Make Known What God Has Done (Psalm 105)

September 4, 2011 Sunday Sermon

Todays scripture reading is taken from Psalm 105 and we will start with the first seven verses: 1. Read Psalm 105:1-7 a. Make known what God has done and tell of all his wonderful acts, the Psalmist tells us to do. Its such a simple act, yet it has deep and profound implications. 2. Why should we make known what God has done? Why should tell of all his wonderful acts? I would like to suggest two reasons today. In making known what God has done, 1. He gets the glory. 2. We get the joy. 3. Lets pray Father, in reading Your word and meditating on who you are and on what you have done, may you receive all the glory due your name, and may we share in Your joy. In Christ name we pray, Amen. Make known what He has done, the psalmist says, and tell of His wonderful acts. This is something entirely different from most other religions and philosophies. Most other religions and philosophies teach spiritual insights, observations about the world and life in general, and what a person must do to attain something. For example, here are two teachings of Siddhrtha Gautama, also known simply as the Buddha, or The Enlightened One [show PPT Buddha, I-Ching quotes]. The I-Ching is a sacred book where Confucianism and Taoism have their roots. (read quotes). If you watch the PBS station, you might have come across a program where a new age self-help guru named Dr. Wayne Dyer teaches you how to be successful in life, understand all the positive energy in you and around you to be the best you can be, and to ultimately find happiness. To a lot of followers, hes known as a spiritual mentor and the father of motivation, and he uses the teachings from Buddha and the I-Ching to write his books, the most famous probably being The Power of Intention. There is usually truth and insight in these teachings to help you be successful and there are even books in the Bible like Proverbs and Ecclesiastes that contain similar types of sayings, but The Psalm that were reading today, and the Holy Bible in its entirety, is essentially History, not a collection of sayings and religious observances and commandments. It is His story of the redemption of fallen and sinful humanity, planned and purposed from before time began. The prophet Isaiah says this about God: [show PPT Isaiah and Jeremiah] In perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago. (Isa. 25:1) God speaks to Isaiah and says, I foretold the former things long ago, my mouth announced them and I made them known; then suddenly I acted, and they came to pass. (Isa. 48:3) And to the prophet Jeremiah, the LORD says: Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. (Jer. 1:5) What God plans and purposes in His heart, He brings to pass. He is not a haphazard God, doing things on a whim, reacting to situations on the fly, intervening only when things get out of control. He is not a God who created everything, then lets it run on its own, leaving us with nothing but a few words of wisdom and guidelines and saying, Go ahead and figure it out. It may appear that way, when we observe seemingly random things happen around us, but thats because Gods involvement in our lives is not always visible. His involvement is often in the background, like electricity running through your house, or white blood cells flowing through your veins. Most of the time, youre not aware of it, but once in awhile, when the light turns on, or when your body starts to fight off the flu or an infection, you see the effects of it, but most of the time, you are not aware of it, and Gods ways remain a mystery.

Solomon in Ecclesiastes 11:5 says, As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mothers womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things. God planned and purposed the entire course of history from eternity past, and everything that is unfolding is exactly the way He wanted it to happen. From the microscopic orbit of electrons around the nucleus to the grand orbits of planets around our sun and dancing of galaxies, to the drops of dew that give refreshment to plants to you brushing your teeth and putting on your shoes as you leave the house, He is involved in every tiny detail of life in the universe. This carefully crafted plan and profound involvement in all of our lives speaks of Gods sovereignty. He is all powerful, all knowing, and absolutely free to do what He wills. Our will, however free it may be, is limited by circumstances, fears, hungers, weather conditions, genetics, people, families, communities, and on and on. We are all held by boundaries and needs that God purposed. Only God is truly free. It is true we have free will to choose to do right or wrong, which college to attend, which person to marry, to sleep in on a Saturday morning or do something productive, and so on, but God already knows from eternity past exactly what we are going to choose. Not only does he know our decisions, He also knows the thoughts and intentions behind our decisions. The Psalmist says this about God: You have searched me, LORD, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely. (Psalm 139:1-4) And not only does He know whats going to happen, but He is the one that planned it all, so that nothing is truly random. Even the tiniest, most insignificant thing happens because God purposed it. Proverbs 16:33 says, The dice is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD. Its said that we make thousands of decisions a day, and God is in complete control of each outcome. Why did Solomon use dice here? Its because hes trying to think of the most random thing he could think of. And so even the most random thing to us is part of a carefully designed story that will bring the most glory to God. Its with this knowledge of Gods power and authority over all things that we stand in awe when we see His handiwork revealed in our lives and read of it in the Scriptures. So lets pick up from Psalm 105:8. From here, we will read an account of Gods faithfulness to Israel and His sovereignty over all things, from his Covenant with Abraham, to leading them out of Egypt and bringing them into the promise land. I will not read the entire Psalm, but will pick out verses in order and give a summary of each one. Take special note of the subject of these sentences. v. 8-10 - The Lord made a covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob That Israel will inherit the land of Canaan v. 14 He allowed no one to oppress them. He rebuked kings. v. 16 He called down famine v. 17 He sent Joseph to Egypt, as a slave v. 19 He made Josephs dream come to pass as the Pharaoh made him ruler over the land v. 24 He made his people fruitful v. 25 He turned the hearts of Israels enemies to hate them (here, we see that even the role of Israels enemies was purposed by God) v. 26 He sent Moses and Aaron, whom He had chosen from v. 27-36, the Psalmist gives an account of how God dealt with Pharaoh and the Egyptians, how He performed miraculous signs among them. v. 37 He brought Israel out of Egypt v. 39 He spread out a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night v. 40-41 He brought them quail, manna, and water

And God did all this, and it all came to pass, because He keeps His promises. Verse 42, For He remembered his holy promise given to his servant Abraham. v. 43 He brought out His people with rejoicing v. 44 He gave them the lands of the nations and they became heirs of things they did not work for. The Psalmist has clearly made known what God has done, and what a gracious God He is, doing everything for Israel, so that in the end, they inherited things they didnt deserve. Because it was God that had done all these things, He gets the glory, and Israel gets the joy. And finally we come to the last verse, v.45, the response God wanted after lavishing all these gifts on them. He gave them all these things, why? vs.45 gives us the answer: that they might keep his precepts and observe his laws. Now, I hope you dont think this is some kind of deal that God is making, like how your dad might buy you a new car, and then right after youre all happy, and then he says, I did this for you, so that now you can drive me everywhere. And by the way, I think its only fair that you wash the entire fleet of cars in our family once a week. And since Im getting old and weary do all my laundry and learn how to do my taxes. Oh yeah, and dont forget to drive your brother and sister to school and the mall. Oh yeah, and help them with their homework. I gave you so much, so now in return, you must do all I tell you. First of all, God does not get old and weary, and second, He doesnt need anything from you. There must be another reason why He wants them to keep His precepts and laws. Before we get to another possible reason, lets think reasonably about how Israel should respond. Because of God goodness to His people, wouldnt you simply expect them to honor, worship, and devote themselves to Him simply because He alone is worthy? It should be a privilege to be under His rule, obeying Him and following all of His ways. But thats not what we see. As we look at Israels history, we see that they couldnt keep His commandments, and though some had the appearance of doing so, inwardly they had wicked hearts. Despite all that God had done, Israel still rebelled and went astray, each turning to his own way. At this point in the story, it looked like Gods plan had failed, and that He wasnt going to get His way in winning the affections of His people. But we all know that is not the end of the story. God is about to make known to the world a mighty work that will surprise all who see it, a work that was prophesied more than 500 years before it happened, a work that God purposed before the foundation of the world. This work will involve a suffering servant, who will be punished for sins he did not commit. This prophecy is recorded for us by Isaiah: [PPT Isaiah 53:6-11] 6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. 7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished 9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. 10 Yet it was the LORDs will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. 11 After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.

This amazing work of course is the holy, pure and innocent Son of God bearing our sin on the cross. Although we were the lawbreakers, full of pride, deserving shame and dishonor, it was the humble One who deserved worship and honor that was put on the cross. It was the Lords will to crush him and make Him suffer so that we may be justified, or be accounted righteous before God. As Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:21, He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.

When you were dead in your sins, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave all our sins, canceling the record of debt that was against us with its legal demands, and took it away by nailing it to the cross. In this way, he disarmed the demonic rulers and authorities and shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross. (Colossians 2:13-15). [show PPT Triumph of the Cross fresco] This is the fresco in the Vatican Museum that Joe talked about two weeks ago. Its called the Triumph of the Cross Over the Fallen Pagan Idol. You can see the idol shattered on the floor in front of the cross that is still standing. The pagan idol, which is a symbol for all that human hands have made for themselves and all human attempts to gain access into the presence of God, this grotesque idol, has been crushed and triumphed over by the cross. Those who have pride hate the cross, because it justifies those who are humble, those who come to the cross and say, I am guilty. I dont deserve Gods love, but I will plead for mercy. I need a Savior. The proud will have nothing to do with that, for he feels justified by his own works and has no need of a Savior. Human pride had been dealt a fatal blow, and only those who are truly humble will come to the cross and say, Hallelujah, my burden has been lifted and my sins have been forgiven. The victory belongs to you O Lord, and Your plan to redeem me and adopt me into Your family has triumphed. God will get His way. This is the gospel and the greatest work that has ever been revealed by God to the world. Brothers and sisters, make known what God has done. Every time you call on His name and make known what He has done, you give Him glory. You give Him glory by making known His wisdom and sovereignty over all things. When you make known the wondrous work that He has done on the cross, you are proclaiming to the world His victory over sin, death, and hell. Victory over sin because the punishment for sin died with Christ as it was nailed to the cross. Victory over death because three days later, Christ rose from the dead. And victory over hell, because we, who are in Him are not condemned to go there, but we have our eternal home in Heaven with God. When you make known what God has done, you are proclaiming the riches of His love toward us. Read the scriptures, and you will see Gods sovereign work throughout the pages. Psalm 105 is a snapshot of that work, and it all culminated on Calvary when Jesus cried out, It is finished! Yes, his suffering and agony has come to an end, but even more importantly, He has carried out the grand design of the Almighty, satisfied the demands of His justice, fulfilled all that was written by the prophets, and made a way for us to the Holy of holies through His blood. His finished work on the cross is the solid foundation that we must rest our faith upon. When God appoints tsunamis, hurricanes, earthquakes, and suffering and trials in your life, look to the cross, where He appointed the most wicked thing that has ever happened in the world, the crucifixion of the spotless Lamb of God in order to redeem you, a sinner. Are you not convinced of His love for you? Its so easy to forget how He loves us when we are faced with shattered dreams and when our plans dont go our way. We are quick to grumble like the Israelites grumbled in the desert. Thats why we must remember and be thankful and make known all that the Lord has done. When things start to crumble around us, we must remember that its at the cross where we will always find refuge and rest. Its at the cross where God plainly demonstrates His love for us. What a glorious plan fulfilled! What a glorious God who made all that He purposed come to pass! He has redeemed us from sin, death, and hell and has brought us out with rejoicing. God has done it all, so that now, as the Psalmist says in the last verse, we may keep Gods precepts and laws. Now, some may still say, Youre back to the law thing again? I thought the law condemns us and besides, didnt Jesus do away with the law on the cross? No, no. The legal requirement of the law was done away with. We are no longer justified by the law, but by faith in Christ. The law, as Paul says in Romans 7, is good. The problem is not with the law, but with me. When you get married, and you say your marriage vows, the vows are a type of law, a tangible expression of your love to your husband or wife. Dont confuse real love with the butterflies you feel in your

stomach when you first gaze into each others eyes, or by the sappy love songs you play for each other, or the romantic poems you write for each other. These are all good things, and should be enjoyed. But you know your love is real when you find yourself actually keeping the vows and wanting to keep them through difficult times. Jesus love for us was not expressed by romantic and sentimental words, but instead He expressed it tangibly by humbling Himself and being obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. The writer of Hebrews says that is was for the joy set before Him that He endured the cross. Do you see how much He loves us? And now He wants us to respond by loving Him, by keeping His precepts and laws. The difference is, where Israel failed in the past, this time, Jesus promised that He will make a way for us to keep it. A few hundreds of years before Christ came to earth, the prophet Jeremiah spoke about this promise: [show PPT Jeremiah 31:31-34] The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them, declares the Lord. This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, Know the Lord, because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more. (Jeremiah 31:31-34) That time has come and the prophecy has been fulfilled. Jesus says in the Gospel of John (John 14:15-16, 16:8), If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever the Spirit of truth. You will know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: If you are a child of God, and the Spirit of truth is living in you, how can you not love Him? And if you sin and walk away, how can you not be convicted? The answer is you will love Him, and you will be convicted when you sin against Him. I hope by now, you are convinced of Gods love for you, and that the commandments He gives us is not simply for His glory, but for our good. His command to love Him and obey Him is for our greatest good. And if you find yourself not loving Him, or holding on to some sin, seek His face and His strength, and He will not turn you down. Hold on to the Gospel, the good news, the finished Work that Christ accomplished on the cross. Walk boldly with Him and keep his commandments, because He has put them in your minds and written them in your hearts. You have the Spirit of the living God living in you, so remember your new identity in Christ. As Mike Kenyon preached last week, Knowing your true identity, go, and live a life that is worthy of the calling you have received. [show ppt: Psalm 105:1-4] Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him and tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always. In a moment we will sing of our Redeemer and his wondrous love for us, as the Psalmist commends us to sing to the Lord and glory in His holy name. Let us sing, not to win his affection or his praise, lest we boast of our self-righteousness and what weve done. Let us sing because He made us heirs of things we did not work for and gives us immeasurable riches which are found in Christ. So let all of us, united in Christ, follow Him and be part of the work that He is doing. Let us continue to make known what He has done, both in recorded history revealed in the Scriptures and in all the ways He has been involved in our own personal lives. As we make much of Him, may we realize how much He makes of us, and in this remarkable and unbreakable union of love, our Lord gets all the glory, and we get all the joy. Amen.