When you hear the earlier biblical writers talking about worshiping
other gods, images of rulers, statues, made of bronze or gold might come to
mind. What then of today, what would you say have
become the gods of our time? May I
suggest the gods of fear, of knowledge, of fame and fortune, or we sometimes make
people idles and turn to them.
June 10, 2018 Psalm
138: Mark 3:
Good morning folks: I hope you have come this morning to hear
something that will stimulate growth in your relationship with God. My hope for today is that this Psalm of
defiance written by David has something to offer us. Yes
this is a song of defiance. The Psalmist
giving alms of thanksgiving, singing praise to the one God, directly into the
face of the many gods of his world. He does so in total defiance of their calling,
which is to turn from the One and to worship them. He is praising the God of creation, the God
who formed us in our Mothers womb and who new us before we were conceived. Hear this wisdom in print as God speaks to Jeremiah,
Jeremiah 1:5. “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I set you apart: I appointed you as a prophet to the
nations.”
And the prophet Isaiah writes in chapter 49:
verse 1: “Listen to me, you islands;
hear this, you distant nations: Before I was
born the Lord called me; from my mother’s womb he has
spoken my name”. God once again
affirms knowing His children before conception, and has carved the names of all
who are His, on the palms of His hands Isaiah tell us. Sing: “I Will Never Forget You My People”
The Psalmist David, tells us he is
praising Yahweh in the face of the worldly gods that also call out to him
because of the constant love and faithfulness God has shown to him. Should we not spend more time in reflections
of grace God has showered upon us? The
one God of creations Yahweh, is supreme and holy and is the only source of
strength needed to sustain him as it
should be for us in this world or the next.
Verse 3 of the psalm says “you answered me when I called to you, with
your strength you strengthen me.” I can just hear the modern day fateful singing
this wonderful old spiritual song when strength is needed to overcome the
storms of life where the winds of strife are blowing. “Over My Head I Hear Music In The Air” You know the lyrics sing it with me.
So I guess a good question for us
here today would be what are the controlling gods in your life and when do they
call out to you? This question may
sound a bit trivial or unimportant at first but when we begin to really take an
honest inventory of that which we turn to in troubled times, or in times of
celebration, we will begin to remember
all the other gods before whom we so often bow. The words get stuck in my
throats when I began to recognize the gods I have turned to in times of
depression, or loneliness, or when I was looking for fame or fortune. What thing, person or persons has your full
attention these days. What are the gods of your world? Why
they are anything that we give primary place to, in our lives. For instance
that which captivates our attention when it come to the priority use of money. How much is set aside for the poor or the
hungry? Now I challenge you to take a
look at what, where or to whom has your deepest devotion? Who gets the thanks when things go well, whom
usually receives the credit, and on what or whom do we rely on when we are in
troubled times? Often without even
knowing it, or even being aware of it, we create little gods out of ourselves,
others, or things. These gods call out
to us and require a great deal of our time and attention. We often become devoted to them as we turn
from the ONE. This is when we need a
remainder and it can come in a worship song such as “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus.”
As we sing the choirs together, let the words take root in your person
hood. “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full in His wonderful face and the
things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.”
Participation in sports, social
groups or clubs or the arts often paves the way for some of our young people to
entry universities so that they can land great jobs. Often these things takes precedence over church
participation and involvement, which in our time doesn’t hold the same promise
of upward mobility for the masses as church community once did. Education is valuable, and a good job is an
asset, but we should never forget that these things are not eternal; one thing
you can count on is all things and people as we know them now will pass
away. Even so, we are still blessed with God’s eternal love and promises. The
downward spirals of the stock markets, the raiding of pension funds by
corporate executives, and the collapse of the real estate market worldwide has
had an impact on many folks both in the middle class and the rich. This should remind us that even the most
upwardly mobile people and their situations will fall prey to the unexpected
changes within the global economy. Here
I truly believe people who devote themselves to strengthening their faith
survive in times of strife and struggle.
This Psalm is a song that sings
in full defiance of our worldly gods. It’s a song to help us challenge the false
promises that worldly gods often dangle in front of us. Let us never forget that it is only God who
giveth and taketh away all things. We!
need to sing this song of praise more than God needs to hear it. We need to sing songs that help ground
ourselves once again in God’s love for all creation.
Singing songs in worship is one of
the most important elements of reminding us how important it is to learn on God
in all situations. Not just in times of
fellowship on Sunday morning, but every waking hour of every day of our short lives. Let us keep in mind that millions upon
millions of year have existed before us, and millions upon millions of year
will continue after we expire. How long
then is 5 years, 10 years, 40 years, 80 years, or a 100 years? Just a flicker folks. Let us not waste it worshiping the many gods
of this world, but let us begin to rejoice in the Lord always, again I say
rejoice.
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