The Voice of the Lord

Well, please, would you turn with me in your Bibles back to the Old Testament, to the book of Psalms, to Psalm 29.

Psalm of David, ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength, ascribe to the Lord the glory due to his name, worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.

Now, let's bow our heads just briefly in prayer before we come to the word.

Heavenly Father, bless us this night with being able to hear the voice of the Lord.

That's what the Psalm is about, and we thank you that you are a God who speaks into our world, speaks into our lives.

We pray that tonight we would be given the ears to hear what the Lord is saying,

and give to us an awareness of the Holy Spirit's work in us, opening us up to the gospel, to that good news of the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

Help us to see how that theme flows so clearly through the Psalm as we look for that hope that is in Christ,

and that we know the gospel is in these words.

We ask and pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.

Amen.

Amen.

There is in our lives a fine line between awe and terror.

It is a fine line that is often marked by sheer stupidity.

It certainly has been in my life on a number of occasions.

I've done profoundly stupid things, like sitting on top of a hill watching a thunderstorm,

and thinking, wow, this is pretty cool.

Not thinking, oh man, I'm on the top of a hill, and it's a thunderstorm.

Sometimes we see things in our lives that ought to put us on our heels, give us pause, make us stop in our tracks,

and realize that what is happening before us is either awe-inspiring or utterly terrifying.

And actually, tonight is one of these times.

Every Sunday, as you gather for worship, it is one of these times where something so awe-inspiring is taking place.

Something is being transacted here that you dare not sleep through, that you dare not pay no attention to,

but ought to realize this is a thunderstorm.

This psalm is a psalm about the voice of the Lord.

It's a psalm about God speaking to people.

And the background to this is probably a number of occasions that David would be well aware of.

He was a child, a young man who had been, in some way, mentored by Samuel.

And you have the beginning of Samuel's story, one where the voice of the Lord had called to Samuel quietly in the night.

Samuel?

Samuel?

Not realizing what it was, eventually he clicks, or Eli clicks, and says,

it's the Lord speaking to you.

Go and listen.

Go and listen.

For David, it's a language that's steeped in the language of the book of Exodus,

where at Mount Sinai, the voice of the Lord had spoken directly to the people,

not through an intermediary like Moses, but directly.

At Mount Sinai, when the Ten Commandments are given,

it is the Lord speaking from the mountain to the people.

So terrifying, in fact, was that situation,

that at the end of it, the people said to Moses,

we never want to be in that situation again.

In future, you go up the mountain, you speak to God, hear what he has to say, and come and tell us.

Because listening to the voice of the Lord is a terrifying thing.

You have the voice of the Lord calling out to Adam and Eve in the garden after they had sinned.

Adam, where are you?

A searching question.

Not a booming voice, not a thunderous voice speaking from the mountain,

but a searching question nonetheless,

and one which Adam found terrifying.

And so he hid in the garden.

You have the power of the voice of the Lord as well.

In the very beginning, the first verses of the Bible,

there was darkness over the face of the deep.

And the voice of the Lord spoke and said,

let there be light.

And there was light.

It's an authoritative voice.

The same voice that speaks in the New Testament in the words of Jesus,

where he commands evil spirits to come out of people,

where he commands the storm to be still.

There is an authority in the voice of God as he speaks.

And that authority makes the voice of the Lord a terrifying thing.

Because if God is speaking, it demands a response.

It is a voice that calls for action on our part.

So I want tonight to look at this psalm,

considering the voice of the Lord.

But we need to note, first of all,

the first thing, in fact, that we need to see

is that hearing the voice of the Lord occurs in the context of worship.

It's interesting that the psalm actually begins this way.

It's not just a reflection on the voice of the Lord.

It's a psalm that's meant to be sung corporately

for the people of God to rejoice in a God who speaks.

And so that's why at the end of the service tonight,

we'll sing this psalm in its fullness.

Ian was a bit intimidated earlier

because it says the Scottish Psalter version,

and it's like 50 verses or something.

I don't know.

It's not.

There's only six stanzas in the St. Psalms version,

and that's what we'll sing.

But we're going to sing this psalm

and reflect and glorify God

that he is a God who speaks to us

in life-changing ways.

And we know it's meant for corporate worship,

not only because it's in the book of Psalms,

but because it begins with a call to worship.

Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings,

ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

Ascribe to the Lord the glory due to his name.

Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.

So that is an invitation to these people,

the heavenly beings,

to come into this place of worship before the Lord,

to ascribe to the Lord

the glory and strength that is due to his name.

The heavenly beings are the angelic host,

the sons of God,

the court of Yahweh and glory.

And so really, by extension,

what David means is

everyone who is conscious

and who can worship God.

Both the mighty angels

who are before the Lord

continuously in his presence,

some of them,

the seraphim, the burning ones,

reflecting his glory radiantly themselves.

Others, winged creatures

that cover their faces and their feet

before the presence of God

because they are in the presence

of the holiness of God himself.

These heavenly beings, along with us,

ought to go before him

in a posture of worship.

That is the purpose, in fact, of humankind.

That is why we exist.

We exist to worship the living God.

God created us as worshipers.

And that worship,

it's expressed in our lives

in all sorts of different ways.

But chiefly, it is expressed in us

ascribing to the Lord

glory and strength,

recognizing his divine majesty

and his absolute sovereign power.

That tonight,

as we've gathered together for worship,

that's what we've been drawn into.

We've been drawn into the activity tonight

of recognizing the sovereignty

and the power of God over us.

I wonder, did you think about that tonight

as you came to worship?

Tonight, did you come just out of routine,

thinking, this is what I do on a Sunday night?

I have to confess, sometimes in our house,

getting to church can be a bit chaotic.

You've got kids to kind of marshal

and you're trying to make sure

everything lines up

in terms of getting the car into it,

getting the keys,

making sure you've got everything you need

out the door.

It can be hectic, can't it?

Or sometimes it can be, you know, rushed.

Sometimes it can be just routine.

But ultimately, we are here tonight

to worship God.

And everything we do is about

ascribing glory to him.

Everything we do tonight

is about recognizing

the beauty of the holiness

of the living God,

of seeing his splendor

and saying,

this is who we tonight love.

This is who we worship.

And chiefly, it's not just because

he is the God who has created us,

and who has created all things,

but because he is the Lord

who has entered into

a covenant with us.

We know that because the language

that David uses

is the language of covenant.

Ascribe to Yahweh,

ascribe to the Lord,

this glory and strength.

Ascribe to the Lord,

ascribe to the Savior,

the one who came to Abraham

and called him out of the Chaldeans

and said,

I will bring you to a promised land

and you will have an inheritance.

And part of that inheritance

will be the one who will

deliver my people

in Jesus.

The seed

that is promised

all the way back to the woman.

The promise of the gospel

in Jesus.

It's that God

that we are worshipping tonight.

It's that

making much of Jesus

that is most important.

I might wonder this week

when our king

went to Rome

to pray

with the Pope,

we might wonder about that question

and say,

well,

are they praying even to the same God?

What are they doing praying together?

The key question is,

are they making much of Jesus?

Is Jesus the highest

of their object of worship

alone?

A glory shared with none other.

Not with Mary,

not with the saints,

but Christ alone.

And that question

is crucial to you and I tonight.

Because that tonight

is where the rubber meets

the road and our experience.

We tonight

are people

who must meet

with the living God

in the person of Jesus.

And that tonight

is why

the call to worship

in this psalm

is not just a call

to worship the Lord,

but it's also a call

of how we should

worship the Lord.

It says,

worship the Lord

in the splendor

of holiness.

That's an interesting expression,

but what it's driving at

is the way you come to God

is just as important

as the God you come to.

And so tonight

you might be saying,

I'm going to church

to worship the living God.

I'm going to church

to worship the God

who sent Jesus

into the world.

I'm going to sing praises

to him.

Fine, good, well done.

But are you coming

in the splendor

of holiness?

Jesus mentions this

in that passage

in Matthew 22

that we read

in the parable

of the wedding feast.

There are many people

invited to the wedding feast

and they all come.

But the king,

as he's going around

the wedding feast,

he spots somebody

who's dressed inappropriately.

He's not dressed

in the clothing

of the wedding.

He's dressed

in his own gear.

Now he may have thought

his own clothes

were fine.

He may have thought

his own clothes

were quite lovely,

that they were pretty

top notch.

But they were not

appropriate for the wedding

because they were not

the clothing

that the king

had appointed.

And tonight,

I would urge you

to consider

how you have come

to worship.

Have you come

in a sense of pride?

I am coming

to worship tonight.

This is about me.

Have you come

in a sense of laziness?

It's just the routineness

of what I do.

And I would ask you,

is that really coming

in the splendor

of holiness?

Are you therefore

tonight able

to stand before

the living God

in worship

and hold up

a pair of hands

that are clean,

that are unstained

by the world?

Can you do that tonight?

Can you say,

I've come

with a pure heart

to worship the Lord?

And I would say

to you that tonight,

the answer to that question

for each and every one

of us is probably

no,

except by one root.

And that is,

if we have come

to the one

who will give us

holiness,

if we have come

to the one

who clothes us

in righteousness

because he shares

his righteousness

with us.

I mean,

this psalm is actually

about the doctrine

of justification.

It's saying that

worship belongs

to the justified.

Worship is the activity

of those who have been

cleansed in and through

the blood of Jesus.

Those who have had

their sins

taken away

through what Jesus

has done.

And that is where

true worship begins.

That is where

true worship

originates from.

It originates

from hearts

that have been

cleansed through

the blood of Jesus.

And so I'm saying

to you tonight,

not only who have you

come to worship,

I hope you have

not just come to

have a nice hour

pass by,

but that you've come

to worship the living God.

I hope that's true.

But I hope also

that you're recognizing

that to come

and worship

the living God,

you need to come

to Jesus.

that you need

to find Christ,

that you need

to receive

his gospel

in order for

your worship

to be acceptable.

Because the only

way to come

and worship God

is in the splendor

of holiness.

The book of Hebrews

says it's impossible

to please God

without faith,

without actually

trusting in Christ,

without making

Christ your

righteousness.

It is impossible.

to come

to worship.

So that is how

we should come.

And that is why

we should come.

The psalm goes on

though,

the central section

of the psalm

is a psalm about

this thing,

the voice of the Lord.

And it's a phrase

that's repeated,

it's almost every line

in fact of the psalm.

The voice of the Lord

is over the waters.

The God of glory

thunders

the Lord over many waters.

The voice of the Lord

is powerful,

the voice of the Lord

is full of majesty,

the voice of the Lord

breaks the cedars.

The Lord breaks

the cedars of Lebanon

and makes Lebanon

skip like a calf

and Syrian like a

young wild ox.

So Lebanon is up

in the north.

You know the geography

of the Holy Land

of Israel.

Lebanon is to the

northwest of Israel.

And the picture

that David is painting

here is of a storm

sweeping through

from the north

and it passes

actually Jerusalem

because at one point

the temple is in mind.

All those in the temple

in verse 9

cry glory.

But then the storm

recedes away off

down into the southern

desert,

down to the wilderness

of Kadesh.

And so the storm

just recedes into the

distance away from them.

And there's some people

looking at this psalm

and they would say

ah well,

now what's going on there

is this thing,

this piece of philosophy

that we would call

the God of the gaps.

And maybe you've heard

of this,

that people would say

well in the past

people didn't understand

how thunder works.

And so David here

is saying

I don't really understand

how thunder works

but I think that's

God speaking.

And so when you hear,

see something in the

natural world

that you don't understand

you say that's God.

And people are quite

dismissive of

biblical Christianity

because they say

oh,

biblical Christianity

is full of that.

It's full of things

that we don't understand

in the past

we now do understand.

We didn't understand

where life came from

before.

So now we think

well,

there's evolution.

Life's originated

from millions and

millions of years

of slow gradual

steps of development.

We don't need the

story of creation anymore.

We don't need God

to fill in the gaps.

But that is not

what's happening

in this psalm.

David's not saying

that thunderstorm

that's sweeping

through the land

is God speaking to us

because David knew

full well

what God's speaking

looks like.

When God speaks

it's audible.

When God speaks

it's discernible.

When God speaks

it's with clarity.

And he knows that

because of all the times

he's heard about it.

He's heard about it

from Samuel.

When God spoke to Samuel

he gave him

specific messages.

Samuel wasn't looking

at a thunderstorm

and thinking

I think that's

what God means.

There might be

some confusion

about it

but I'm pretty sure.

It's not when God

spoke at Mount Sinai

the people weren't

trembling and thinking

that's a thunderstorm

that's out of control.

They were trembling

because the holiness

of God was presented

to them in the

Ten Commandments

and they said

we are not worthy

to stand before

this God.

His holiness

is too much for us.

There is no mistake

in it.

There's no ambiguity

about what God

has to say.

When God spoke

in creation

there's no confusion

over it.

When God's in the garden

speaking to Adam and Eve

it's not a gentle breeze

passing through the garden

and they think

oh maybe God's there

in the gentle breeze.

God said

Adam where are you?

And that tonight

is something

that we need

to be sure about.

When God speaks

there is no doubt

about what he is saying.

And what he is saying

is dramatic

and life changing.

So David's using

the thunderstorm

almost in fact

as a metaphor.

It's a picture.

When the thunderstorm

sweeps through the land

the land

is shaken by it.

The cedars of Lebanon

were considered

to be the strongest

timbers you could imagine.

They are shaken.

So terrifying

is the storm

as it wreaks chaos

through the land

that the deer

are prematurely

giving birth

in fright.

They go into labor early.

So terrifying

is this experience

that the world

is changed by it.

The cedars of Lebanon

are stripped

of their leaves.

The world

is changed

when God speaks.

Is your life

changed when God speaks?

I mean that's the question

of this psalm.

Okay you've come

to worship

you're hearing

the voice of the Lord

in the context

of Christian worship

every Sunday.

Is your life

changed by it?

Is there a transformation

in your experience?

Do you look at your life

and you say

there are things here

that are wrong

that need to be

taken away?

Do you look at Christ

and you say

there is someone

who I must worship?

Do you look at

the work of the Holy Spirit

and you think

that is something

I need to long for?

Do you look at

the love of God

and you think

that is something

I need to emulate

and reflect

in how I live

and how I care

and love for others?

Do you look at

the marvel

of what God

is saying

in Scripture

and fall down

before Him

in awe

or perhaps

in terror?

Because when God

speaks

there ought

to be

a reaction

when God

speaks

nothing is the same

when God

speaks

the world

is

transformed

and

tonight

that's maybe

the biggest

question for us

it's not just

have we come

to worship

and are we coming

in the right way

but are our ears

open to the

life-changing

message

that God

speaks with?

Are you hearing

Him?

The picture

is one of

awe

and marvel

and basically

there are two

reactions

that emerge

for some

it's one of

absolute

terror

the voice

of the Lord

speaks

and people

are freaked

out

they're in

dismay

people are

distraught

it is a

picture of

of just

trembling

folk

but when the

storm comes

to the

temple

in the

temple

the response

is different

in the

temple

the response

to the

voice of

the Lord

is this

word

glory

glory

the word

glory

in association

with the

temple

there

reminds us

that this is

probably

talking about

the place

of the

radiance

of God's

presence

Solomon's

temple

certainly

when it

was erected

the glory

of God

resided in

the temple

it's probably

there in the

tabernacle

as well

and certainly

when David

brings the

ark of the

covenant

and erects a

tabernacle

in Jerusalem

there's a

sense there

that the

glory of

God is

present in

that place

a point

of infinite

perfection

that resides

between

the

cherubim

the

angelic

beings

that are

molded

onto the

lid

of

the

ark

of

the

covenant

the

mercy

seat

and the

radiance

of God

resides

among

his

people

in that

place

and as

the voice

of the

Lord

is heard

those

who love

the

temple

those who

love

what the

temple

is

about

and what

the

temple

represents

they

recognize

that when

the voice

of the

Lord

speaks

to

them

it

is a

!

glorious

thing

it is a

wonderful

thing

because of

what the

temple

is all

about

the

temple

is the

place

where

God

and

humankind

were

reconciled

it's a

place

where

reconciliation

would take

place

so if

you've

sinned

against

God

the

temple

was where

you went

with your

sacrifice

to make

things

right

if the

harvest

had come

you wanted

to give

thanks to

God

the

temple

was the

place

you would

go

with

your

thank

offerings

to give

glory

to

God

because

of

his

great

bounty

towards

you

you

recognize

the

Lord's

goodness

in

your

life

and

countless

other

things

if there's

impurity

in your

life

if there's

illness

if there's

leprosy

there's a

temple

the

tabernacle

that you

go to

in order

to be

cleansed

and to

recognize

that

cleansing

that

has

come

and so

for the

for the

Israelites

the

temple

is a

place

where

God

is

present

bringing

reconciliation

to them

and when

the voice

of the

Lord

is heard

those

who

recognize

that

God

wants

reconciliation

with his

people

those

who

realize

the

temple

is the

place

where

that

reconciliation

happens

when

they

hear

the

voice

of

the

Lord

they

are

not

dismayed

they

are

in

awe

and

they

worship

the

Lord

by

crying

out

glory

the

holiness

of

God

does

not

intimidate

them

in

the

same

way

it

doesn't

terrify

them

and

if we

can

think

about

this

in

terms

of

the

New

Testament

as

we

ought

we

have

to

understand

that

this

is

talking

about

Jesus

because

the

temple

for us

is not

this

building

the

temple

for us

is not

a place

in

Jerusalem

that

we

have

to

go

to

the

temple

for

us

is

the

place

where

God

is

reconciled

to

mankind

and

that

is

through

Jesus

who

at

his

cross

took

his

sin

upon

himself

and

took

our

guilt

rather

upon

himself

our

sin

and

took

that

away

and

who

offers

to

us

his

righteousness

his

cleansing

who

at

his

resurrection

conquered

death

and

invites

us

now

to

follow

him

in

that

hope

of

the

resurrection

it's

through

Jesus

that

man

and

God

are

now

reconciled

rebels

come

and

find

reconciliation

with

this

sovereign

God

whom

they

have

wronged

and

rebelled

against

it

is

there

that

hope

is

found

for

us

and

so

for

us

who

know

Jesus

for

us

who

reside

as

it

were

in

the

temple

for

those

of

us

who

in

fact

are

the

temple

of

God

as

Paul

says

in

the

New

Testament

that's

one

of

the

most

wonderful

things

that

can

happen

in

the

life

of

a

Christian

you're

sitting

in

church

you're

sitting

at

home

you've

got

your

Bible

open

in

front

of

you

you're

reading

it

you're

hearing

the

word

of

God

preached

you're

hearing

the

gospel

and

you

say

amen

Lord

I

love

what

I'm

hearing

the

wonder

of

the

gospel

of

Jesus

Christ

it's

a

mark

of

real

assurance

me

and

we

know

the

voice

of

Jesus

and

we

are

thrilled

when

we

hear

it

we

rejoice

because

into

our

lives

into

the

chaos

and

darkness

of

our

lives

light

comes

through

the

gospel

the

good

news

of

Jesus

comes

to

us

and

we

rejoice

in

that

hope

we're

battling

through

our

own

sin

we

read

the

Bible

the

gospel

that

assures

us

of

the

promise

of

forgiveness

for

God's

children

that

will

be

forgiven

and

our

hearts

thrill

we're

in

the

darkness

of

despair

and

depression

we

read

something

like

Psalm

42

or

Psalm

43

and

I

will

reflect

and

remember

that

I

will

once

again

come

before

God

in

his

holy

place

and

there's

the

invitation

of

God

that

says

you

can

come

to

me

we're

in

the

mire

of

sorrow

of

the

death

of

loved

ones

who

have

departed

before

us

we

come

to

the

passages

of

scripture

that

talk

about

the

resurrection

the

death

cannot

hold

them

because

there

is

power

in

the

blood

of

Jesus

to

conquer

death

and

our

hearts

are

lifted

and

we

say

glory

glory

because

the

Lord

is

speaking

because

the

Lord

is

announcing

his

presence

amongst

us

and

we

are

taken

from

the

sorrow

of

this

world

and

lifted

up

into

the

clouds

with

Christ

and

we

say

glory

we

recognize

our

God

and

so

tonight

that

is

my

challenge

to

you

what

are

you

hearing

when

you

hear

the

voice

of

the

Lord

what

do

you

hear

do

you

hear

something

that

terrifies

you

or

do

you

hear

something

that

brings

hope

and

delight

into

your

experience

the

psalm

then

it

moves

on

into

its

conclusion

and

our

time

is

nearly

done

so

we'll

finish

on

this

the

Lord

sits

enthroned

over

the

flood

the

last

two

verses

they

serve

as

a

sort

of

book

end

of

the

psalm

and

they

reflect

some

of

the

language

of

the

beginning

of

the

psalm

as

well

so

the

metaphor

is

no

longer

in

play

now

David

is

talking

literal

truth

the

Lord

sits

enthroned

over

the

flood

he

says

the

Lord

sits

enthroned

as

king

forever

may

the

Lord

give

strength

to

his

people

may

the

Lord

bless

his

people

with

peace

with

shalom

the

picture

is

no

longer

there

it's

now

truth

something

infirm

that we

need

to

lay

hold

of

the

God

who

speaks

is

the

God

who

is

enthroned

and

where

he

is

enthroned

matters

earlier

on in

the

psalm

we've

seen

the

voice

of

the

Lord

is

over

the

waters

and

now

the

voice

of

the

Lord

sits

enthroned

over

the

flood

the

flood

in

David's

world

it's

called

a

chiasm

it's

like

when

you've

got

two

ideas

the

same

at

both

ends

of

a

piece

of

text

they

act

like

bookends

and

they're

trying

to

point

out

something

really

important

and

what's

really

important

here

is

that

the

idea

of

the

word

the

flood

is

really

telling

in

the

Old

Testament

the

flood

goes

back

to

both

the

days

of

Noah

and

even

further

back

to

the

very

beginning

of

creation

so

before

God

begins

the

work

of

creation

the

way

over

the

face

of

the

earth

and

it's

into

this

that

God

says

let

there

be

light

and

then

God

separates

the

earth

from

the

sea

and

God

creates

the

sky

and

so

on

there's

that

sense

that

before

God

began

the

work

of

creation

there

is

just

chaos

everywhere

and

that

same

chaos

is

what

engulfs

the

world

in

the

flood

of

Noah

that

the

human

race

is

almost

exterminated

in

fact

because

of

the

flood

that

comes

and

wipes

everything

out

it's

utterly

terrifying

and

the

Lord

sits

enthroned

over

all

of

this

that

tonight

that's

something

we need

to lay

hold

of

as

Christians

that

this

God

who's

speaking

to

us

this

God

whose

voice

we

love

he

is

enthroned

over

everything

that is

happening

in our

lives

so

tonight

you

might

be

here

really

in

turmoil

you

might

tonight

be

facing

the

turmoil

of

I

don't

know

a

recent

cancer

diagnosis

I

don't

know

the

turmoil

of

a

recent