticism. And that it would honor god if we would all take vows of poverty. Is that biblical. Is that honoring to god here? They're praying for blessing upon blessing more and more on and on.

How does that work? Righteousness is not found in the absence of privilege, but righteousness is found in christ. In whom we receive every blessing as a stewardship of praise. It's a matter not a matter of I have too much stuff and man thinks that I have too much.

Therefore. I must get rid of it. So man will be happier with me. No. It's unite my heart to fear your name. There's all these things that you have entrusted to me that i'm to be a steward of that I care about.

So unite my heart to fear your name that every strand of affection and interest that I have will be Coalesced into a focus upon you that would fear you and demonstrate your worthiness with all that you have entrusted to me.

There's a sign on i -40 heading east. It's a massive Massive ranch and they're boy they're doing stuff. They've got two semi truck loads of lumber out there and they are doing a lot. One of the things they did is they redid one of their signs.

Everybody on i -40 sees it going east says To god be the glory great things he has done. No, it's just a sign. Oh what a sign. We should be posting signs like that over everything that we are stewards of.

Desiring. Desiring god's blessings for his praise. Secondly. The expansion of a god's glory is not only a question of privilege, but also a question of place of place. Very often we get the idea that we should never desire any kind of blessings that have anything to do with.

Everyday life we should only ever ask for spiritual blessings. I wonder if that holds up. You know time and space are the canvas for god's glory. We hear in the psalm. They're concerned about the future you and your children.

They know that god's glory is revealed in heaven and on earth. Genesis 1 1 in the beginning god created the heavens and the earth. In the beginning god created the heavens and The earth and what god made he owns.

What god made he owns and he is free to designate as a stewardship. And this is manifested in this psalm and in the rest of scripture concerning. It concerns us as we are to be submitted to god in our stewardship.

Submitted to god in our stewardship. We are submitted to him because our god is in the heavens. Our god is in the heavens. He does whatever he pleases. He is enthroned in the heavens. In fact, it says the heaven even the heavens are the lords.

In genesis 1 we read about how god made The greater light and the lesser light to govern the day and the night. How he created and fashioned the the stars in the heavens to to govern and declare the seasons and the years.

And then we read that god is ruling from the heavens that this all belongs to him. The whole idea is of his exalted rule. Now, of course god is a spirit does not have a body like man. But this is a man-shaped expression to say god is over us in his authority.

His throne is higher than anybody else's throne. He's in charge. And when we read verse 16 the heaven even the heavens are the lords but notice. The earth he is given to the children of men. The earth he has given to the children of men.

So where Is god's glory to be expanded? What is the scene in which god's glory is to be expanded. God's praise to be magnified. It's the earth. It's on the earth our father. Who are in heaven? Hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come your will be done. As it is in Heaven do you remember the tabernacle was a copy of what was in heaven? Life on earth is to be ordered by heaven. We have to understand our place. First of all is submission.

That we want god's will to be done on earth as it is done in heaven so we under god's authority we have this stewardship. And it says that the that the lord has given the earth to the children of men.