July 11th, 2021
Pastors Steve Pate & Alan Smith

Sermon Notes

I. Creation compels us to worship the Creator

Psalms 19
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun, which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy. Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat.

II. The heavens help us to worship the Creator

Psalms 73
Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For they have no pangs until death; their bodies are fat and sleek. They are not in trouble as others are; they are not stricken like the rest of mankind. Therefore pride is their necklace; violence covers them as a garment. Their eyes swell out through fatness; their hearts overflow with follies. They scoff and speak with malice; loftily they threaten oppression.They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongue struts through the earth. Therefore his people turn back to them, and find no fault in them. And they say, “How can God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?” Behold, these are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches. All in vain have I kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence. For all the day long I have been stricken and rebuked every morning. If I had said, “I will speak thus,” I would have betrayed the generation of your children. But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end. Truly you set them in slippery places; you make them fall to ruin. How they are destroyed in a moment, swept away utterly by terrors! Like a dream when one awakes, O Lord, when you rouse yourself, you despise them as phantoms. When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart, I was brutish and ignorant; I was like a beast toward you. Nevertheless, I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. For behold, those who are far from you shall perish; you put an end to everyone who is unfaithful to you. But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord God my refuge, that I may tell of all your works.

John 3:3
What I am about to tell you is true. No one can see God’s kingdom unless they are born again.

John 3:16
God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son. Anyone who believes in him will not die but will have eternal life

Psalm 19
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the works of His hands

Psalm 8:1-9
O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger. When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

III. Creation Calls Us To Worship

A. God is Mindful of Us
B. God Cares for Us

Psalms 19:1-6
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun, which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy. Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat.

IV. Creation Declares God’s Glory

Romans 1:18-23
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 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, ever since the creation of the world, 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 they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

The beauty of creation is a call to worship the Creator.

Next Steps

• Today, I realize I do not have a relationship with the Creator and I put my faith in Jesus.
• How will I worship God differently this week? How will I show my appreciation for the privilege of SEEING all of God’s majesty and glory? I will commit to talk to God and thank Him for this honor.
• This week, I will view the creation as a call to worship the Creator.

Deep Dive

1. Nicodemus went to Jesus in the middle of the night so that none of his friends would think he was interested or curious. How are we a lot like Nicodemus at times? Why do we shy away from proclaiming the majesty of God and worship Him by doing so?
2. Share with your family or friends how you saw God’s glory and majesty this week in a new way…that butterfly was created for me!
3. Read Psalm 19 and discuss the ways you see creation declaring God’s Glory.

Springboards

1. Read Philippians 2:8. Why did Jesus come to earth?
2. Read Hebrews 10:10. If Jesus’ work has sanctified us, why do we have a hard time trusting that He alone can save us?
3. How can we encourage others to fully trust what Jesus has done for us on the cross?