Clarity for Life

As we continue in our series in the book of Psalms, I love this

book. These Psalms are, as all of them

are, straight from the heart. They are speaking to the

practical matters of life, and my goodness, they are

encouraging, clarifying, and often meet us right where we

are, no matter what we're going through.

If you're interested in where we're headed at the end of July,

when we turn the turn into August, on those Sundays, we

will pick up in the New Testament letter of First John.

So if you want to read ahead and study a bit, we're going to be

walking through First John together beginning this fall.

But we're walking through Psalms now, and I pray they've been an

encouragement to you. I know they've been an

encouragement to me as you, as you have your place in Psalm

May, let me tell you the story that's been told of a man by the

name. Giovanni.

Giovanni was a lawyer, had a son named Carlo, and they moved in

the middle of winter. It was January and they moved to

a new home. And as soon as they moved in,

father and son, the next day, this massive snowstorm hits and

they're snowed in. So all schools are canceled.

And Carlo had some school work he had to do from home.

In fact, he did have a school essay he had to submit that day

online that was due. And unfortunately though,

Giovanni the father still had to go into the office at least for

about an hour to sign a contract with a client that he had.

And so he leaves Carlo behind as he goes into the office.

A few hours later, Giovanni received a text message from his

son Carlo that read Windows frozen won't open.

Windows Frozen won't open. Now Giovanni was a little bit

confused, because he didn't know why young Carlo wanted to open

the windows on such a wintery snowy day.

But he thought for a minute he didn't have much time to think

about it. He was trying to get to the

meeting with his client, so he simply thought back to some days

when he actually lived in the Italian.

Alps and some. Cold weather and gave his son a

remedy he thought would work and it went like this.

He text heat up some water and pour it over the edges and the

gently tap with a hammer. Giovanni then raced off to his

meeting with his client to make sure the contract got signed as

he had promised and over the next hour they worked through

that contract in his phone as you felt before when you can't

look at it was buzzing all along in his pocket.

Finally contract signed client was served and looks at his

phone and the text messages from Carlo red number one.

Are you sure? Then a few minutes later, hurry

up my I must send in my essay. Then the text message said, OK,

now the computer won't turn on at all.

Well, I'm confused by the messages.

Giovanni called home, and Carlo answered the phone, a little

frustrated, a little angry, as you might imagine, The

conversation went like this. OK, what's wrong with the

computer? Giovanni asked.

I don't know. I poured hot water over the

edges and I tapped with a hammer.

Now it won't turn on at all. It's dead.

Well, Giovanni realized the Sun wasn't talking about the windows

of the House is some of the windows of the operating system

of his computer. Carlos computer had been frozen

now, thanks to hot water and a tapping hammer, it was dead as a

doornail, right as a door knob. However that saying goes, My

point is this confusion y'all can be can be damaging,

confusion is destructive and confusion can be honestly can be

deadly. And not just physically but

spiritually. Confusion can be damaging and

destructive and deadly. Now on the other hand, the

opposite of confusion is clarity.

And, and clarity can be constructive.

Clarity, praise God can be so kind.

Clarity can be life giving. And again, not just physically

but spiritually, praise God for the clarity He has given us in

His word. Clarity for life.

Because you know what the truth of the matter is.

Because of sin, my sin, your sin, and our forefathers sins,

life has frozen up and won't open.

Life is locked up on us because of sin and won't open, and all

people everywhere are trying lots of different things, every

experiment under the sun to try to get life to thaw out and open

up and to work and it just won't right.

And sometimes only making things worse.

I praise God, we praise God for the clarity for life that He

gives us in his Word. And by the way, out of all the

things that Psalm chapter 8 does, in fact, there's so many

Psalms 8 · chapter mention

ways to go about processing the truth of Psalm 8.

But as I thought about it and worked through it this week, I

just thought, you know what? This Psalm is clarity for life.

If you don't understand the truths of Psalm 8, life will

never work and make sense the way it's supposed to.

By the way, this clarity for life sometimes can be can can be

something that we think sometimes people have got all

figured out life on the outside, but they don't have on the

inside. Sometimes people can look like

they've got life all put together, maybe like a fit body

and a fat wallet and driving fine cars and a perfectly

manicured yard. You know, maybe like your

neighbor has or you have. But on the inside they're

they're broke. On the inside, life's frozen up.

They're confused, they're pouring hot water over the edges

of life and anything they can do to try to tap and make life work

and seek and find contentment and satisfaction and joy and

life and future and hope, and they just can't find it because

they're looking at all the wrong places.

Praise God for the clarity for life He's given us in His Word.

Psalm chapter 8 is going to give us some clarity for life.

Psalms 8 · chapter mention

Listen to the Word of God as I read Psalm chapter 8.

Psalms 8 · chapter mention

Oh Lord our Lord, oh Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name

in all the earth. You've set your glory above the

heavens, and out of the mouths of babies and infants.

You've established strength because of your foes, to steal

the enemy and the avenger. When I look at your heavens, the

work of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you've set

in place, what is man? And that's the question of life,

isn't it? What is man?

God, that you are mindful of Him, and the Son of man that you

care for him. Yet you've made him a little

lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and

honor. You've given Him dominion over

the works of your hands. You've put all things under his

feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beast of the field, the

birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes

along the paths of the Seas. Oh Lord our Lord, how majestic

is your name in all the earth. The first clarity for life that

we get from this text is this truth, and it's #1 here only God

is great, only God is truly great.

Oh Lord our Lord, how majestic is your name, David says in all

the earth. The first thing David is

acknowledging here is the reality, y'all, that there is

one true and only one true God, Lord, Maker, Sustainer, and

Creator of everything that there is.

Some people have had that clarity of life and others have

not, and they're still pouring hot water and tapping on the

edges, failing to realize the truth.

There is only one God, one Maker, 1 Sustainer, and 1 Lord.

Second, David isn't just acknowledging God, but he is

claiming to know God. In other words, he's claiming

the reality. You.

We can know God personally. Notice he says not just O God or

O Lord, but our like David knows this God personally, right?

And again, lots of people, some people have made this clarity

for life realization that God not only is, but he wants and

longs and desires a personal relationship with us.

But most people, many people have not found this clarity for

life realization that God not only is, belongs and desires to

have a personal relationship with him through faith in his

Son Jesus Christ. And so the reality is right.

So like all human beings belong to humankind, right?

And in that way, we have a relationship with one another as

human beings. And yet we know, you know, that

you share a unique relationship with those in your family.

Well, guess what? God the Father obviously is the

Creator of all people, of all mankind, right?

Of every human being. But God only shares a special,

unique relationship as Father, not just with those He made, but

only with those who have been born again and made his, brought

into His family by faith in His Son Jesus Christ.

Do you belong in that family if you made the realization for

life that God not only is, but He longs for a personal

relationship with you through His Son Jesus Christ, longing

for you to be in His? Family, David acknowledges not

just that God is that you can know him personally, but David

acknowledges the greatness of God here.

Did you see that word he uses twice at the beginning and end?

Oh Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all?

The earth. Now what in the world does David

mean when he says, oh Lord, how majestic is your name, right?

I mean, maybe you'd be like me, like God.

I've never actually seen your name inscribed or scribbled in

the sky. I haven't.

Have you, God? I've never seen your name carved

in the bark of a tree, God, I've witnessed a lot of incredible

western sky sunsets, but God, I've never looked at the bottom

right hand corner and seen the initials of God, of Yahweh, of

the I am Himself scribbled right there to see.

Have you? What in the world then does

David mean then? How majestic is your name in all

the earth? Well, by name, by that David

simply means God's reality, God's existence and God's

excellence and God's character and his goodness and his power

and his glory. And yes, even as the word he

uses, God's majesty, it's clear that the greatness and goodness

and glory of God permeates all of creation.

Now again, people get confused here.

Right, because you may be sitting here thinking, McCall,

if that's true, how come so many people can't see it?

Let's be honest. How do scientists spend their

lives investigating the secrets of the universe and fail to see

the majesty of Almighty God permeating every inch of it?

If it's there, how do they miss it?

How does scientists and geologists and astronomers see

the incredible balance and perfection of the law and order

and detailed intricacy of the universe, even down to the human

eye and failed to see the design and the creator behind

everything created? How are they so blind if it's

true, Kyle How many times, how often, how?

Why can't people see? The Bible has a very clear

clarity for life answer for that issue.

I'll go and tell it to you, but then I want you to maybe read

this passage on your own this afternoon.

But it answers in a passage, Romans chapter 1.

Romans 1 · chapter mention

The answer is people don't see because of the blindness that

sin has caused them. This truth out of Romans chapter

Romans 1 · chapter mention

1 is one that often we have to go back to to understand how our

world works. This is clarity for life.

Let me just read you some verses of chapter one verse 18.

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all

ungodliness and unrighteousness to men who watch this by their

unrighteousness suppress the what?

The truth of the majesty of the name of God written throughout

all creation. For what can be known about God

is plain to them, because God has shown it to them.

For His invisible attributes, namely His eternal power and

divine nature, have been clearly perceived from when, ever since

the creation of the world, ever since the world's been around,

the nature, beauty, power, excellence, the name of God has

been obviously written throughout it.

For all they knew God right? And let me go back in the things

that have been made. So they are without excuse.

For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give

thanks to him, but became futile in their thinking, and in their

foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became

fools, and they exchanged. Can I use a different word?

They exchanged the majesty of Almighty God for the of the

immortal God, for images resembling mortal man and birds

and animals and creeping things. Why can't man see?

Because mankind saw and decided to suppress the truth of the

majesty of God and continues to suppress that truth and deny

that truth to this day. Praise God.

Aren't you glad that if you see the majesty of God, it's because

of the grace of God, because of the work of the Holy Spirit in

your heart that has opened your eyes to see the greatness and

glory of Jesus Christ and the Maker of all things.

David is a man who's had his eyes opened to the majesty and

might and glory of God. By the way, can I just tell you

this practically, if you ever lose sight of the greatness of

God, that only God is great, you will live your life

disappointed, looking for greatness in anything and

everything else under the sun that will never give you

greatness. Fail to see, fail to realize

that only God is great. You'll spend your life.

You'll waste your life looking for something great.

Lots of good things under the sun to enjoy, but only God.

Only God. Is great clarity for life #1

clarity for life number 2 is God's glory.

God's glory is everywhere. God's glory is everywhere.

David says how majestic is your name where in all the earth no

matter where you go, right, no matter where you look, the

evidence of the master handiwork of God is present.

It didn't matter if you go to the deserts full of sand or the

ocean depths. The majesty and might of the

handiwork of God if you go and see mountain heights, if you

just behold a bright blue Big Sky.

If you go look in a microscope at microscopic organisms, if you

just want to sit on your porch and see day, sunrise and sunset

and the rhythm of day and night, pouring forth speech, all of it

speaks of the might and master handiwork of God, right?

And yet as loud as all of that is, even more so God has

manifested his glory, David says above the heavens.

He's like, hey, as great as all that is is as unimaginable as

God's glory is that we see reflected in creation.

You know, you can't even see God's greatest glory right now

because this above the heavens. Now, what does he mean by

heavens? Well, the Bible kind of has a

three fold concept of the word heaven.

The first one might be just what we might call the aerial heaven,

like Earth's atmosphere, heavens.

That's referred to as heaven in the Bible where the birds fly,

airplanes go, and skyscrapers reach, right?

That's kind of the aerial Earth's atmosphere, right?

And then there's what we might call like the stellar heavens,

like the home of the sun, moon and stars.

There's those heavens. They've been saying God has set

his glory above plural the heavens, Earth's atmosphere,

heaven above the galactic stellar heavens.

He set his glory in the dwelling place, what's called the 3rd

heaven. It's even referenced in Hebrews

924, the dwelling place of God, where it says for Christ has

entered. This is after his life, death,

burial and resurrection. Christ has entered not into holy

places made with hands which are copies of the true things, but

into heaven itself. Now, to appear in the presence

of God on our behalf, y'all, as glorious as all of creation is,

God's greatest glory as we speak is not even yet fully visible.

But Can you imagine that day we get to see God's glory face to

face, dwelling in unapproachable light?

God Almighty, Maker of all things.

I mean, part of creation's design is just to give us a

glimpse of just how glorious it's Maker must be.

For how big, how grand, how majestic God is infinitely

greater, bigger and better. This set his glory above the

heavens and yet right just as heaven.

This is not just heaven, shouts the glory of God.

You go back down to earth and David says, did you notice an

inner creation and find the smallest, the weakest among us?

And guess what you'll find there, even out of the mouth of

children, God is what God is praised.

Now, that doesn't mean that all children everywhere all the time

praise God. Wouldn't that be awesome if they

did? My son, he's not in here

anymore. I look down, he's like, dad, I'm

just here for the Lord's Supper, not for you preaching.

So praise God, right? He came for that.

But he's going back to Sunday school to hear what?

What if all kids everywhere, they never talked back.

I'm not saying they did anything wrong.

That was probably the right move.

But I what if they just always everywhere gave praise and glory

to God? Well, they don't always do that,

but what this is saying is that yes, and even specific ways and

certain times and for His design and glory, even out of the

mouths of the youngest, the smallest, the feeblest, God has

ordained praise. Now the greatest, the greatest

come to pass of this happened in the life of Jesus while on earth

in Matthew 21, verse 14 through 16.

Matthew 21:14–16

This is familiar to you, I think.

And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple and he

healed them. But when the chief priest and

the scribe saw the wonderful things that he did and the

children crying out in the temple, Hosanna to the son of

David, they were indignant and they asked, they said to him, do

you hear what these people are saying?

And Jesus said to them, have you never read?

Do you not know Psalm 8? Out of the mouths of infants and

nursing babies, you have prepared praise.

Now what might be a shock to you?

But if you read and study any on the history of revivals and

mighty movements of God, almost always you will find written

records of how God mightily used little children and mighty

movements of God around the world.

Included little children to do things that only by the power of

the Holy Spirit could have happened.

Things like being led by God, children being led by God to

pray and fast children being led by God to prompted to preach

children being emboldened by God to witness and share the gospel.

Children emboldened by God to pray for physical healing and

the salvation of the lost. Oftentimes their parents

anywhere you look and see out of the mouth even of little

children, God is ordained praise out of the weakest.

Why would God do that? God who's majesty and glory is

ultimately set above the heavens, Why would he

intentionally design even out of the mouths of the weakest, the

littlest of feeblest to ordain praise?

You know why? Because God loves to look at the

enemy and say, you know what? I'm going to show you how great

I am by taking the weakest, the smallest of feeblest, and

they're even going to glorify me and give me praise.

I can be glorified and honored. And the littlest, the smallest

of feeblest. God loves to slap the enemy in

the face by using the weakest to bring glory to Himself.

Which by the way, ought to be a reminder to me and you of this.

We may not be a little child anymore, but if God can use a

little child to bring glory, honor and praise to him, then

God can use you. And the The thing is, we often

think, well, I'm not good at this, or I can't do that, or

I've done this, or I'm disqualified because of this or

I don't feel like I'm excuse after excuse, right?

We throw up our weaknesses at God and God's like, don't you

realize? I love to use that very tight

situation. I love to use people and things

that are weak and in abilities because you know what happens

when God uses our weaknesses to display His strength?

You know what happens? Who gets the glory God does

instead of us. God, whose glory is above the

heavens, wants to use the weakest, the feeblest, the

littlest. Including you and me to bring

himself glory. God's glory is everywhere.

Thirdly, third clarity for life. We get out of the question that

David asked in this Psalm, and it's this truth.

Physically, physically, mankind is minuscule in light of all

creation, in light of the grandness of the universe.

The truth of the matter is you need to understand.

I need to understand mankind is kind of minuscule.

Y'all notice that we're pretty small in light of all of

creation? In fact, David asked, it says it

like this. He asked the most logical

question possible. He he's beholding the heavens,

he's thinking about. And he didn't even fully

understand to the level of the degree that scientists have been

able to understand how that sun is 1 giant blazing star and it's

just one among trillions of others.

David says. When I look at the heavens, when

I look up at the galactic distances, the stellar

realities, the stars and the moon and planets, and of course

we can see far more now and further than what he could see

in his day. When I look up there, God, and I

look back down, what in the world am I that you would care

for God? How small am I?

How minuscule am I that you would care for me?

This is the question of all questions.

In fact, in the words of another, they've said it like

this. Astronomy.

Reveals what a mere Adam man is in the midst of creations

immensity. David looks up and like God, I'm

like this small particle of matter.

What is it that you would care for for me physically?

It's true that mankind is minuscule, but that leads us to

the 4th and final clarity for life in verses 5 through 8.

Which is this? Spiritually, mankind is most

precious. Spiritually, mankind is most

precious. Physically, yes, we're miniscule

and light of the created universe, a mere Adam compared

to the gigantic realities all around us.

And yet spiritually, mankind is most precious.

It says here, look again, you've made him a little lower than the

heavenly beings. What does that mean?

It means God made mankind in the degree of dignity, just slightly

lower than the angelic beings. And by the way, it will not

always be that way. It is for now, but a day's

coming when Jesus returns in the resurrection and we are joined

with him forever. The Saints.

God's Word tells us we'll even be involved in judging who?

Judging angels? No longer set just below them in

dignity, but we are for now God. You've made mankind just below,

just in dignity, a little lower than the heavenly beings.

But then notice what he says. Yet you've crowned him mankind

with glory and honor. I'm going to quote something in

a second that might sound different than something you've

heard. I'll hope to bring a balance

between two truths I want you to see here.

But listen to this. This is helpful quote if one

were to imagine a scale. Of one to 10 with living

creatures such as Beast as a one and God as a 10, then so high is

David's estimation of humanity, he should have put mankind at an

8 or a nine. In other words, it is God, not

animals, who is man's closest relatives now, closest relative.

Now when you hear that, like I hear that, I'm like, whoa, wait

a second. There is still a vast, in fact

infinite distance between the creator and the Creator.

And I'm not trying to close that distance.

We're not God, and God is infinitely greater and

infinitely higher and infinitely more absolute.

And he's only independent. He's the only one self existent

and we are totally as creatures dependent on Him.

And yet clarity versus confusion is most of men through the

years, in fact, some that you know well and Charles Darwin and

others have said, you know what, we're just a little higher than

animals. We're just one degree more

sophisticated than monkeys. The Bible says you're just a

degree below the heavenly angelic beings out of all of

creation on a scale of 1 to 10, you're more like God, the only

ones the crown of his creation made in his image to rule and

represent on earth for him. It was as if when God made all

of creation in the earth, you know what he said?

I'm going to make a special part of my creation to be the royal

family on my behalf, to image me, to represent me, to reign

and rule through them so they can create.

A place in a culture and relationships and environment

that reflect my character. They're going to be most like me

than anything else I put on the planet.

Do you follow me? Praise God for the clarity God's

Word provides us confusion on the place and role of man in

life. Confusion brings destruction.

It's damaging and it's deadly because if you're just a cosmic

accident that happened to get dressed this morning, then your

life is meaningless and mine is meaningless and you're not

really going anywhere. There really is no hope.

And you better eat and drink and be merry, for tomorrow you die.

It might happen today. That confusion is damaging, it's

destructive, it's deadly. But the reality that God made

you, designed you for His glory, made you in His image, and gave

you the job of exercising dominion over all that He has

made. In fact, let me put it in the

words of another, mortals have not gained power over the

creation by chance, mechanistic process, but by a mandate from

the Creator to establish a culture that expresses God's

character. All this role that we were given

to exercise this dominion. He says you have given Him

dominion over the works of your hands, and then he put all says

put all things under our feet. God has given to mankind the

charge to rule and reign over and to steward everything in

creation. All right, God gave us this

mandate prior to the fall of sin.

God is not taking it away after our fallen descent.

Yes, the image of God is marred in us.

The crown we have has been rolled in the dust, right?

The glory is not what it once was.

In fact, you could put it like this when in Garden of Eden,

Adam and Eve had perfect dominion, perfect charge,

perfect control and leadership of all of creation.

They're under their stewardship, right?

Imagine the day the animals just walked right by, nice and kind

by Adam. He was unafraid of the lions and

the tigers and the bears giving them their name.

Life's not quite like that anymore, is it?

The wrong encounter with the wrong dog on the wrong day can

be terrifying. Sends you up a tree or climbing

and hugging a mailbox, right? You're like, I don't really feel

in domain right now, Kyle. I was running at youth camp, ran

down this road, saw a dog at the garage.

Next thing you know, that dog was at the end of that driveway

looking at me like he didn't like me.

I talked back to him like I didn't like him.

Then I kept running. Praise God, but right?

I mean, that domain is imperfect now, and yet it's not over with.

And even through the brokenness of sin, we're exercising that

domain, right? Because mankind still tames

beast of every kind, Do we not? Do we not fly through the air at

the speed of sound? Do we not till the ground to

grow our food? Do we not, by the power and

grace of God, rocket into space and back?

Do we not sail the seas? Do we not understand mysteries?

That got me. That domain is still.

It's imperfect. We're marred.

The image of God is not nearly as clear as it once was.

But this is not over with. We still have a charge given to

us by God to exercise and reign and rule over creation on His

behalf. It's just not near as easy as it

once was. We still have the charge, now we

just have to sweat, bleed, and die to do it.

But the truth of the matter is, it won't always be that way.

It won't always be that way. Life as we know it under the

curse of sin will not always be this way.

The reason we know that is because of what the Bible, again

clarity for life, makes so clear for us.

And This is why the writer of Hebrews quotes Psalm chapter 8

Psalms 8 · chapter mention

to speak to the answer of why is it that life will not always be

as we experience it now? Why is it that we have hope that

that curse one day will be broken, that one day we'll reign

and rule with Jesus Christ and perfect righteousness with life

forevermore, the way God intended for us to live it?

He says here in Hebrews, and I'll read it again as we read

it. What is man that you are mindful

of him, or the Son of man that you care for Him?

You made Him a little lower than the angels.

You've crowned Him with glory and honor.

You've put everything in subjection under His feet.

Now I'm putting everything in subjection to Him.

He left nothing outside His control.

But watch this. This is a really honest

statement right here. At present we do not yet see

everything in subjection to Jesus.

Is that not true? I mean the curse of sin still

running rampant, right? It ran in the form of how water

in like an hour in South Texas and how many people lost their

lives tragically. The curse of sin is still

happening. We don't yet see everything

perfectly yet under the feet of Jesus and yet namely Jesus

crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of

death, so that by the grace of God, he might taste death

forever. Now skip to verse 14.

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he

himself likewise partook of the same things he partook.

He was made a little lower than the angels, taking on flesh like

we have. Why?

So that through death he might. Here it is.

Here's the good news. Here's the hope we have.

Here's why life will not always be the way we experience it

today. That He might destroy the one

who has the power of death, that is the devil.

And watch this and deliver all those who through fear of death,

were subject to lifelong slavery.

O Lord our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth.

Because though we messed it up. God was mindful of us, mere

Adams in comparison to all the physical created universe, but

made precious in His sight. God so loved us that He would

send His only Son to come and His dignity be humbled, taking

on the form of a human, taking on the form of a servant, and

even going to the humility to the point of dying on the cross

wine so that we huddled in our fig leaves in the garden because

of our sin. He could clothe us in the

righteousness of Christ and impart to us life if we by faith

would trust Him, raise us up to new life, cause us to be born

again so that one day when He returns, we will reign and rule

with Him forever, even judging angels.

Oh Lord our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth?

Can you see it? Has the curse of sin blinded you

to it or have your eyes been open like David's have?

I just want to ask a few questions to ask you to reflect

on before John and praise team come.

The first one is this, have you realized, have your have you

seen, have your eyes been opened to the glory of God?

What I'm asking is, is there been a day and a time when

you've seen your sin, you've seen your need for a Savior?

You realize the glory of Jesus Christ, what He did for you out

of love for you, you called on Him to save you.

The glory power of God made you alive.

If not, maybe seeing that glory of God today, pointing to Jesus

Christ, you will call on Him right now to save you and ask to

forgive you of your sin and make you alive and make you His own,

and He will. Let me ask you if you've done

that, have you lost sight of the glory of God?

You know, one of the temptations we face as Christians, even as

believers, is to let our eyes move off of being fixated on the

author and perfector of our faith and start living thinking

something else is greater and better than Jesus.

Being distracted by things we think are great in the world

when only God is great. And often times we can be

believers and yet most miserable because we know the truth that

only God is great, but we're not living like it.

Do you need to realize again, only God is great?

Can I ask you, do you need to realize again today that God

wants to get glory from you? And maybe you've made lots of

excuses about your weaknesses or your failures or your

disqualifications when God just simply says, listen, hey, the

more that is, the more glory I can get from you.

If you're just by faith, trust me to obey me.

May I ask it like this? Do you realize, third question,

that God has crowned you with glory and honor as the most

precious part of His creation? Here's what I mean.

This summer, some of you might have seen some amazing things on

vacation. Some of you might have seen some

mighty mountains. Some.

Of you might have seen the Grand Canyon, some of the wonders of

the world out there, some of the most beautiful gorgeous sunsets

or scenery or vacation places are things that God made looked

up in the night sky and seen all the stars.

And let me listen to what I'm trying to say is it doesn't

matter what you, where you go, or what you see that God has

made. The most precious part of all of

creation is none of those things in God's sight.

It is you and it is me. Let me ask you like this, are

you looking in the mirror and believing that God values you

and loves you as much as His Word says He does?

Are you looking for other people for your validation, for your

value and your worth and yourself esteem?

Are you believing the truth that what God says about you is true,

that God has crowned you with glory and honor as made in His

image, and fourthly, given you a domain to exercise dominion in

like this? Let me ask you like this, what

is God put into your charge today?

A job, a family, kids, a role as a parent, schoolwork, your home.

He's a property. What is God giving you?

Charge of the Bible says clarity for life.

God's giving you that domain to exercise stewardship over any of

that. It doesn't matter if it's

today's lunch, tonight's dinner, or your job tomorrow morning.

God has given you a domain to exercise dominion, to cultivate

the character and glory of God in those things.

The smallest of things where God is honored because you're His

royal representative in those things God has given to you.

So are you living and doing life for the glory of God as a royal

member of the royal family? God put on earth who is most

prized possession made in His image, all to represent him.

Are you representing God when you do what God has given you

charge to do? John and praise him are going to

come out. I'm going to ask you to bow your

head where you are. I want to ask you to consider

those things that I've asked you about, and would God have you

respond in a way to them this morning?

They say How so? Well, I'm going to stand right

here in a moment as we sing and worship.

Maybe if realizing the glory of God means trusting Him for

salvation is something that you just did while I spoke or need

to do, you'll step out from where you are and just come tell

me. Maybe God's been calling you to

do something. Up to step out.

You've just been making excuses because you think God couldn't

get glory from you. God couldn't be praised because

of you. God couldn't use you.

Maybe it's going to come and. Put yourself on your.

Knees. Or stand at this altar and say

God. I want you to get praise and

honor and glory. For me I want to say yes and.

Take that step of faith to being used.

By you. Some of you maybe been looking

in the mirror and you. Don't like what you see or you

don't value the person God made you to be.

And maybe. You need to come and say God, I

need I. Need you to remind me that you

that you made me? As most precious.

You crown me with glory and honor.

God keep me from looking for glory and honor in the eyes of

other people. Help me to just trust the truth

of what you believe, what you say about me.

Maybe it's going to say God I want help.

To do what you've given. Me to do in such a.

Way that brings you glory? Not for me, not for others, but

for you, no. Matter what that is, no matter

how small or big. God help me to do that, Father,

I pray, Lord, that however we need to respond today, you would

you would prompt us accordingly. So, Father, that we.

Can live every day. Realizing and acting on the

truth of how majestic is your name.

And that you want, your Majesty proclaimed through our lives and

our mouths and our jobs and our duties and everywhere our feet

go, our eyes. Being opened to the glory of.

God helping other peoples have their eyes open to the glory of

God. Help us live it.

In Jesus name I pray, Amen. Would you stand with me?

We're going to sing together. You come, our encouragers will

be closed. I'll be here.

You come and use this altar. Come talk to me and let's

worship. And you respond as God leads you

this morning. For my.

Waking breath for my daily breath I depend on you or.

I. Depend on you sing it out for

the sun to rise for my sleep at night I.

Depend. On you, yes, I depend on you.

You're the way, the truth and the light.

You're the well that never runs dry behind the branch, and you

are the bone. Draw me close and teach me to

abide. Where the Spirit?

Leads as I'm far away, I depend on you.

I depend on. You before the victories, still

in front of me. I depend on you.

I depend on you. Yes.

I depend on you all the way. The truth and the light.

You're the whale that never runs right.

I'm the wrench in you are the vine.

And draw me close and teach me to abide me my strength, my song

in the night. Be my all, my treasure, my eyes

I am yours, whatever your mind. Draw me close again teaching to.

The and when I pass. Through death as I am to sing it

out. I depend on you, yes.

I depend. On you for eternal life to be

raised with Christ. I depend on you.

Yes, I depend on you. Draw me close, then teach me to

abide. Me, my strength, my song in the

night. Light me my own, my treasure, my

rise, high in the hearts forever true mine.

Draw me close, then teach me to abide.

Church family, you can be seated.

Chris and I had lunch this week and young man that just came

down and with his permission I can tell you this, but Chris and

I had a conversation about the gospel and we left that lunch.

Just with Chris. Knowing that he had the decision

one way or the other to make. And Chris wants you to know that

he walked down today to say yes to Jesus and Amen.

I'm proud of you, Chris. That's what it's all about.

And those that's what it means. Your eyes are open to the glory

and goodness of God. And when they are, nothing else

compares. Nothing else comes close.

And so Chris, we're proud of you man, and excited for the God has

in store for you. Let me just give you a few

things not near as important to close our service with.

First of all is this is that elder nominations are going on.

Some of you participated, some of you are procrastinating and

I'm looking at a lot of you. All right, y'all seen the video

that I sent out by text or e-mail?

You're like, no, I don't open those emails anymore.

Well, before you take your Sunday afternoon nap, all right,

you can get on the website and the elder nomination process

goes through this next Sunday and you can look at that list of

men and prayerfully put forward those that you think God would

be calling to serve, that God places on your heart to do.

And I pray that you do. That's a huge help to us.

It's a way to participate in that leadership dynamic of our

church. If you've not taken the next

step for membership at First Baptist, next Sunday is our next

Discover First class. It's at 10:45 in room 1O3 right

across the hall and you can sign up online.

Pastor Steven James leads that and let me encourage you to take

part in that. It's not a commitment that you

have to join, but it's that next step to get the info you need to

know. We're also doing a Back to

school supply drive. We've been doing it.

It'll go through July 23rd collecting backpacks and other

school items for up to about 200 kids.

In fact, we asked those kids the things they need and 100, I want

you to get this. 125 out of 200 kids indicated they don't have a

Bible, and so guess what? Just one of the things we're

going to be. Able to include when we supply

them a backpack for school, we're also able to supply them a

Bible to take home so you can be bringing those supplies we've

got the Bibles already but you can bring other things they

might need to fill those backpacks with through the 23rd

And finally you might notice that sign up to serve table

we've had in the lobby. If you've again not taken that

next step to say, you know what, I know I'm saved.

I'm. Just not plugged.

In serving in the body some way, let me encourage you to stop by.

You can ask questions, you can say I just want to experiment.

I want to shadow. I don't want to commit you fully

yet. We'll give you a little time to

experiment and see how God might want you to plug in.

We've got so many ways, especially in the Nest and the

kids area, but all kinds of ways to plug in the life of First

Baptist, that God will use you and your gift to bless the body

of Christ. Don't forget about the guys at

the doors, one with a bag for benevolence and one with just

the normal ties and offering search.

Thank you for your generosity. That makes the ministry

possible. That makes things like what we

see happen on Sunday morning when people choose Jesus and

even like Puerto Rico team that just got back.

Danny was on stage with his T-shirt.

Many others around were able to take the gospel to the ends of

the earth because of your generosity.

Would you stand with me as you go?

You go to church, family, make disciples.

Love you all, guest. I'll be in the lobby.

Would love to meet you out there.