Sermon

The High God Who Regards the Lowly

August 19, 2020 Trinity Cambridge Church

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Psalm 138 of David
Psalm 139 of David
A caveat before I use this illustration
This is not
A political endorsement
Of any kind
I actually don't know
Who I'm going to vote for
Probably Kanye West
Just kidding
Yesterday
Was the Democratic National Convention
And there was one thing
That came out
That was fitting
And this is all politically staged
And calculated
And I'm fairly cynical
About politics
So don't take this at all
As an endorsement
Of this person's character
But Joe Biden
Was first nominated
By a woman named Jacqueline Brittany
Did you guys hear this?
Hear about this?
So Jacqueline Brittany
Was a previously little known security guard
At the New York Times headquarters
So she's like an elevator guard
Basically
She waits at the lobby
And when someone comes
Takes them to the elevator
Escorts them to the floor
And then comes back down
And goes back to the lobby
And she kind of became
A viral sensation
Last December
When she
Basically
Joe Biden came in
And Joe Biden was like
Her favorite candidate
Or whatever
This was when
All the Democratic candidates
Primary candidates
Were trying to win
The New York Times endorsement
And so he was there
To do an interview
With the New York Times
And then she just
Blurted out
Oh I love you
And he was like
Really nice to her
And offered to
Take a selfie with her
After getting off the elevator
And whatnot
And so she
Became
This viral sensation
And she
Was called upon
To become the first person
To nominate Joe Biden
At the Democratic convention
Yesterday
And what she said
Was obviously scripted
But it was still meaningful
In the sense that
She said this
I take powerful people
Up on my elevator
All the time
When they get off
They go to their
Important meetings
But in the short time
I spent with Joe Biden
I could tell
He really saw me
That he actually cared
That my life
Meant something to him
And I knew
Even when he went
Into that important meeting
He'd take my story
In there with him
That's because
Joe Biden has room
In his heart
For more than just himself
So
This kind of tribute
Is meaningful
Because it's an example
Of someone
In an exalted position
Right
A position of power
You know
Coming to me
To meet someone
In a lowly position
Right
Like an elevator
Security guard
And
And
And in a much
More meaningful sense
And in a
In a
In a far
More real sense
We have been witnesses
Of that kind of
Magnanimity
And condescension
In the best sense
Of that word
Right
And that's in God
Who had nothing
To gain from us
Whatsoever
Right
Joe Biden
Had something to gain
From her
Right
Camera was rolling
When he was in the elevator
Right
And he
Obviously
It makes him look really good
When he does something like that
Right
And
But God
Had nothing
To gain
From
Attending to us
Nothing
He was already
He was already king
He was not vying
For the affection
Of the people
To get their votes
Or approval
Right
He
He had nothing
To gain from us
And yet
He stooped down
To save us
To make a covenant
With us
To
To rescue us
From our sins
To deliver us
And so
That's really
What this psalm
Is about
God's condescension
And the main point
Is that we should
Give thanks
To the high God
Who regarded us
As in our lowliest state
And so
There's really
Three movements
In this psalm
The first is
David speaks of
God's exaltation
Before the gods
In verses 1 to 3
And then he speaks
Of God's exaltation
Before the kings
In verses 4 to 6
And then finally
He speaks of
God's condescension
To the lowly
In verses 7 to 8
And so
First we see
God's exaltation
Before the gods
In verses 1 to 3
Verse 1 says
I give you thanks
O Lord
With my whole heart
Before the gods
I sing your praise
So the gods
Is not a reference
To other deities
The Bible clearly
Teaches that
The Lord our God
The Lord is one
Right?
Deuteronomy 6
And that the idols
It also teaches
That the idols
That people worship
Are no gods at all
Right?
Jeremiah chapter 16

Jeremiah 16 chapter mention
20 says
Can man make
For himself gods
Such are not gods
Right?
But the Bible
Does call
Lesser angelic beings
Gods
In various places
With quotations
Maybe
In English
So to speak
So it's
You see that
In Psalm 58

Psalms 58:1
Verse 1
Do you indeed
Decree what is right
You gods?
Do you judge
The children of men
Albrightly?
In Psalm 82

Psalms 82:1
Verse 1
God has taken
His place
In the divine council
In the midst of the gods
He holds judgment
So these are the kind of
Angelic beings
Who
That the Bible sees
As ruling
At God's appointment
Over the various nations
Throughout the world
So this is kind of
That's kind of
The biblical
Cosmology
And
And
And
And these are the kind of
Beings that are in view
When David says this
And
And of all of these
So called gods
In the presence of
Before all of these
Rulers of the nations
David says
He has eyes
For only one God
And that is the Lord
He says
And he says to him
I give you thanks
With my whole heart
Because
He worships only one God
So he can give him
His whole heart
An undivided heart
And his worship
Is exclusive
And he confidently declares
Before these
So called gods
I sing your praise
O Lord
So he
Accepts no rival claim
Of deity
And David continues
His worship in verse 2
I bow down
Toward your holy temple
And give thanks
To your name
For your steadfast love
And your faithfulness
For you have exalted
Above all things
Your name and your word
So two verbs
Are used to describe
David's worship
Right
So first is
Bow down
He says
I bow down
That's the same word
That is sometimes
Translated as
Worship
I worship
And to worship
Means
In Hebrew
To bow down
And so it really
Conveys
What
Worship
At his heart
Means
To worship
Doesn't mean
To co-opt
God
For our purposes
To worship
Doesn't mean
To say things
About God
That makes us
Feel good
About ourselves
To worship
At his heart
Is to bow down
To submit
To surrender
To lower
Ourselves
In our
Take our proper
Place
Before the God
Who is exalted
And the second
Verb that is used
Is give thanks
Second he said
I give thanks
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is
Emphasized
So frequently
And consistently
Throughout scripture
But I think
It's something
That doesn't
Get that much
Attention
In terms of
What we talk
About
But we are
As we know
To give thanks
In all circumstances
Right in 1 Thessalonians 5
And because only
Thanksgiving
Properly recognizes
How good
And gracious
God has been
To us
It's the only
Posture
That's appropriate
For God's people
Considering how good
And gracious
God has been
Toward us
And so that's
The two verbs
That David uses
For worship
And then he gives
The two reasons
Why he worships
Verse 2 again
For your steadfast love
And your faithfulness
That's the first reason
And then for
You have exalted
Above all things
Your name
And your word
So two reasons
So steadfast love
And faithfulness
Really summarize
God's gracious character
And God's name
And word
Summarize his
Glorious position
That God is
Unreservedly
Committed to his people
In love and faithfulness
And so he deserves
The worship of his people
But not only that
God has exalted
Above all things
Lifted high
Above all things
His name
Which stands for
His person
His identity
And his word
Which refers to
His speech
His revelation
Of himself
The scriptures
As well as all
That God has said
And promised
And so these two things
God is exalted
Above all things
Meaning
Nothing and no one
Can rival the glory
And authority
Of God's name
And God's word
And because God
Is who he is
David now testifies
In verse 3
On the day I called
You answered me
My strength of soul
You increased
It's a great expression
I don't know how many
Times you guys
Have felt
That
Not just
Physical
Depletion
But
Feeling like
You've been sapped
Of your soul
Strength
Right
Being sapped
Of
Maybe your very
Life's vitality
Right
Sometimes you feel
Like that
And those are times
We need to call out
To the Lord
And he increases
The strength
Of our souls
And so because
Of who God is
And what he has done
David exalts God
Before the gods
And then in verses
4 to 6
He speaks of God's
Exaltation before the kings
He said in verse 4
All the kings of the earth
Shall give you thanks
O Lord
So because God
Is supreme
Over all
He is praised
Before all the gods
The angelic beings
But not only that
Because God is sovereign
Over all
He is to be praised
Not only by David
Who is the king of Israel
But also by all the kings
Of earth
The kings of all the nations
For they have heard
The words of your mouth
And they shall sing
Of the ways
Of the Lord
So these are the reasons
For the praise
For great is the glory
Of the Lord
So the words of God's mouth
And the glory of the Lord
Are the reasons
For praising him
And they correspond
To the name and word
Of God
Mentioned it
Again in verse 2
And then in verse 6
He adds one more reason
Why the kings of the earth
Should give thanks to God
For though the Lord
Is high
He regards the lowly
But the haughty
He knows from afar
And this is what
We were talking about
Is that God
Who should have
No regard
For people like us
Chose us
And has a relationship
With us
Makes promises to us
And delivers us
From our enemies
And David
And David has
Personally experienced this
And so he says
In verse 7
Do I walk in the midst
Of trouble
You preserve my life
You stretch out your hand
Against the wrath
Of my enemies
And your right hand
Delivers me
And
And then verse 8
The Lord will fulfill
His purpose for me
Your steadfast love
O Lord
Endures forever
Do not forsake
The work
Of your hand
And this psalm
The deliverance
That is in view here
Of David
Is fulfilled ultimately
In the deliverance
That God sends
To his son Jesus
And because Jesus
Is God's ultimate expression
Of his condescension
That God
Who
The God of the universe
Somehow
Becomes incarnate
In a baby
Right
He's born in a manger
In a stable
And he lives
A life
Of
Lives among
Sinful men
And
And he dies
And die
Death of a sinner
A criminal
A slave
And
And he does this
Not because
He is lowly
Rather
He is the most
Exalted
Above them all
He's the most
Exalted
His name
Is exalted
Right
And yet
He
He dies
Because he wants
To save us
To deliver us
To lift us up
From the mire
Of sin
And so in dying
For our sins
On the cross
And being raised
From the dead
He rescues us
And so the Lord
He fulfills
His promise
His purpose
For us
His steadfast love
Endures
Forever
That's why in Luke 1
73 to 75
Zechariah uses
These expressions
Of being delivered
From the hand
Of the enemy
To speak of Jesus
This is that
God grants
That we
Being delivered
From the hand
Of our enemies
Might serve him
Without fear
In holiness
And righteousness
Before him
All our days
This happens
Through Jesus
And something
To remember
I think
As we
As we live
Is just how
God condescends
To us in Jesus
Because here
It says that
The Lord is high
He regards the lowly
And in Jesus
God becomes lowly
Right
And I'm reminded
Of what Jesus
Said in Matthew
11 29
Right
When he says
Come to me
All you
Who are heavy laden
Right
He says
I am
For I am
Gentle
And lowly
In heart
And you'll
Find rest
For your souls
He
It's
He
He describes
Himself
In his heart
His very heart
As gentle
And lowly
Lowly
Meaning
You know
You
I don't know
Walk into a
Walk into a room
You know
Walking to a
Networking hall
And you
People are always
Kind of
Measuring themselves
Against other people
And then there's
There's a hierarchy
In people's minds
Okay
Those are the
Important people
These are the people
You want to talk to
Maybe even when you
Come to church
There's a hierarchy
Oh these are the
Important people
These are the people
You want to talk to
Right
But
If
And the people
Who are
In power
People who are
High and exalted
Are less accessible
To us
Right
But Jesus
Who is
The most exalted
He was not like that
He was
He is accessible
To us
He is gentle
And lowly
He makes himself
Available to us
He condescends
To us
That's what God
Has been doing
Throughout the entire
Redemptive history
Recorded in scripture
And Jesus is the
Ultimate
The culmination
Of that
And so
I might just
Hope that we
Live with that reality
Understanding of our
Savior
And know his
Feel and sense
His graciousness
And goodness
And don't forget
That he will
Fulfill all of his
Promises
He is the
Author and perfecter
Of our faith
All the things
That we might be
Discouraged by
All the sins
Besetting sins
In our own lives
All the struggles
That we face
In this life
We can pray
Along with David
Verse 8
Do not forsake
The work of your hand
We are God's
Handiwork
We are the work
Of his hand
He is not going
To forsake us
He will continue
That work
He has begun
Thank you