Nature Testifies of the Greatness of God
Book of Psalms • Sermon • Submitted
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Introduction
Nature is not silent concerning the greatness of God
Jokingly referred to myself as an avid indoorsmen. Not true, not healthy.
Psalm 104 ~ Nature is a witness of God’s Greatness
Alternate title: Sky, Surf & Turf
Psalm 104 (KJV 1900)
The faithful must resolve to bless the Lord because the wonders of creation
1 Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, thou art very great; Thou art clothed with honour and majesty.
2 Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: Who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:
3 Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: Who maketh the clouds his chariot: Who walketh upon the wings of the wind:
4 Who maketh his angels spirits; His ministers a flaming fire:
Greatness seen in creation
5 Who laid the foundations of the earth, That it should not be removed for ever.
6 Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment: The waters stood above the mountains.
7 At thy rebuke they fled; At the voice of thy thunder they hasted away.
8 They go up by the mountains; they go down by the valleys Unto the place which thou hast founded for them.
9 Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over; That they turn not again to cover the earth.
10 He sendeth the springs into the valleys, Which run among the hills.
The Lord made all the earth to support life
11 They give drink to every beast of the field: The wild asses quench their thirst.
12 By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, Which sing among the branches.
13 He watereth the hills from his chambers: The earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works.
14 He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, And herb for the service of man: That he may bring forth food out of the earth;
15 And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, And oil to make his face to shine, And bread which strengtheneth man’s heart.
16 The trees of the Lord are full of sap; The cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted;
17 Where the birds make their nests: As for the stork, the fir trees are her house.
18 The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats; And the rocks for the conies.
The Lord created all the heavenly bodies
19 He appointed the moon for seasons: The sun knoweth his going down.
20 Thou makest darkness, and it is night: Wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth.
21 The young lions roar after their prey, And seek their meat from God.
22 The sun ariseth, they gather themselves together, And lay them down in their dens.
23 Man goeth forth unto his work And to his labour until the evening.
The Lord’s dominion over all creation reveals his wisdom
24 O Lord, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all: The earth is full of thy riches.
25 So is this great and wide sea, Wherein are things creeping innumerable, Both small and great beasts.
26 There go the ships: There is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein.
27 These wait all upon thee; That thou mayest give them their meat in due season.
28 That thou givest them they gather: Thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good.
29 Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: Thou takest away their breath, they die, And return to their dust.
30 Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: And thou renewest the face of the earth.
31 The glory of the Lord shall endure for ever: The Lord shall rejoice in his works.
32 He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth: He toucheth the hills, and they smoke.
Believers respond to God’s marvelous works with praise
33 I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.
34 My meditation of him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the Lord.
35 Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, And let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the Lord, O my soul. Praise ye the Lord.
Summary Statement: When believers consider the amazing and wonderful works of God in all the aspects of creation, they will praise him as the giver and sustainer of life and anticipate the promised new order of creation without sin.
God’s Greatness shown through nature
God’s Greatness shown through nature
We should not let the fact that some have exalted creation above the Creator keep us from appreciating the wonder of nature.
Six Psalms could be referred to as Nature Psalms (8, 19, 29, 65, 104, 148)
Psalm 8:3-4 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, The moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; 4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that thou visitest him?
Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament sheweth his handywork.
Psalm 29:3 The voice of the Lord is upon the waters: The God of glory thundereth: The Lord is upon many waters.
Psalm 65:9 Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it: Thou greatly enrichest it With the river of God, which is full of water: Thou preparest them corn, when thou hast so provided for it.
Psalm 148:5 Let them praise the name of the Lord: For he commanded, and they were created.
Psalm 104 celebrates God's Greatness
In creating the world.
His providing for the world.
His caring for the world.
the world's dependence upon Him.
God has revealed Himself in nature.
God has revealed Himself in nature.
Psalm 104:1–2 (KJV 1900)
1 Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, thou art very great; Thou art clothed with honour and majesty.
2 Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: Who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:
1. Witness to God’s grace Matthew 5:44-45 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
2. Creation witnesses to God’s invisible attributes of eternal power and divine nature. Romans 1:18-20 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; 19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
3. Creation witnesses to God’s faithfulness in caring for His creatures. Matthew 6:28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
4. Nature reveals God’s infinite knowledge. Luke 12:6 Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God?
5. Nature reveals God’s infinite wisdom Proverbs 8:27-29 When he (WISDOM) prepared the heavens, I was there: When he set a compass upon the face of the depth: 28 When he established the clouds above: When he strengthened the fountains of the deep: 29 When he gave to the sea his decree, That the waters should not pass his commandment: When he appointed the foundations of the earth:
6. Nature reveals God’s holiness Exodus 19:16 And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled.
7. Nature reveals God’s glory Psalm 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament sheweth his handywork.
8. Nature reveals God’s righteousness. Psalm 50:6 And the heavens shall declare his righteousness: For God is judge himself. Selah.
Asaph described a courtroom scene in which the Mighty One, God, the LORD—three designations for the Lord—came to judge.
9. Nature reveals a certain standard of conduct. The expression “contrary to nature” or “unnatural” can be used to describe not only fallen man’s worship but also his behavior. Romans 1:27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
Two major themes
Two major themes
Dependable order. There is plan, purpose, and intentionality.
“Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, "Do it again"; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough to exult in monotony. It is possible that God says every morning, "Do it again" to the sun; and every evening, "Do it again" to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike; it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we.”
Active sustaining. The world will fall into chaos unless God holds it back.
Psalm 104:13 (KJV 1900)
13 He watereth the hills from his chambers: The earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works.
God placed springs in the valleys to give water for animals Psalm 104:10-12 He sendeth the springs into the valleys, Which run among the hills. 11 They give drink to every beast of the field: The wild asses quench their thirst. 12 By them shall the fowls of the heaven have their habitation, Which sing among the branches.
God makes things grow that give food for animals and man, and oil (from olive trees) to smooth man’s face Psalm 104:13-15 He watereth the hills from his chambers: The earth is satisfied with the fruit of thy works. 14 He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, And herb for the service of man: That he may bring forth food out of the earth; 15 And wine that maketh glad the heart of man, And oil to make his face to shine, And bread which strengtheneth man’s heart.
Also God provides dwelling places for animals and birds Psalm 104:16-18 The trees of the Lord are full of sap; The cedars of Lebanon, which he hath planted; 17 Where the birds make their nests: As for the stork, the fir trees are her house. 18 The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats; And the rocks for the conies.
In His wisdom God made the earth amazingly well suited for all forms of life.
Not the worship of nature
Not the worship of nature
We must respect nature as God’s creation. We should have regard for the animals God has created:
You shall not muzzle the ox while he is threshing - Deuteronomy 25:4
A righteous man has regard for the life of his beast, Proverbs 12:10
However, in these psalms there is no trace of the pagan belief that various objects in nature are divine.
God and nature are separate and there is no attempt to populate the streams and trees with local deities.
Story // Man at a foster fundraiser asked me about global warming and if he could speak at our church. When he heard we were Baptist he said “oh you wouldn’t care about this then.” Feel like that is like someone from Hollywood telling me I don’t understand love because I am happily married.
2 Peter 3:10-11 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness
The Lord’s dominion over all creation reveals his wisdom
The Lord’s dominion over all creation reveals his wisdom
Psalm 104:24-25 Lord, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all: The earth is full of thy riches. 25 So is this great and wide sea, Wherein are things creeping innumerable, Both small and great beasts.
God employs nature as His Servant to achieve His purposes
God employs nature as His Servant to achieve His purposes
It is true that the world, including the weather, has been effected by the fall. Romans 8:22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
While Job’s friend, Elihu, may have been wrong in his application of truth, he understood God to be in complete control of nature Job 37:12-13 And it is turned round about by his counsels: That they may do whatsoever he commandeth them Upon the face of the world in the earth. 13 He causeth it to come, whether for correction, Or for his land, or for mercy.
God employed the forces of nature in the flood. Psalm 29:10 The Lord sitteth upon the flood; Yea, the Lord sitteth King for ever.
4. As the Protector of His people, God employed the forces of nature to defeat the enemies of Israel. Exodus 15:3-4 The Lord is a man of war: the Lord is his name. 4 Pharaoh’s chariots and his host hath he cast into the sea: His chosen captains also are drowned in the Red sea.
How does God's creation of nature serve the purposes of your worship of Him? How does the truth, the fact of God's creation of nature, serve the purposes of your worship of Him?
1. You've never seen God, but you've seen His garments. Psalm 104:1 Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, thou art very great; Thou art clothed with honour and majesty.
2. We see His greatness, as we have seen.
3. We see our dependence on him
Psalm 104:27–28 (KJV 1900)
27 These wait all upon thee; That thou mayest give them their meat in due season.
28 That thou givest them they gather: Thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good.
Try to make water without him.
Try to make a burger without meat. jk
We do not have breath without him. Psalm 104:29-30 Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: Thou takest away their breath, they die, And return to their dust. 30 Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: And thou renewest the face of the earth.
4. Reminds us of the Gospel.
God's creation of us establishes in us an obligation to Him.
God's greatness in creation cries out for our acknowledgement of His greatness.
Psalm 104:35 Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, And let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the Lord, O my soul. Praise ye the Lord.
How did we get here? Sinners?
How did we get here? Sinners?
In the nineteenth century, William Plummer, the famous Southern Presbyterian Old Testament scholar, tells that a pastor and his young apprentice went out early in the morning, about 4:30 or 5:00 in the morning, to Rockfish Gap, Virginia. (Now some of you have been there. It's right along the Blue Ridge Parkway.) And from their perch on the side of the mountain, they watched the sun rise over the Blue Ridge. And when the sun finally peeked up over the mountaintop and spread its yellow and orange rays along the mountain cliffs and into the valleys, it was a sight that took their breath away. And the older pastor turned to the young man, and he said, “Young man, if anybody ever tells you there's no God, you tell him he's a fool!”
While the revelation of God in nature is not sufficient to save a man, when rejected, it is sufficient to condemn him.
The created order testifies that there is a God who made us to whom we are accountable, but we have worshiped ourselves and creation instead of Him.
When believers consider the amazing and wonderful works of God in all the aspects of creation, they will praise him as the giver and sustainer of life and anticipate the promised new order of creation without sin.