Sunday Morning, October 11, 2020 AM

Especially thankful to have Wiley back the sound of her playing just fills auditorium and prepares us for worship. We have missed you a lot. So we're glad that you are back. Few announcements as we get started this morning.

Come back tonight for evening service at 530. We're picking back up with sons of Issa car stuff. Okay. That's at 530. Wednesday tag at 630 again meal for tag families only before that at 545. Looking ahead next Sunday evening.

We're gonna be having that hymn sing if you're interested in sharing during that time with special music or something see Lisa and she'll kind of work you into the service and then Sunday morning in the morning.

We'll be having Lord's Supper. That's next next week the 25th. Our fighter verse for this week is found in the book of James chapter 1 verses 19 and 20. Know this my beloved brothers. Let every person be quick to hear slow to speak slow to anger.

For the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Good verse to memorize this week. Joel de Forest mentioned to me a couple days ago that he heard from a family at First Southern Baptist Church that their church is going to be screening a New film that First Stone Ministries has helped produce called in his image.

That's on Tuesday, October 13th. So this coming Tuesday at 7 p .m. There at First Southern it Discusses God's design for gender and sexuality. So really timely Film that's been put together in a in concert with the American Family Association.

So if you're interested in that attendance is free. So you can go to First Southern to find more about about that. Offering plate is still at the back. So give your tithes and offerings back there. Any other announcements that I'm missing this morning?

We're going to close with a video Operation Christmas Child, okay. All right after that video we'll have a time of prayer and preparation and then Michael will close us in prayer.

Amazon kids are receiving the shoebox for the very first time in their lives. Gracias por en pack a las cajitas de regalo. Gracias por orar por estos ninos. When I was 10 years old, I received an operation Christmas Child shoebox in my hometown.

I'm about to echo her. I remember my favorite thing in that box. It was like this black jacket super cool that I was wearing until I turned 16. I think I.

I.

Understand when I received the shoebox that God was taking care of me in a particular way. He was putting his eyes on me when I understood that. I Just felt that I needed to give something back so after I received my shoebox, I Decided that I want to do something that I was not a preacher back those days.

I was 10. So the easy way was become a clown so I was a clown. I used to do a lot of puppets and those kind of stuff. Trying to just turn the gospel with the shoeboxes and all those things. When you understand that God could call anyone, but he decided to call you.

It makes me feel like I need to do my greatest and just put all my energy as the people. That were part of the party that I was in when I was 10, I want to be the same thing now. I want to give my all my energy because you never know who around all of those children's are becoming pastors.

I'm becoming servants. We're not just giving gifts to the children. We are opening doors for them to understand that God has Entire life for them. God has a plan with every single children that is receiving this shoebox.

Today, I have the privilege to be the senior pastor in the Echos Pantinueve Church in Embato, Ecuador. This simple shoebox gave me the chance to see my great-father loves for me. And now that's the reason that all Sunday mornings I'm so excited to go to the church and share the gospel Preach to give me the chance to see that there are many people just like me that are in need maybe just of a hug.

Or just to heard that Jesus loved them and now I'm able to do that. Because someone just heard God's voice and put a black jacket on my shoebox. And it's just so crazy that people are just so willing to give something from their selves.

But that is God. It's God working through people for other people and For the ones that are packing shoeboxes, man. Thank you very much. You are doing a huge huge work. Just hearing God's voice.

Heavenly Father we come before you this morning and And We know that you are Good and faithful and loving and holy Righteous and merciful God and Lord as we consider your graciousness Towards us Giving your only begotten Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross In our place and for our sake to be raised from the dead to die no more to ascend to your right hand and Reign.

There.

Until all enemies have been placed as a footstool beneath his feet. We give you Thanks. We give you thanks. You are deserving of all of our praise and Every gift that you provide for us in this life we see correctly and Only rightly in the light of the gift you've given us in Christ.

So today as we've gathered together to praise you to to worship you to hear a word from your word Lord I pray that you would do your work in us. She would have your way among us. Help us to truly worship you in The way that you deserve in spirit and truth.

We pray these things for Christ's sake.

Amen, would you stand with me for our call to worship?

I was really encouraged by that man in the video just the joy that he was serving the Lord with and so I would encourage all of us today no matter which way you serve the Lord serve him with joy and gladness in your heart and.

Anyway, let's read together. Our passage this morning is found in Psalms chapter 48. We'll be reading verses 12 to 14 and It's the words are up above us. Read with me together. Walk about Zion go around her number her towers Consider well her ramparts go through her citadels that you may tell the next generation That this is God our God forever and ever he will guide us forever.

Our first song this morning is all hail the power of Jesus name Ronomy chapter 22.

Converting the reading the first 12 verses. Deuteronomy chapter 22. You shall not see your brother's ox or his sheep going astray and hide yourself from them. You shall certainly bring them back to your brother.

And if your brother is not near you or if you do not know him Then you shall bring it to your own house and it shall remain with you until your brother seeks it. Then you shall restore it to him. You shall do the same with his donkey and so shall you do with his garment with any lost thing of your brothers.

Which he has lost and you have found you shall do likewise. You must not hide yourself. You shall not see your brother's donkey or his ox fall down along the road and hide yourself from them. You shall surely help them lift lift them up again.

A Woman shall not wear anything that pertains to a man nor shall a man put on a woman's garment. For all who do so are an abomination to the Lord your God if a bird's nest happens to be before you along the way if Any tree or on the ground with young ones or eggs with the mother sitting on the young or on the eggs.

You shall not take the mother with the young. You shall surely let the mother go and take the young for yourself. That it may be well with you and that you may prolong your days When you build a new house.

Then you shall make a parapet for your roof that you may not bring guilt for bloodshed on your household if anyone falls from it. You shall not sew your vineyard with different kinds of seed. Lest the yield of the seed which you have sown and the fruit of your vineyard be defiled.

You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together. You shall not wear a garment of different sorts such as wool and linen mixed together. You shall make tassels on the four corners of the clothing with which you cover yourself.

Here we have the Word of God, would you please pray with me father. Thank you for your word Thank you for this day to come together to worship you. Thank you for the grace and mercy you shed upon us each day and thank you most of all for The grace we find in Jesus Christ and it's his name.

We pray. Amen.

It's good to have our whole praise team here this morning. So I'm thankful the Lord for that. We're gonna continue our song service together in our little black hymnals hymns modern nation if you would turn to two different numbers page first page 56 and Then page 128 We'll sing I heard the voice of Jesus say and then following that we'll sing.

What grace is mine. Prayer together father. I thank you for gathering us here today. Thank you for the day that you have made.

And we rejoice and we are glad in it. We give you the praise for And giving us your son Jesus Christ as our Savior as our Sovereign. Thank you for answering our prayers this past week as we've walked day by day with you.

Let me thank you that we can find our Contentment in you our satisfaction in you and I pray today that as we look at your word We would do so in submission To your truth. That we would Go forth from this place as the amen on earth of your will that is in heaven.

And we pray these things looking to Christ The only one with whom you are truly thoroughly everlastingly well pleased His name amen. Well open your Bibles, please and turn with me to Psalm 112. Psalm 112.

We are looking through Psalms 111 through 118. These Psalms teach us How to praise the Lord. The word Hallelujah is the operative word throughout these Psalms and we are taught in these compositions. What God wants in praise.

How he wants to be praised. What is it in Him that we should find praise worthy. Why we ought to praise him as. Those who have been made in the image of God we are especially designed especially designed for praise and.

Worship.

If we're not praising our maker by the grace of our Savior, we're not living. So we ought to be especially interested in this matter of everlasting importance praising the Lord as We look at Psalm 112.

There are some similarities to Psalm 111. They are both alphabetical acrostics going through the whole alphabet of Hebrew. Both of them begin with the heading Hallelujah praise the Lord that stands above and outside of the acrostic everything that follows afterward is about praising the Lord.

Where Psalm 111 talks about praising the works of God. Psalm 112 is about praising God for those who fear him. Praising God for His works. Praising God for his people. More specifically praising God for the God-fearing man.

Praising God for the God-fearing man. If you're able I invite you to stand with me as I read Psalm 112. Hear the word of the Lord. Praise the Lord. How blessed is the man who fears the Lord who greatly delights in his commandments.

His descendants will be mighty on earth. The generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in his house and his righteousness endures forever. Light arises in the darkness for the upright.

He is gracious and compassionate and righteous. It is well with the man who is gracious and lends. He will maintain his cause and judgment where he will never be shaken. The righteous will be remembered forever.

He will not fear evil tidings. His heart is steadfast. Trusting in the Lord. His heart is upheld. He will not fear. Until he looks with satisfaction on his adversaries. He is given freely to the poor.

His righteousness endures forever. His horn will be exalted in honor. The wicked will see it and be vexed. He will gnash his teeth and melt away. The desire of the wicked will.

Perish.

This is the word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. You may be seated. Well, you may have heard. There's an election coming up and.

The question that keeps Pollsters and Political agents up at night is This what rubric are people using to make their decision or whether they're going to vote at all. That's what everybody's wondering and They're known to get those things wrong and to not understand what's going on but what rubric are people using to Make their decision.

Is it just merely how much they hate the other side? Is it how much power or wealth that they stand to gain they believe that they will achieve based on their vote. Is it a consideration of how much more evil One man is over the other.

By someone's preferred moral standard, is that What it comes down to. Now the fact of the matter is neither man is a God-fearing man. Not really. Neither one of them is a God-fearing man. That's obvious.

But it's also true. There was a difference between Claudius and Nero. And if I was voting I'd vote for Claudius not Nero who came after him. One is not as bad as the other but it comes back to the point.

Well, how do you know? What is your moral standard? What and by what are you informing your convictions? We are reminded again in this Season that the religious capital of our ancestors has been largely spent.

If we want to see bright days again It will not come. I Do not believe as a flash in the pan Revivalist excitement that we would wish it would happen in our Time frame we would wish it would happen in our experience.

We would wish it for those that we know and love and care about in the here and now. But the way that Christ built his church and the proof in history is That bright days come by the grace of repentance.

Bright days come by the grace of repentance. Repentant husbands and repentant fathers and repentant wives and mothers and children repentant fathers and children. Repentant churches bowing the knee to Christ rather than to paganism.

It's only the grace of Christ's resurrection. Advancing through families and through churches and thus through communities and then to nations. It is only the work of Christ triumphing in his Saints. That will paint the streaks of dawn across our night.

This means this means in this repentance this means a return a return to a culture defined by the God-fearing man. A Culture defined by the God-fearing man defined by Jesus Christ. And that's what Psalm 112 presents to us.

The blessed culture of a God-fearing man. And when we think about the ways in which our culture praises the great men of our time it all comes down to what? They get things done that we like. The praises of the great men are all only about did they get something done?

Pragmatism right? Well, they got it done. So they are great doesn't matter their moral character. It doesn't matter what they believe. Did they do something? Impressive if they did then they're one of the greats.

Who cares what they believed. Who cares how they otherwise lived in their in their lifestyle? In contrast to that We have Psalm 112 where the praise is not of men who can get things done, but the praise is to the Lord.

For.

God fearing.

Men.

The the focus of the praise as you look through there in Psalm 112 what you see there is that there are praises being offered up to to God. For the God-fearing man. God gets the glory for the God-fearing man.

For for his grace-saturated covenant honoring character God gets the glory. It's gonna be vital for us to remember this heading of hallelujah here in verse 1 the very very beginning. It says praise the Lord and everything that comes after that is what?

Let's praise in the Lord. Praise the Lord for this praise the Lord for that. What are we gonna praise the Lord. For we're gonna praise the Lord. For the contrast between the God-fearer and the wicked that there is a.

Stark.

Difference. And we should praise the Lord for the portrait of excellence. That is the God-fearing man, and we should praise the Lord. For the trusting and steadfast heart of the God-fearing man God gets all the glory for all of that grace.

Everything about the God-fearing man exalts and magnifies the Lord so praise the Lord and Everything about the God-fearing man that is good is understood as gracious blessings from the Lord as part of his covenant.

So God gets all the credit and thirdly the ideal Covenant keeping God fearer that we see here in Psalm 112. This is no theoretical prototype. The God-fearing man for whom we praise the Lord is none other than Jesus Christ.

It's none other than Jesus Christ because of who he is and what he has done. We may become more like him and Then we will know the praiseworthy blessings of this psalm in our own lives. At the heart of the message is this that The God-fearing man will never be shaken.

The righteous will be remembered forever. He will not fear. Evil tidings his heart is said fast trusting in the Lord. His heart is upheld. He will not fear. At the heart of this Portrait of a God-fearing man is a fearless man.

Fearless is the God-fearing Man, and for that we praise the Lord we say hallelujah. We begin with the contrast of a God-fearing man. If you have a handout you can see on the back. That there is a structure to someone hundred and twelve in addition to be being an acrostic going through the alphabet it is also a chiasm, which means it is a series of Concentric poetic parallels which move inward to the main point the main point I just read to you about the God-fearing man being fearless.

But the outermost parallel frames the whole composition and tells us what we're talking about. Here's what we're here's here's what we're learning about. We're learning about the blessedness of the God-fearer.

Hey, look at this person who fears God look how blessed they are. Praise God for how blessed. The God-fearer is that's the whole theme of the Psalm. We must confess the goodness and the glory of God in this matter.

Now that's what verse one tells us. We're gonna learn about the God-fear how blessed they are so praise the Lord. And then the last verse Stands as an exclamation point a contrast that only emphasizes the first.

Verse.

It's a reminder that the that the God-fearer is not without trouble. The one who fears God is not without danger. The one who fears God is not without enemies in his life. But while He the God-fearer triumphs like forged steel in a burning world the wicked melts away without hope.

That's the contrast we need to look at this morning. A Contrast for which we ought to offer praise to the Lord in agreement with the psalmist here. So first of all, the God-fearer is blessed. First one praise the Lord.

How blessed is the man who fears the Lord who greatly delights in his commandments? So this man is blessed. How blessed we'll see Next week. Gotta come back next week or just read it for yourself. There in the in verses 2 through 9 just read how blessed the God-fearer is.

Amazingly.

Blessed.

But in verse 1 we are told why?

He is blessed.

All the all the blessings are amazing, but why is this God-fearer so blessed? Because he fears the Lord. At the end of Psalm 111 We are told that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. A good understanding have all those who do his commandments.

Similarly though in a more personal and intensified way we have the first verse here in Psalm 112. And we see that this wisdom saturated man. This covenant this commandment loving man. This God-fearing man is.

Blessed and.

As we consider this man as we as as we see glory Where we find grace we are to join with the psalmist and say hallelujah. We say praise the Lord. Praise be to God. First of all who does the man revere who does the man fear that's obvious he fears The Lord and the Jewish children learning this Psalm going through their alphabet.

The choir of the Levites who who practiced it to sing it for the children the congregation of Israel when they Had occasion to sing it together. Either around the tabernacle or maybe as they were Bored and marching to war whenever they're singing this psalm together They are being.

They are being focused upon the Lord. They are compelled to fix their attention upon the Lord praise the Lord. How blessed is the man who fears the Lord? Baal was not the fountain of wisdom. Asherah was not the pillar of truth.

Kimosh was not the was not this stream of blessing. The Lord was to be feared not the nations with their iron chariots. There are many horses and their kings and their gods. The Lord was to be feared.

The God fearer need fear none else besides. The man who fears the Lord is a man who knows That the Lord his God he is God the faithful God who keeps his covenant and his loving-kindness To a thousandth generation with those who love him and keep his commandments.

It's what the God fearer knows the Lord Yahweh The one true God revealed by Jesus Christ through the scriptures. He is the one who is to be feared.

But what does that mean?

What does it mean to fear the Lord? We have a difficult time understanding that and One of the reasons we have a difficult time understanding what it means to fear. The Lord is that we live in a world that Has an allergy to something called reverence and if you're allergic to reverence.

Then then you're gonna have a real hard time. Under even understanding let alone appreciating fearing God. But let's start with reverence because we still have a few connections to reverence still yet in our day.

Funerals used to be reverent some still are churches used to be reverent some still are but think about how Reverence works in the context of a funeral or in the context of going to church. It impacts everything doesn't it?

Reverence impacts everything from your choice of clothing to the volume level of your voice to the speed of your walk to the topics of your conversation. I mean there were certain things in The name of reverence that you that you wore or you did.

And certain ways that you acted and spoke at funerals or at church. I mean that and and today we understand those things as what they they were. That that's called what now it's called tradition. Right, it's what's called tradition now and what good is tradition for tradition's sake.

Well not much. Not much. And it was in and and acting out reverence without any true reverence in the heart. Well, that's no good either is it? But while we think of yesteryear and we and we think of the time that.

All those traditions and everything else now, we're all wondering where the fear of God has gotten to. But where did the fear of God go? Well, it wasn't bound up with the traditions. It wasn't bound up in the in the in the semblance of of fear and reverence.

But now that the traditions are all gone. It's I think even more clear that the fear of God is largely gone as as well. It just made it more clear. So it's not it's not simply traditions. It's not simply the the activities that were once associated with reverence and once associated with the fear of God.

But that's a helpful understanding because fear impacts everything reverence adjusted everything we did we went to church and went to the funeral home, but Fear is like that in that fear is not easily contained.

Fear is not an easily contained emotion. Think about how fear works. It takes over mind and mouth. It is it takes over expression. It takes over behavior, doesn't it? Folks observe the impact of fear, you know, it manifests in fight flight or freeze.

When you're really afraid you're caught off guard and you're super scared you might you know go into fight mode and attack whatever. Scared you or you may run away or you may just freeze and you can't and you can't move.

But in any one of those cases, what is it about fear that makes it significant? It is just taking over everything, isn't it? It just it just takes over your thinking takes over your behavior. So when the scriptures speak of the fear of the Lord God is selecting a human emotion.

That is very effective in describing what he wants from his worshipers what he wants from his children in. In terms of honor and respecting him and revering him the fear of the Lord in the scriptures is always something good.

It is never something that is involved with with torture. It is evidenced by the wise it is evident in the life of the believer. It is the fruit of a Christian. But it is.

Nonetheless.

Fear.

Which means it's comprehensive. Fear takes over a life. That's what fear does it takes over a life. It's difficult. Isn't it to understand the fear of the Lord as I said? It's because we have so little reverence in our day, but we do still have reverence.

There is still a Religious kind of fear that is evident in one way or another the closest Spiritual Expression to the fear of the Lord that we have currently in our culture. I think the most accessible that we have in our culture is the fear of kovat.

Think about it everything from the election to the protests from sports to the economy is related to dependent on and fundamentally altered by the Dominion of kovat. Not the disease. I'm talking about the disease.

The disease is a thing and take your precautions as your convictions demand. I'm talking about the Dominion of kovat not the disease. Through the degree that we fear kovat is the degree to which we delight in kovat statutes and mandates.

Have you noticed? But the Dominion of kovat not the disease. But I'm saying the Dominion of kovat is like all other idols. It is the work of men's hands and men's imaginations and Does not deserve a reverence.

But it's a good helpful illustration to the degree that you fear kovat that makes all these other things different about your life, doesn't it? And that's not unique to kovat, okay. To the degree we fear death All of a sudden makes all these different impacts and we change the way we do all these different things based on how we fear death how we fear man.

Will make comprehensive Exhaustive changes to our lives based on how we fear Man, but God alone is to be feared. And when man fears the Lord when when someone fears God It takes over a life. That's how fear works.

The man who fears the Lord is the man whose marriage and family his prayers and passions his successes and failures his business affairs. His bodily exercise his car repairs his responsibilities as a citizen.

All of it is related to dependent on and fundamentally altered by the Lord. Nothing can be done without praise to God prayers to God pondering God. That's what it is to fear the Lord. Fear takes over our life.

Everything done is and thought and said is done. So in relation to the one whom you.

Fear, this is the kind of man that God blesses.

We see the thoroughgoing nature of God's blessings upon and through the God-fearing man and the rest of the psalm. You see how the man is ascendant. He he has integrity. He has generosity. He has victory He has faith, but all these things are soaked with God's grace and dripping with God's glory.

And that's why Been beholden the God-fearing man the worshipers of God say hallelujah. Praise the Lord. Look what God did in that person's life. Now, what do you think about that kind of man? What do you think about that kind of man that the God-fearing man.

Would you respect such a man. Would you celebrate such a man? What if he were your neighbor would he make a really great neighbor. I Would think so. I would love to have a God-fearing man as my neighbor.

What what if he were your mayor. What if the God-fearing man described in Psalm 112 was the mayor of your town mayor of your city. I'd be praising the Lord a lot. What if he were your father?

A.

Kind of home would you come up in? Imagine the blessed impact of a God-fearing man in all areas of life. Is that the kind of person you want to be a God-fearing person submitting to God in all areas and those blessed by God in all.

Areas.

You see this is exactly what was being aimed at with the use of Psalm 112 in the original audience. Why are they teaching it to children the alphabetical acrostic? Why am I why are they teaching this to children?

Why are they singing it together as congregations of believing Israelites? Why are they doing that? Because here is a vision of culture. This is what the culture should look like. Oh little Israel like children.

This is how you should grow up and this is what you should desire. This is what your society should look like. Oh Israelite children Oh worshippers of God. Culture is Religion externalized. Culture is downstream from religion downstream from what we?

Worship who we worship how we fear if you fear man. Thus goes the culture if you fear death thus goes the culture if you fear God. Thus goes the culture and so here is a vision of an ideal kind of man.

Something to desire a Neighbor-to-have a mayor to have a father to have your own personal ambition to be a God-fearing person. But the psalm is doing more than simply crafting an ideal or a guiding light for developing culture.

It is a prophetic anticipation of Jesus Christ. The blessed stalwart God-fearing man is none other than our Savior. If you really want to know what it looks like to fear the Lord then just look at Jesus Christ.

If you want to see what a blessed man Who fears the Lord looks like look at Jesus Christ. All we have to do is consider the the ways and the character of our? Savior he refused the devil and rebuked the Pharisees and retrained his disciples and regaled the masses all with his absolute commitment to the Word of God.

He was incessantly bringing everybody's attention back to the Word of God, that's how you know he feared The Lord that's what Jesus did revered his father. Everything from politics to farming from cultural divides to sickness and sorrow.

Jesus related all of it to the Word of the will of his father and when we consider Christ as the God-fearing man.

What do we say?

Hallelujah praise the Lord the God-fearing man has been given to us and we see him as we follow him. That grace that blessing is made evident in his people. Now what the man who the man reveres is obviously the Lord.

What does the man relish? What does the man desire it says verse 1? How blessed is the man who fears the Lord who greatly delights in his? Commandments. And when we consider that the God-fearing man is the one who greatly delights in God's commandments.

We say hallelujah.

Praise the Lord.

Consider the God-fearing man. He is inclined towards God's commandments. His will is bent toward them. He is pleased with their justice and Wisdom. He desires to know the ins and the outs of God's Commandments.

He likes them. He moves with them, and he would readily do them. That's what it means when it says that he delights, but it's not a slight inclination. It's a sharp inclination. He greatly Delights in his commandments.

This is not a mere hobby. This is a consuming passion. He is diligent in The application of them. He is speedy in his obedience to them. He is exceedingly passionate about their meaning as fire sucks in air.

So the God-fearer takes in God's word God's law God's commandments. When it comes to God's commandments. The God-fearer is quite simply the biggest nerd. He knows all about them. He knows how they all connect, and he can't wait to explain it to you.

He greatly delights in the commandments of the Lord. You see this at the end of psalm 111 where the fear of God and the Obedience to God's law are laid in parallel. So also here at the beginning of psalm 112.

Now the fear of the Lord and the love of his commandments aren't exactly synonymous, but they are thoroughly Symbiotic. They go together. Jesus did not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeded from the mouth of God.

A.

Type of passion for God's instructions God's statutes God's case laws God's commandments was to be the hallmark of the true Israelite. What a situation Israel found themselves in when Moses had died and leadership had been passed to Joshua.

What will happen now. The Lord came to Joshua Joshua chapter 1 verse 7 and he said this only be strong and Very courageous be careful to do according to all the law which Moses my servant commanded you do not turn from it to the right Or to the left so that you may have success wherever you go.

And that message was Essentially the preaching of the prophets to the people they're preaching to the priests and to the kings of Israel throughout her history. It's worth asking. Why is there? Apparently such a passionate delight in the commandments of the Lord.

Is there genuinely that much capacity for joy and pleasure in learning and following rules.

But you see.

Law keeping was never to be isolated from God fearing and in fact the law keeping was to flow from the God fearing. Without there being a true reverence and worship and and solemn. But but praising love of God without there being the fear of God.