God Speaks as Creator and Redeemer (in a way that Saves Us)
Intro: Well morning friends and visitors. My name is Matt Johnson and as we usually do in January (each year) – we are having a look at the Psalms. This summer we are particularly considering Psalms that speak of Gods work in creation…
PRAYER: Well summer is a time when we usually spend more time in the great outdoors. 1) We go to the beach. 2) We go on holidays. 3) We go on picnics and 4) we get into our summer sports of cricket and tennis. Our summer days are longer and so we simply spend more time in the sunshine. This is good for our MENTAL HEALTH. Generally speaking people who struggle with depression feel more positive in summer than in winter. Now perhaps that is purely physiological and vitamin D from the sun is better for us than we realize. But there are also THEOLOGICAL REASONS why increased time in nature is beneficial for us. God speaks to us in creation (especially as Christians) AND all Gods Words are good and life giving.
I’ve just had a few days out at my house in Mudgee. It is literally at the end of a long dirt road. The house is surrounded by bush and we regularly see kangaroos, wombats, goanna’s, all sorts of birds and the occasional snake. It is about as close to nature as you can get without being in a tent. The summer sunsets are spectacular. The nighttime stars pop like diamonds on a black jeweler’s velvet. Our house is in a dark valley (and when there is no moon) – we can clearly see the Magellan clouds of the milky way. Half an hour in our front paddock at night and I can almost guarantee you’ll see a shooting star.
Now even if I’m not particularly focused on God (in the moment) – God is speaking to me – “I am real. I am glorious. I am good and I am greater than anything your mind can conceive.” This is good for my mental health and spiritual health. It is a rare occasion indeed that I come out of quality time in nature not feeling refreshed and somehow better.
But do we realize this truth and are we capitalizing on this truth. Psalm 19 is about God speaking life giving words to us in creation AND in Scripture. But Psalm 19 is itself a meditation.
In Psalm 19:14 (the last verse) – you’ll see the word “MEDITATION”. This is a meditation. Now in November I spent the whole month talking about Christian meditation in our OVERCOMERS OUTREACH program. The 11th Step in the 12 Steps of AA says this (Slide 1). Now please notice – the words conscious contact with God. THIS POINT (which I believe is founded in biblical principles) says that we sought to improve our conscious contact with God through 1) prayer and 2) meditation.
Of course, God is always with us. But we are not always consciously aware of God’s presence. So prayer and meditation are methods of improving our CONSCIOUS CONTACT with God. But what is meditation? Although the word occurs some 16x in the Bible – most Christians have an eastern religious idea of meditation. (You know a person sitting in a yoga pose, mindlessly saying Ommm). Eastern meditation is usually associated with emptying your mind of everything in order to find peace. But Christian mediation is about filling yourself with Gods light and Gods truth which brings shalom peace. So where do find Gods light and Gods truth?
Point 1: God Speaks in Creation as the Creator
Show: Ps.19:1-4 (READ)
Explain: Well Psalm 19 tells us that God is speaking truth in all of creation. Now the word GOD in these opening verses is ELOHIM. Later, in Psalm 19, it shifts to Gods personal name Yahweh. The word Elohim is simply a title for THE ENTITY of God. It is a word that conveys the reality of the God concept. The heavens declare there is a God-like being. The skies – the sunrises, sunsets and stars proclaim the work of Gods hands. Every day the heavens and skies proclaim there is a God.
Now this proclamation of God’s existence in creation is called His general revelation. IT IS GENERAL revelation because everyone can see someone made this world. Despite the claims of some atheists in the C20th – science is NOT disproving the existence of God, but confirming the existence of God everywhere we look…
Now if you don’t believe that claim last year – we did a sermon series on Christian apologetics. You can find them on YouTube or on our church website. But I was showing people that recent scientific discoveries are making it harder and harder to be an atheist. This is Gods general revelation. Creation declares loud and clear there is a Creator. From A) the origins of life, B) to the fine tuning of the universe and 3) even down to the nature of water – it all speaks of a Creator God. IN FACT, the human genome (and the reality of DNA) is now recognized to be so complex it makes a mockery of all self-selecting evolutionary theories. DNA can NOT have just evolved. Its mathematically impossible. DNA is so complex that it points not only to God being real, but God being able to communicate. DNA is itself a discernible, interpretable language. From the heavens above to singled celled life below – creation declares there is a Creator.
But David already believes there is a Creator. He is a believer in God. He is going further. As David meditates on God’s wonderful creation – he realizes night after night – it is all revealing knowledge of God.
Although, Gods speech in creation is INAUDIBLE and can’t be heard, we all hear it – because it is a universal language. But what do we know of God in creation and what is God speaking to us in creation?
In Romans 1 – the Apostle Paul also speaks of Gods Revelation of himself in nature saying (Slide 6; Rom.1:20). Please notice the last words – so that people are WITHOUT EXCUSE. Because God has given a universal revelation of Himself in creation (and everyone knows there is a Creator God) – every person has a responsibility to worship and honour God. But many people do not want to acknowledge Gods reality or seek a relationship with Him because they are sinful. They don’t want God telling them what to do or how they should live. But on judgment day – these people will not have an excuse before God. They will not be able say “I didn’t know you were real” because creation declares God is real, in a universal language that everyone understands.
But is that ALL we know from Gods speech in creation? That he exists! Or do sunrises speak to Gods creativity. Do sunsets speak of Gods beauty? Do rainbows really speak of Gods goodness, order and purpose? Look at Davids observation about the sun. (Slide 6; Ps.19:4-6) Although King David did not have a modern understanding of our solar system revolving around the sun, he could see the sun followed a set pattern and course. God pitched a tent for the sun. God determined when the sun should 1) come up and 3) go down, when the sun should 1A) bring warmth and 2A) allow things to cool. If the greatest object in creation appears to have a God-given purpose (intended for man’s good) what does this tell us about God. What does it tell us about ourselves? If all the things in creation follow a course set and determined by God – what course should humans follow? What is our God given purpose in life?
Apply: Although, we can’t know God personally simply from creation – God is still speaking real truth in creation – that we sometimes need to stop and hear in a sunset or ponder in a butterfly coming out of its cocoon.
God is telling us about His supremacy, His power, His creativity, His eye for detail and his desire for goodness – so that we can find ourselves in relation to Him. MEDITATION is simply about being intentionally still in God’s presence AND mulling over what He is revealing to us. To meditate means to PONDER, REFLECT and TURN OVER in your mind the deep truths God is revealing to you. And if you are doing this right – meditation is simply to catch and appreciate THE BEAUTY of what God is revealing to you, because God is revealing Himself in creation AND He is beautiful.
Now I think that when we are in nature God often brings home his beauty to us in ways that are subconscious and yet truly comforting. Some of the greatest moments where we truly lose ourselves (and taste heaven) are in simply 1) watching the birds of the air, 2) standing under a waterfall or 3) watching the storm clouds come in over the sea with bolts of lightning. The heavens declare that not only does God exist. God is good. In all this God is revealing to us things about Himself that are beautiful and worthy of worship. But it is so easy to lose this revelation of God (or let it gather dust on the bookshelf) when we live in a concrete jungle, chase money, look at screens and no longer see the stars because of the smog.
My point is that God has given us a wonderful testimony of Himself in creation and maybe we sometimes need to be a bit more intentional in getting out, meditating on Gods creation and hear God speak to us words of comfort, peace and hope. If you want to be a little more conscious of Gods presence in your life – remember God speaks to us in nature if we stop to meditate, mull and listen. Who knows you may even be moved to worship and the ecstatic joy that brings…
Point 2: God speaks in Scripture as Yahweh
Show: Ps.19:7-9 (READ)
Explain: In this next section of Psalm 19 – Gods NAME changes from God-Elohim to LORD-Yahweh. This seems to be intentional. As David explained last week – whenever we see the name LORD in capital letters – it is actually Gods personal name YAHWEH or JEHOVAH. Although God reveals himself as Creator God in creation, God reveals Himself as our covenant Yahweh-God in Scripture. The words 1) law, 2) statutes, 3) precepts, 4) commands and 5) decrees are all words associated with Scripture. The Bible (or Scripture) is Gods special revelation for his covenant people. Creation is Gods general revelation for everyone. Now like this Psalm most people come A) to believe in a Creator God (from looking at nature), before they come B) to know that God personally as Yahweh through Scripture and in Jesus. But nature itself points to the Bible as Gods true Word. The only holy book that truly aligns with what we see and experience in nature is the Bible.
Now Yahweh’s revelation of Himself in the Bible moves very clearly from Gods creative power to Gods redeeming power. In verse 7 you can see that it says the law of the LORD – refreshes the soul. Gods special revelation in Scripture begins to redeem us. The word REFRESH actually means to return, renew or bring back. The Bible, Gods law, REFRESHES our soul (think inner person) because it brings us back into right relationship with God. Creation doesn’t tell us how to have a right relationship with God. But Scripture does tell us how to have a right relationship with God and as our relationship with God is restored we discover it is doing something positive to our soul (or inner person).
Then, as we take hold of Gods Word and really trust Gods Word it begins to make WISE the most simple and uneducated. Gods Word gives JOY to the heart – where previously – there was only sorrow and sighing. Gods Word gives LIGHT to the eyes. It is not in looking inside ourself that we find true light. In Gods revelation of Himself we find true light for our path.
And as Jesus says – when our eyes are good, our whole life begins to be filled with light. Then as we look to God, more and more – we learn a fear or reverence of God that is truly pure and brings life that endures forever.
But please understand that David is not just cursorily skimming over Gods Words. Psalm 19 is the product of an intentional meditation on God’s Word. David has out his GOLD PAN – swirling the words pf Scripture around with Gods Spirit and prayer – to find the nuggets left in the pan. 1) David is being still before the Lord. 2) David is inwardly digesting the truths God is revealing. 3) David is pausing long enough to allow Gods truth to minister to his inner person. 4) Then David is finding his true identity (not in himself, or others) but in God and this is leading to the worship expressed in this Psalm.
These days – there is much talk about finding yourself and being true to yourself. Here is a supposedly simple guide to finding yourself? (Slide 10). I like the last one – CONSIDER THERAPY! Yes, we all need therapy. But the reason we all need therapy AND are desperately trying to FIND OURSELVES is we are completely lost. We don’t know our true self because we don’t know God.
Apply: Let me say to truly know yourself you need to hear God speak to you. God gives you your TRUE IDENTITY. God helps you find yourself when you listen to A) his general revelation in creation and B) his special revelation in Scripture. Now what I am about to say, I say with the utmost respect for THE STOLEN GENERATION of aboriginals. They suffered terrible loss of identity and sense of self – because they were taken away from family, land and culture. How can you know yourself without knowing your origins, your key relationships and history. But in some ways we have all suffered a similar spiritual loss. When people deny the existence of God and teachers say we are simply evolved monkeys – they steal from us – our most fundamental identity as a wonderful creature of God and a child of God made in His image.
Point 3: Yahweh Speaks Sweet, Sweet Words about Salvation
Show: Ps.19:10-13 (READ)
Explain: Well in Davids day there were no Mars Bars or Coca Cola. The sweetest thing you could taste was honey. Honey is sweet and God gave us honey because he wants us to know sweet. But even sweeter than honey is GODS WORD in creation and GODS WORD in Scripture to those who are lost. The Bible says taste and see that God is sweet. Gods Word speaks of a glorious redemption from the brokenness and lostness of this world. But its often hard to grasp. You have to taste the bitter to really appreciate the sweet.
When we begin to listen to God’s Word (in creation and Scripture) – one of the first things that God highlights is that things are broken. FOUR TIMES these final words of David speak of our brokenness and lostness. Verse 12 says – our lives are full of ERRORS. It also says we need FORGIVENESS from our HIDDEN FAULTS. (Its like yes God, I know I’ve got hidden faults you don’t need to point them out) Verse 13 – talks about our WILFUL SINS ruling over us. Yes, I know my addiction, gossip, pride, anger, sexual immorality and jealousy rules over our life. Do we really have to talk about it. Again, verse 13 – we long to be BLAMELESS and INNOCENT of our transgressions. This is THE REALITY OF LIFE and we don’t really want to talk about reality. Just about everywhere we look in ourselves, on our screens and in the concrete jungle – it all speaks of this brokenness. So when God speaks of our brokeness too – its like really? Do we have to do this?
But God speaks about our brokenness and lostness because he has AN ANSWER which is sweeter than honey. THE ANSWER is Jesus. Although God speaks 1) in creation and 2) in Scripture – Gods clearest speech to us was found in the man Jesus Christ – who was Gods Word in human flesh. And perhaps Gods clearest words to us all – came from Jesus (the Word made flesh) on the cross when he said; “Father forgive them – for they know not what they do.” (Lk.23:34). Is God really willing to forgive us of all we have done? Is that Gods ultimate word?
(GOSPEL) There is a penalty for sin. The consequence of rejecting our Creator God and disobeying the Scriptural commands of Yahweh God is that we deserve to die. But as Jesus died on the cross – he was taking the punishment for everything you have done wrong. JESUS (Gods Word made flesh) did this for you because he loves you. The ultimate message from God is that He loves you, even sinful you, so much He is willing to die to save you. God still loves THE YOU, that even you struggle to love when you look in the mirror. And that is the beginning of true identity and life.
Apply: God says in Scripture that if you believe in Gods love for you in Jesus and ask God for forgiveness you will be forgiven. Knowing God’s grace and forgiveness personally is sweeter than honey. Now do you know Gods forgiveness? Have you heard God speaking to you in creation – saying I’m here! Have you heard Gods Word in Scripture and seen that there is something about it that is perfect, trustworthy and right. If the answer is yes – receive God’s ultimate word in Jesus and find not only life, but also your true identity as a loved child of God.
Here are some applications. First, if you are not yet a Christian – I am about to put up A PRAYER on the screen that has the potential to change your life. While I speak to the Christians in the room I want you to consider whether this is a prayer you are ready to pray and want to pray. Here is the prayer (Slide Please read it and consider whether you want to pray it in a moment.
Second, to the Christians in the room, I want to encourage you to realise that God really does speak in creation and through the Bible. His words to us are life. Yet, all to often, in the busyness of life in a concrete jungle – we ignore or don’t make enough time for either. In Overcomers Outreach (and beating addiction) we often speak about changing lanes. People often give up one unhealthy addiction simply to replace it with another addiction – because they still have unresolved issues in life. So step 11 – says take hold of God in prayer and meditation on His word.
Even, if we are not literal addicts, we all tend to do the same thing. We constantly change lanes – from looking for our identity in career, to looking for it in family, to looking for it in sport or shopping or in facebook likes. But our true identity and salvation is found in God who speaks to us in creation and through the Bible – both of which busy urban dwellers often neglect. So perhaps in 2025 – we need to be a bit more intentional in moving into a lane that brings true long term healing. I think sometimes we need to make time to be still in creation and hear God simply speak of His greatness, creativity and beauty in a sunset or watching the waves at the beach. But we also need to be still in God’s Word in regular daily devotions, make time to meditate on His Word, memorise parts of His Word and then respond like David in prayer and worship. I say this because in prayer and meditation upon Gods Words to you – we do become more aware that God is the Rock and Redeemer that we need in this turbulent world (and He’s right there with us).
Now is there anyone who wants to pray?