SCRIPTURE: Psalm 128:1-6 (ESV)

DATE: 1-24-21

As always it’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And the one thing I always want you to know — no matter if you’re worshiping with us in person or joining us online — I want you to know that God loves you and that I love you too. 

SERIES INTRODUCTION

We’ve begun 2021 with a series that’s focused on who God is and implications for what this means in different areas of life. We’ve seen that God is for justice. That he’s for life. And — today — we’re going to see that God is for the family. But the foundation for this series is the biblical truth that God is first and foremost for himself — which means we — his people — are to be first and foremost for God too. So with this in mind, let’s turn to our passage for today as we conclude this series.

ANNOUNCE THE TEXT

If you have your Bible please turn with me to Psalm 128. We’ll be looking at all six verses of Psalm 128.  

And while you’re finding Psalm 128, here’s what’s coming up over the next few weeks. Near the end of 2020, I invited some staff to participate in a conversation about preaching in 2021. I wanted to see who was interested in preaching and what they would like to focus on. And the series we’ve been in has actually set us up for what some staff — and a couple of elders — will be preaching on in my absence. They’ll be preaching from the psalms — beginning with Psalm 1 and continuing through the psalms in order. 

So — for the next few weeks — we’ll be in psalms one, two, and three as Cody, pastor Robert, and Mike Norman preach to us from these psalms. And then we’ll be back in the eighth chapter of the book of Romans — which we began last year.  

And with that, here are the words found in Psalm 128. Beginning in verse 1. 

Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways! 2 You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you. 3 Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table. 4 Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord. 5 The Lord bless you from Zion! May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life! 6 May you see your children’s children! Peace be upon Israel! (Psalm 128:1-6 ESV)

SERMON INTRODUCTION

So this sermon is sort of a part two of last week. Because — much of what it means to be for the family — was covered when we talked about children last week. But this week, we’re going to look at three different aspects of family life that all of God’s people are to be for. 

But — as we talk about family — we must recognize that our society tends to downplay the importance of family — yet — we still have a desire to be connected to other people. 

Thus our mission — to connect people to Jesus Christ and to one another — directly links to this desire we all have — to be connected to other people. 

And — let me say — this desire for connection to other people — it’s a good thing. And the pandemic has shown us the importance of being connected to other people — we’re not made for isolation or digital only relationships. We need each other and we need each other’s physical presence.

However — in ignoring the important role of the family — we’ve replaced what God is for — the family — with some poor substitutes. For the connectedness that God desires for us is one of flourishing that’s found by being part of a family. 

Now — our psalm begins by showing us the blessings that God gives to those who fear him. 

And we briefly looked at the fear of the Lord a few weeks ago — but in case you weren’t here — to fear the Lord means “that God’s people stand always in awe of him, appreciate his supremacy and greatness, fear the consequences of disobeying his will, and [they do] not treat lightly any aspect of their covenant relationship with him, lest the consequences be severe or even fatal.”

Now — a Christian — being secure in the love of God because of all that Christ has done on their behalf — a Christian should not be afraid of God’s eternal punishment. But we should still have a fear of the Lord. 

A standing in awe of who he is, an appreciation of his supremacy and greatness, a fearing of the consequences of disobedience while desiring to honor him with every word that comes out of our mouth, every thought in our mind, and every action we make. No fear of eternal judgement — but that doesn’t mean we treat our relationship with God lightly. 

And treating our relationship with God lightly is something plaguing churches these days. Which means we miss out on the blessings that God gives to those who do fear him. One of the blessings being the connectedness that’s found in being part of a family. 

So let’s turn to three ways we’re to be for the family. Three ways we’re to demonstrate that we’re for what God is for — and he’s for the family. Again — our psalm begins with the words, “Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways!” So let’s walk in his ways and be for the family.

FOR THOSE WHO ARE MARRIED

Let’s begin by considering what it means to be for those who are married. To be for those who are married means — first — that we recognize that God is the One who defines what marriage is — for he created marriage.

In the book of Genesis — before sin entered the world — we read, “Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” 19 Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. 21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22 And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” 24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.” (Genesis 2:18-25 ESV)

It was not good for the man to be alone. So God created the woman — the perfect helpmate — for the man. And — though it’s not explicitly stated — in verse twenty-four — we witness the first marriage in history — the marriage between the man and woman. In the New Testament, Paul quotes from Genesis when he writes about marriage. 

“Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. 25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. 28 In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, 30 because we are members of his body. 

31 “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. 33 However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.” (Ephesians 5:22-33 ESV)

In Colossians, he says something similar when he writes, “Wives, submit to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. 19 Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them.” (Colossians 3:18-19 ESV)

DIGITAL WHITEBOARD ILLUSTRATION

OK. In being people who are for God — we must be for marriage as God defines it. And Paul tells us that marriage is meant to communicate the gospel to the world. How so? Well he connects the marriage of a husband and wife to the marriage of Christ and his bride — the Church. 

So there’s a heavenly marriage that all earthly marriages are meant to point to.

And Paul gives an analogy between the Heavenly marriage and earthly marriages.

The Heavenly marriage is a union between Christ — the husband — married to his bride — the Church. 

And Paul says that — in earthly marriages — the husband is to represent Christ and the wife is to represent the Church.

So a few implications from this as to what it means to be for marriage as God defines it. First — and you may want to buckle your seat belt — first — this means that to be for marriage — as God defines it — is to be for marriage between one man and one woman. Here’s why. 

Paul tells us that earthly marriages are a witness to the marriage of Christ to his bride — the Church. And — by the way — this Heavenly marriage is the great hope of the gospel we proclaim. That — for all eternity — the people of God will be in union with — or connected to — their Savior. 

And as we’ve seen, the man — in marriage — represents Christ. And the woman represents the Church.

But think of the message being communicated in a same sex marriage. If it’s two men, the Heavenly marriage being represented then — according to Paul — is Christ being married to himself. And if we — the Church — aren’t joined to Christ in eternal marriage — then we’re separated from him for all eternity — which means we go to Hell. 

If it’s two women in marriage, the Heavenly marriage being illustrated — according to Paul — is the Church being married to herself. And if we — the Church — aren’t joined to Christ in eternal marriage — then we’re separated from him for all eternity — which means we go to Hell.  

Thus, marriage between one man and one woman is the only earthly marriage that fulfills the gospel hope that — Paul says — all marriages are meant to point to: The marriage between Christ and the Church. 

Now — if you struggle with same sex attraction — please don’t hear me saying that you aren’t loved by God or by us — we love you. Please don’t think that I’m saying that you can’t be part of the bride of Christ — the Church — I’m not saying that either. I’ll come back to how we are to love you — and support you in living a life of holiness for Christ — in a few minutes.

But to be for marriage — as God defines it — is to be for marriage between one man and one woman.

And — second — and if you thought that was fun — well — wait for this one. Because even heterosexual marriages can distort the gospel picture that marriage is meant to proclaim. So — to be for marriage — as God is for marriage — means we’re for something more than just heterosexual marriages. 

So let’s talk about the responsibilities of the husband and wife — in marriage — so our earthly marriages point others to the Heavenly marriage. 

Wives are to submit to their husbands — in everything — just as the Church is to submit to Christ in everything — this is straight from Ephesians. But — before the men get the wrong idea — or the women — let’s not ignore the fact that Paul writes three verses to the wives and eight verses to the husbands. Men — that’s more than double the verses to us about our responsibility in marriage. So what’s the husband to do? To love his wife as Christ loves the Church. And that’s no small responsibility.

Now — unfortunately — both of these responsibilities have been used as weapons against one another in marriage. “I’ll submit to you when you love me like Christ loves the Church.” “Well — I’ll love you like Christ loves the Church — once you submit to me.” Thus instead of — as the psalmist states in verse three — “Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house…” — a fruitful vine is a flourishing vine — but instead of flourishing — due to being connected to your spouse and having a marriage that joyfully proclaims the gospel to others — fruitlessness is what many settle for in their marriage. Or — unfortunately — we don’t even settle. 

Thus, in the United States, about 50% of married couples divorce, the sixth-highest divorce rate in the world. Makes you wonder — if we’re a Christian nation — where’s the gospel in our marriages? But — instead of flourishing — and our marriages being a witness to the gospel — there’s brokenness in our marriages — including marriages at Gateway. 

And — I might as well go here — if you’re living together — and not married — know that you’re distorting Christ’s marriage to the Church to be some sort of non-committal kind of relationship. And Christ is eternally committed to his bride. And we distort his commitment to us through marriages that end in divorce, by cohabitation before marriage, and by not fulfilling our distinct husband and wife roles in our marriages.

But think of the beauty that our marriages have the opportunity to display — and the connectedness we’d experience — if what Paul shows us marriage is to be is what we — the people of God — were for. 

Though it’s easy to be against something — like being against same sex marriage — that doesn’t mean that we’re actually for marriage as God defines it. Because — to be for marriage — means that we’re working towards what God has shown us marriage is to be. A gospel witness. A husband loving his wife as Christ loves the Church. And a wife submitting to her husband as the Church submits to Christ. 

And we can’t just dismiss Paul — he’s not the only one who shows us that this is what it means to be for marriage. Peter writes, “Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives, 2 when they see your respectful and pure conduct. 3 Do not let your adorning be external — the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear — 4 but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. 5 For this is how the holy women who hoped in God used to adorn themselves, by submitting to their own husbands, 6 as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord. 

And you are her children, if you do good and do not fear anything that is frightening. 7 Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.” (1 Peter 3:1-7 ESV)

The God we worship is for the family. And for us — to be for the family — means we must understand what our marriages are to proclaim. And they’re to proclaim the gospel. They’re to demonstrate a Heavenly and eternal reality — Christ’s marriage to his bride — the Church. 

So — yes — we must stand firm in defining marriage as being between one man and one woman — especially as culture continues to spiral morally out of control. But we must also — in being for marriage — and with much help from the Spirit of God — we must work towards making our marriages a witness of the gospel.

• So husbands — let’s not hinder our prayers by the way we treat our wives. Let’s love them as Christ loves the Church. 
• Wives, show the world what it means for God’s people to submit to his Son in your marriage with your husband. 
• Husbands let’s be the spiritual leaders in our homes that our wives want us to be and that God commands us to be.

FOR THOSE WHO ARE SINGLE

Now — being for those who are single and for the church — aren’t found directly in our psalm. But since we talked about children last week — I don’t want to miss the opportunity to show us — biblically — what it means for all of us to be connected to one another. For though many are married — not all are — nor will all be. 

• Some of us are married now and may find ourselves not married some day. 
• Some struggle with same sex attraction and are choosing to live faithfully according to God’s standard for human sexuality — thus — they choose singleness out of their devotion to Christ. 
• If you’re single — know that you are loved and that we are for you.

Now — as we just saw — marriage is ultimately about what it points us to — the marriage of Christ to the Church. So married or single — if you believe in Christ — you are part of the Church — the bride of Christ. Thus — in Heaven — all of us will be married — but only to Christ. Which means our earthly marriages are only temporary for they point to the greater — more significant — Heavenly union as we saw in Ephesians. 

Which leads us to ask, “What does it mean to be for those who are single? What should family life look like for those who are single? And — maybe just as importantly — for those who are married — how do we connect to those who are single?” Because the God we are for — is for those who are single.  

If we think back to Paul’s words — about marriage — we see that marriage is designed to demonstrate Christ’s love and devotion to the Church and the Church’s submission to him. 

Yet, because marriage is the union of two sinners — often the testimony is less than stellar. And this is where singles have a unique opportunity that I don’t want any of us to underestimate. 

Your singleness is a unique opportunity to demonstrate the Church’s love, devotion, and submission to Christ. Listen to Paul’s words — who was single, by the way — about singleness. After talking about how sex can make the marriage relationship complicated, he writes, “But I wish everyone were single, just as I am. Yet each person has a special gift from God, of one kind or another. 8 So I say to those who aren’t married and to widows — it’s better to stay unmarried, just as I am. 9 But if they can’t control themselves, they should go ahead and marry. It’s better to marry than to burn with lust…32 I want you to be free from the concerns of this life. An unmarried man can spend his time doing the Lord’s work and thinking how to please him. 33 But a married man has to think about his earthly responsibilities and how to please his wife. 34 His interests are divided. In the same way, a woman who is no longer married or has never been married can be devoted to the Lord and holy in body and in spirit. 

But a married woman has to think about her earthly responsibilities and how to please her husband. 35 I am saying this for your benefit, not to place restrictions on you. I want you to do whatever will help you serve the Lord best, with as few distractions as possible.” (1 Corinthians 7:7-9, 32-35 NLT)

Did you catch the unexpected opportunity in being single? In the church, often singleness is viewed as incompleteness — or as “what you have to go through before the real thing happens” — marriage. And that’s because we’ve undervalued the calling to singleness. 

Paul calls singleness a gift. The same word used for things like the gift of preaching, the gift of leadership, or the gift of mercy. Singleness is a gift. How different would we view singleness if we saw it as a gift from the Spirit of God? An opportunity to spend undivided time doing the Lord’s work and thinking solely about how to please him. An opportunity to show others — in a way that married people can’t — that your relationship with Jesus is preeminent. 

Which is how singleness — instead of pointing to the individual — who’s single — it’s an opportunity to point others to Christ. Because singleness is an opportunity to show others that God is better than anything and anyone else. 

• What an opportunity — for those of us who are married — to elevate our single brothers and sisters and their calling — regardless if it’s for a season or for a lifetime — to demonstrate devotion to Christ in a way that we — who are married — can’t. 
• What an opportunity for us to welcome those who are single into our homes and into our families for holidays, special events, or even to be more permanently a part of our family. 
• What an opportunity for us to come alongside those who struggle with same sex attraction and welcome them into our families — as being alone — the feeling of not being part of a family — isn’t a burden they’re supposed to carry. They do have a family — we’re their family. And we’re to come alongside them as they pursue holiness in devotion to our Lord.

My wife does a great job of looking out for those who are single — I’m not sure if it’s natural to her or a supernatural gift from the Spirit — either way — she finds a way to make sure that we welcome singles into our family. This past Christmas, we had a mom and her son, a neighbor in her 60s, and a young lady in our church — all who are single — we had them all over for a Christmas breakfast and to play some games. These people are treasured gifts who — in being for the family — we have a responsibility — you know what — forget responsibility — it’s just the loving thing to do — to invite them into our families.

In what ways might you invite those who are single into your family to show them that you are for them? And — if you’re single — don’t feel like you’re a burden. It’s an honor and a privilege to welcome you into our families because you are family. 

FOR THE CHURCH (OUR FAITH FAMILY)

Which leads us to the last family I want to bring to our attention — our faith family — the church. To be for families — like our God is for families — means that we’re for our faith family — Gateway Church. 

Listen to some of Paul’s words in letters he wrote to fellow Christians. Listen for the language of family.

To the church in Corinth he writes, “I am not writing these things to shame you, but to warn you as my beloved children. 15 For even if you had ten thousand others to teach you about Christ, you have only one spiritual father. For I became your father in Christ Jesus when I preached the Good News to you. 16 So I urge you to imitate me. 17 That’s why I have sent Timothy, my beloved and faithful child in the Lord. He will remind you of how I follow Christ Jesus, just as I teach in all the churches wherever I go.” (1 Corinthians 4:14-17 NLT)

To the church in Thessalonica he writes, “Don’t you remember, dear brothers and sisters, how hard we worked among you? Night and day we toiled to earn a living so that we would not be a burden to any of you as we preached God’s Good News to you. 10 You yourselves are our witnesses — and so is God — that we were devout and honest and faultless toward all of you believers. 11 And you know that we treated each of you as a father treats his own children. 

12 We pleaded with you, encouraged you, and urged you to live your lives in a way that God would consider worthy. For he called you to share in his Kingdom and glory.” (1 Thessalonians 2:9-12 NLT)

To the young pastor — Timothy — he writes, “Never speak harshly to an older man, but appeal to him respectfully as you would to your own father. Talk to younger men as you would to your own brothers. 2 Treat older women as you would your mother, and treat younger women with all purity as you would your own sisters.” (1 Timothy 5:1-2 NLT)

And — to the church in Galatia — Paul writes, “Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone — especially to those in the family of faith.” (Galatians 6:10 NLT)

To be for the family means that we’re for our church family. One implication — of being for our church family — is making our gathered time of worship a priority of our week. Yet worship attendance in our country has been drastically dropping — even long before the pandemic. 

Are we for our faith family if we’re not gathering with them? 

Is a father being honest when he says his family is important to him even though he rarely makes it home for dinner, or to the kid’s ball games, or — on vacation — he’s on his cell phone or laptop doing work instead of being present with his family? He may say the right words, but his actions drown them out. Similarly, to be for our faith family means that gathering to worship God with each other is a priority.

Additionally, to be for our faith family means we connect to other members of our church. We do this at Gateway through our Life Groups — an opportunity for us to connect to one another. Can we really say we’re for our faith family if we’re not in community with each other? A husband and wife may be legally married and yet not connected in any way to one another. Living separate lives — while having a legal marriage certificate — is not what marriage is meant to be. Similarly, being part of a church — while not connecting to people in the church — isn’t what it means to be for your faith family.

And to be for our faith family means that we support the work of our church through regular financial giving. The Church — as we’ve seen — is the bride of Christ. The Church is what Jesus came to build. The Church is the family of God. Can we honestly say that we’re for our faith family if we’re not financially supporting the work of our church? 

Once — when speaking to some religious leaders in his day — Jesus said to them, ““You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote, ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 7 Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’ 8 For you ignore God’s law and substitute your own tradition.” 9 Then he said, “You skillfully sidestep God’s law in order to hold on to your own tradition. 10 For instance, Moses gave you this law from God: ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and ‘Anyone who speaks disrespectfully of father or mother must be put to death.’ 11 But you say it is all right for people to say to their parents, ‘Sorry, I can’t help you. For I have vowed to give to God what I would have given to you.’ 12 In this way, you let them disregard their needy parents. 

13 And so you cancel the word of God in order to hand down your own tradition. And this is only one example among many others.”” (Mark 7:6b-14 NLT)

They demonstrated they weren’t for their family by what they did with their money. And — I’m sure you noticed — that Jesus didn’t care that they were vowing their money to God. He was ticked that they weren’t caring for their mom and dad. And giving is a way that we demonstrate that we’re for our faith family. We can’t vow the money — we should be giving to the church — to some other noble cause and think it doesn’t upset Jesus. He won’t be fooled or mocked. The Church is his bride. The Church is what he came to build. The Church is his faith family. And we demonstrate that we’re for our faith family — for his bride — by our financial giving.

And I’m so thankful that many of you demonstrated your faithfulness to your faith family last year. In the last 10 days of 2020 — those of you who gave financially — gave nearly $174,000 in those final 10 days. Amazing. Something else amazing is that the seven days prior to that you gave just over $118,000. And that doesn’t include the Christmas Eve offering. 

I so appreciate — and am thankful for — the commitment that many of you have to your faith family here at Gateway. May the Lord bless you for your faithfulness to your family of faith.

CONCLUSION

For the past few weeks, we’ve been looking at things God is for. He’s first and foremost for himself and — in response — we’re to be first and foremost for God. He’s also for justice, for life, and for the family and we — the people of God — people transformed by the grace of God as revealed in Jesus Christ — people who believe the gospel and are committed to following the only One who saves — we’re to be people who are for justice, for life, and for the family. May our commitment in being for these things demonstrate to others that — most importantly — we are for our God. Let’s pray. 

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, thank you for being for the family. For marriages. For those who are single. And for this family of faith — Gateway Church. 

Spirit of God, lead, guide, and direct us so that — for those of us who are married — our marriages point others to the Heavenly marriage of Christ to his bride. Help us husbands to love our wives as Christ loves the Church. Help wives to submit to their husbands as the Church is to submit to Christ. Help those who are single to show others that God is preeminent in their life. And help us — as a family of faith — to show that we are for one another because we’re committed to Christ.

Jesus, thank you for being the faithful husband to us — your unfaithful bride. Though we betray you — chase after other lovers, and often fail to keep our promises to you — not once — not once — have you betrayed us, abandoned us for another lover, or failed to keep a single promise you’ve made to us. What undeserved grace and love. What undeserved kindness and faithfulness. What a commitment you have to us. May we be amazed by your faithfulness and respond by being first and foremost for you — always. And it’s in your name that we pray all of these things. Amen.

BENEDICTION 

May you go — demonstrating to others — that you are for justice, and for life, and for the family — because you are for God. Amen.

God loves you. I love you. You are sent.

SCRIPTURE: Psalm 127:1-5 (ESV)

DATE: 1-17-21

As always it’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And the one thing I always want you to know — no matter if you’re worshiping with us in person or joining us online — I want you to know that God loves you and that I love you too. 

SERIES INTRODUCTION

One of our newer rhythms — here at Gateway — is that about every other year, we begin the new year with a series that focuses on who God is and implications for what this means in different areas of life. And as we begin 2021, we’re returning to some familiar topics that God’s Word speaks to as we remind ourselves that God is for justice. That he’s for life. And he’s for the family. But as we saw — when we began this series — God is first and foremost for himself. So the foundation for this series is the biblical truth that God is for God. And we — his people — are to be first and foremost for God too.

And — as we’ve already seen in this series — the God of the Bible is a God of justice and — just as his people are to be loving — because our God is love — and just as we’re to be gracious and patient and kind — because our God is gracious and patient and kind — we’re to be people who are for justice because our God is a just God — he is for justice. 

So with all this in mind, let’s turn to our passage for today — and see an aspect of justice which is rooted in our God being for life. And we’ll see how we — God’s people — in being for him — are to be for life as well. 

ANNOUNCE THE TEXT

If you have your Bible please turn with me to Psalm 127. We’ll be looking at the entire psalm — which is a whopping five verses.  

And while you’re finding Psalm 127, I want to speak to two different groups at the front of this sermon. As I just mentioned, we’re going to see that God is for life today. And — because God is for life — his people are to be for life as well. 

And as we talk about being for life — part of this sermon is going to focus on children. And I know that this will be a potentially heart wrenching topic that I hope to handle sensitively for you. And here’s why there’s the potential for this to be heart wrenching. Two reasons. 

First, we have women among us who long to be a mother. And for those of you who are married — I don’t want to neglect your husband’s longing to be a father either — but we have women among us who have a longing to be a mother and find themselves without children. Some have experienced miscarriage after miscarriage and the heartbreak that comes with it. Others have experienced failed adoptions. Some feel stuck as they want children, but want marriage first. Many feel the sorrow of waiting. 

So know that as we talk about the blessing of children today — I know that you’re listening. I’m aware of your pain. And my hope is not to add to your pain, but that you would find us to be a church that loves you well.

The other group I want to be sensitive towards are the women who’ve had an abortion. And to the men — who part of their story — is having persuaded a woman to get an abortion. At the time, you saw it as a convenient decision. Or maybe your parents forced you to have it done. Maybe you’re still convincing yourself that it was the right decision — I know there’s no one size fits all to the people who are listening to me right now. 

But know — that as we talk about children being a blessing — know that I’m aware that you’re listening. I know that abortion is something that’s infiltrated our midst — bringing with it the pain and sorrow and regret that comes with it. And my hope is not to pour on you guilt or shame, but to give you — and all of us — hope today.

So with that in mind, here are the words found in Psalm 127. Beginning in verse 1. 

Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. 2 It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep. 3 Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. 4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. 5 Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate. (Psalm 127:1-5 ESV)

SERMON INTRODUCTION

So we’re seeing that God is for life — that he is pro-life. And that term — pro-life — has pretty much been limited to a justice issue in politics — though the word typically used is anti-abortion. But I prefer the term pro-life as the prefix “pro” indicates something we’re for instead of being known primarily for something we’re against. But — even for the Christian — being pro-life can have a hyperfocused definition that refers only to the topic of abortion. Yet the biblical idea — of being pro-life — though it includes being for life in the womb — biblically speaking being pro-life is much more robust. 

To be pro-life — in the way that God is for life — means to be for life both in the womb and outside the womb — as it’s been said “from womb to tomb.” And our psalm — I hope — will expand for all of us what it means to be for life.

WORK

So let’s begin by seeing how God — being for life — how he wants us to view our work. Something you may not think of — when you think of being for life — is the view we’re to have of work. Let’s begin in verse 1.

Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. 2 It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep. (Psalm 127:1-2 ESV)

So what does work have to do with life? Well — the connection I want us to see — is how there’s a labor of work — promoted in our culture — that’s nothing more than toiling in vain. 

And this view of work contributes to the anxiety that so many experience in our country. And this laboring in vain is actually an enemy of life. So — to be for life — we must recognize what it means to work in vain and what it means to view work through the lens of being pro-life.

Our psalm highlights two ways we might find ourselves laboring in vain. The first way to labor in vain — a way to make your work an enemy of life — is to work without the help of God. Twice we see the words “unless the Lord” in our verses. And this repeated phrase reveals to us a theological truth — the doctrine known as the providence of God. What is God’s providence? 

God’s providence is his working out all things according to his will for his glory and the good of his people. And we must never assume that what we’re trying to do is what God wills to be done. Thus — as our psalmist tells us — we may build a house — but if God isn’t building it — we work in vain. We may set up guards and install security systems and so on — but if God isn’t guarding the city — no security we put in place will protect us. 

And this shows us that there’s a way in which we can work that’s actually anti-life — doing our work — whatever it is — without the help of God. But here’s some amazing news. We’ve been given an invitation to work with God — we’ve been invited to do our work in a way that’s for life. We’ll talk about this pro-life view of work in a moment.

The second way to labor in vain — to make your work an enemy of life — is to not receive the rest that God offers his people. This is the “rising up early and going to bed late…all because of our anxious toil — ignoring the rest and sleep that God offers to us” in verse two. And though written thousands of years ago, I can’t think of a more accurate description of work for us in our culture.

In his article, Workism is Making Americans Miserable, Derek Thompson writes, “The decline of traditional faith in America has coincided with an explosion of new atheisms. Some people worship beauty, some worship political identities, and others worship their children. But everybody worships something. 

And workism is among the most potent of the new religions competing for congregants. What is workism? It is the belief that work is not only necessary to economic production, but also the centerpiece of one’s identity and life’s purpose; and the belief that any policy to promote human welfare must always encourage more work.” 

So the religion of workism is why so many of us can’t separate our work — what we do — from our identity — who we are. The religion of workism is where work has moved beyond a means to economic gain and has become the reason for existence and purpose. As the writer describes it, “Work is the centerpiece of one’s identity.” 

Obviously, this view of work is an enemy of the gospel — in fact — this religion of workism is an injustice God’s people must work towards bringing an end to. Why? Because work — as a source of identity or purpose — is a life built on shifting sand. It’s why retirement is so hard for many in our country as they no longer have work as their identity. It’s why taking a vacation from work — is so elusive in our country — because you can’t take a vacation from your identity. 

But the Christian faith teaches that the only solid foundation — for a person’s identity and purpose to be built on — is Christ. Thus the religion of workism is an enemy of the gospel.

Later the author concludes with these words: “On a deeper level, Americans have forgotten an old-fashioned goal of working: It’s about buying free time. The vast majority of workers are happier when they spend more hours with family, friends, and partners…work is not life’s product, but its currency. What we choose to buy with it is the ultimate project of living.”

Do you hear what he’s saying? He’s saying something biblical — though I have no idea if the author is a Christian or not. Our work should move us towards living — it shouldn’t eliminate the things life is about — family, friends, our relationship with God and so on. Work is to be a means by which we live — that’s a pro-life view of work. So an injustice — we find in our culture — an injustice we may be contributing to that’s anti-life — is working and working and working tirelessly — at the cost of actually living life. 

• How is your work keeping you from living? 
• How has your work forced itself into the center of your life — maybe even pushing Christ out of the center? 
• If you’re not a Christian, how has your work pushed your family and friends and the important things of life — to the periphery? 

Now — hear me — I’m not promoting laziness. The Bible has much to say about the value of working hard, but it says more about our identity being rooted in Christ — and in his love and work on the cross for us — than it does about the value of hard work. And the Bible definitely doesn’t promote us finding our identity and purpose in work. So we must be careful to not allow our culture’s view of work to cause us to be against the things that God has said life is to be about. We must be pro-life in our view of work.

Businessinsider.com’s post — 11 American Work Habits Other Countries Avoid at All Costs — illustrates the “anxious toiling” that’s part of the air we breathe in our American “religion of workism.” 

What are some work habits of ours that other countries avoid at all cost? And — as I share these — please don’t think that I’ve got this all figured out. These are struggles for me as much as for any of you. But what are some of our work habits that people in other countries avoid? 

• Working crazy long hours. The average full time worker in the US works a 47 hour work week. In some European countries the average is closer to 35 hours per week. 
• Another habit of ours they avoid? Hardly ever going on vacation. I know not everyone gets paid vacation, but of those who do — on average — we only take 54% of our vacation days each year. 
• Another habit of ours they avoid? Answering work related emails after work hours. We work at work — and then — we answer work emails when we’re at home. This robs us of life. 
• What’s wrong with giving 100% of our time to work — while at work — and then giving 100% of our time — for living — when not at work? This would be a pro-life view of work.

Now — when I think of Jesus and his view of life — including work — the first thing that comes to mind is that he gave up his life for us so that we would find life — the abundant life. He didn’t give up his life so that we’d shift from being slaves to sin to being slaves of work. Work has its place in life, but it isn’t ultimate. It isn’t meant to be the source of our identity or purpose. 

And — to be for life — to be people who are pro-life — means that we — the people of God — put work in its proper place — and that isn’t in the center of our lives. It also means that — if you’re an employer — you don’t treat your employees as if work should be the center of their life. Expect 100% of their effort while at work, but give them the opportunity to live. 

One of the best things you can do — if you’re in a position of authority in your workplace — is to model what it means to view work through a pro-life filter. Show them that family dinners matter. That making it to your child’s school event matters. That being with the people of God on the weekend to worship the One who is the center of your life — matters. The way in which we work is an opportunity for us to show our culture what it means to be for life.

CHILDREN

Now the second thing we see in our psalm is that God — in being for life — is for children. So our psalm takes a pretty drastic turn here — from building a house and guarding a city — to children. But all of this is connected to being for life. Let’s begin in verse 3.

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. 4 Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. 5 Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate. (Psalm 127:3-5 ESV)

Here we see that children are a heritage — that means an inheritance or a gift — from the Lord. And this is a radically different view than our culture’s thoughts on children. Our culture teaches us that children aren’t blessings — in fact — our culture tells us that children can be massive and unneeded burdens. Thus we’re told that it’s up to us to choose if we want to have children — both before and after a pregnancy has occurred. 

Now — and this will be a bit of a shock to your system if you’re a parent or if you want to have kids someday — but according to our US government — the average child will cost his or her parents $233,610 from birth through the age of 17. So that doesn’t include the cost of college! So — kids — you should turn to your parents right now and say thank you — I don’t know — around 233,000 times. Second thought — just tell them thank you once right now — and knock out the other 200,000 thank yous on the ride home. Parents you’re welcome — and I say that both sincerely and sarcastically at the same time — everyone’s gonna have fun on their way home today.

But beyond the financial cost — if we’re honest as parents — there are times when children feel more like a burden than a blessing. We don’t call it the terrible twos for no reason. And parenting teenagers — well — that not only makes the terrible twos seem like the terrific twos — but it will stretch the patience and add gray hairs to the kindest of souls — can I get an amen?

But none of this should make us believe that children are not a blessing. In fact, some of the greatest blessings in life come at a great personal cost — even financial cost.

• Our homes are a blessing that come with a cost. 
• Some of us have had the privilege of receiving an extended education. A blessing that comes with a cost. 
• Pets are a blessing that come with a cost. 
• Many things in life are blessings that come with a cost.

But we’re reminded here — in our psalm — of the Christian truth that children are a gift from the Lord — there’s the providence of God again — and this means that children must be viewed and understood fundamentally as blessings. As it’s been said, “A baby is God’s opinion that the world should go on.” So we find ourselves with an opportunity before us — the people of God. We have the opportunity to allow God’s view — instead of our culture’s view — shape our view of children. 

• So the next time you’re standing in line at the grocery store and you have to wait longer than you want as a young mom in front of you — with a few kids — slows the line down — let that be a reminder to you that children are a blessing from the Lord — those children slowing you down are God’s opinion that the world should go on. 
• Or — here at Gateway — you sit down and are ready to focus on a fantastic sermon but find yourself distracted by the babbling of a young child near you. Well instead of getting irritated or making those young parents feel embarrassed by giving them the evil eye — parents — I hate that you feel like your number one goal is to keep your child quiet because kids make noise — the noise doesn’t bother me — so instead of getting irritated remember that children are a blessing from the Lord. 
• Those babbling — squirming in their seats — children may very well be God’s way of saying that Gateway should continue on as a church for the next generation. And — besides — you’re seeing and hearing a blessing from God — why allow a blessing from God to irritate you? 

As someone — whose love for children is well-known — said — I’m talking about Mr. Rogers — he said, “Anyone who does anything to help a child is a hero to me.” There are many honors people can say about us, but Mr. Rogers calling you a hero has got to be near the top of your list. And us being heroes begins with us having God’s view of children — that they are a blessing.  

But — again — this conflicts with our culture’s view of children. And though this can be illustrated in numerous ways, there’s a recent illustration that I think makes this evident.

In 2019 and 2020, our US Senate failed to pass a resolution on banning infanticide. The resolution focused on protecting the lives of children born alive after an attempted abortion. One senator said, “I want to ask each and every one of my colleagues whether or not we’re okay with infanticide. It is to blunt for many people in this body, but frankly, that is what we’re talking about here today…

Are we a country that protects babies that are alive, born outside the womb after having survived a botched abortion?” And you may be thinking — like me — “How can we not be a country that protects babies who are born alive — botched abortion or not?”

First — something unsurprising — about the resolution. All Republican senators voted in favor of it. But here’s what may surprise you — so did three Democrat senators. Yet the bill failed to pass — with many who voted against the bill claiming that it was unnecessary because we’re obviously a country that’s against infanticide. To which I wonder, “Aren’t we also obviously against the murder of other age groups? Then why do we have laws for those situations if things are so obvious?” 

The same day, another bill was also rejected by the Senate — a bill banning abortion on or about 20 weeks gestation with some exceptions. However — this time — two Republicans voted against the bill — banning abortions at 20 weeks — while two Democrats supported the bill. 

Why am I bringing this up? Because we have a culture of death permeating in our country. And this culture of death seems to have consumed one party and is showing signs of infecting the other party. And I know that abortions have been decreasing in number — in our country — but we’re still murdering babies in the womb — we’re still living in a culture of death.

But — if we return to Jesus — one thing he made clear while here on earth is that he is for children. Mark records a moment in Christ’s life when people were bringing children to Jesus. And his disciples — you know — guys like Peter and James and John — they rebuked the crowd for bothering Jesus. And do you know what Jesus did? Well, he got upset with his disciples! And then he said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of God belongs to those who are like these children. 15 I tell you the truth, anyone who doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” 16 Then he took the children in his arms and placed his hands on their heads and blessed them.” (Mark 10:14b-16 NLT)

Another “time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?” 2 Jesus called a little child to him and put the child among them. 3 Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. 4 So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. 5 “And anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf is welcoming me. 6 But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.” (Matthew 18:1b-6 NLT)

Jesus rebuked his disciples — not the children — he blessed the children when they came to him. Jesus said that to welcome little children is to welcome him. And to cause a child to spiritually stumble — well — it’d be better for you to drown in the sea than to cause a child to stumble. And this strong language shows us that Jesus is for children.

Now there are many ways we can show that we’re for children — that we’re pro-life. 

For example, as families, being pro-life means that we make the spiritual formation of our children a priorty in the home. But think of how we’ve allowed the priorities of culture to push the spiritual formation of our children to the periphery or — in many cases — completely out of the picture? This is not what it means to be pro-life. 

And — fathers — if I can speak to you because men — generally speaking — are the ones who struggle with work as an identity and sacrifice life on the altar of work. Fathers, the majority of the commands in Scripture — when it comes to the spiritual formation of children — are commands given to us. To be pro-life means we must not neglect our responsibility to raise up our children in the faith. Let’s not cause our children to spiritually stumble by failing to be pro-life in our homes. 

If you’re not sure where to begin — when it comes to being the faith-leader in your family — two of our podcast episodes — that I’d recommend you listen to — are episodes 9 and 40. I’ve also done two video devotionals with my kids on our church Facebook page so you can see what the Hanson family does. 

Sometimes we just need to see what someone else is doing in order to know where to begin.

Additionally, being pro-life means that we don’t hide the fact that we’re sinners from our children. We’re at our worst when we assume the role of sinless Savior for our children. Mom and dad — you’re not their Savior. And — listen to me — Gateway’s kid and youth ministries aren’t your child’s Savior either. Christ alone is the One who saves. So we must not be afraid to let our children know that our heart was once held captive to sin and that Christ is the One who set us free. We must be honest about our continual struggle against sin. And we must not be afraid to tell them that they too are sinners and are in need of a Savior.

As a church — as a faith family — being pro-life means that we support parents and guardians as they raise their children in the faith. God puts families in churches so they have a support system of care. This is especially true of our single parents, foster families, and families with children who have special needs. 

Thus, some ways you show that we’re pro-life — as a congregation — is by volunteering in our kids and youth ministry programs — by spiritually investing in the next generation you show that we’re a pro-life church. Let’s not view these ministries as babysitting, but as an opportunity for us — for you — to demonstrate that you are for children and that we’re a pro-life church. 

I so appreciate those of you who serve our children and youth week in and week out — especially you men who serve the next generation here at Gateway. I think of some of our young men — guys like Josh Wilson and Mitchell Campbell who teach a group of our second graders. Jordan McFarland and Chad Hermiller who volunteer with our youth ministry. I could go on and on with names — Brice Cooper, Landon Heft, Carsten Weizer — only one of these guys is in their 30s — by the way — the rest are still in their 20s or teenage years — but they’re all demonstrating what it means to be pro-life — as they serve our youth and children here at Gateway. Guys — thank you for being pro-life.

And — publicly — being pro-life means that — corporately and as individuals — we support organizations and ministries such as Women’s Resource Center here in Findlay and Her Choice in Bowling Green. Organizations that exist to help men and women make the choice of life for their unborn children. As I said earlier — being for life — means we’re for life in the womb. So — on your way out — be sure to grab a baby bottle and support the Women’s Resource Center here in Findlay by filling it up with cash, coins, or a check with lots of zeros on it. 

CONCLUSION

Being pro-life includes being for children in the womb. But as we’ve seen — biblically — there’s much more to being pro-life than just the topic of abortion. Yet there’s a storm brewing in our country — an anti-life storm. And we have an opportunity to provide hope in the midst of this culture of death we find ourselves in. We have an opportunity to show others what it means to be for life. 

• Which means we must view our work in a way that doesn’t allow it to be the center of our lives — or what gives us our identity. We must make it clear to others that work is not the reason for our — or their — purpose and existence. This is what it means to be for life.
• And it means that we must fight for the lives of the unborn and invest in the spiritual formation of the children living in our homes and who are part of our church family. This is what it means to be for life.

We dare not forget that our God and Savior is for life and he commands — and expects — his people to be for life as well. Why? Because we’ve been eternally changed by the One — Jesus Christ — who is the way, the truth, and the life. And he has sent us out into the world to be those who show others that our God is for life and that we are for life too. Let’s pray. 

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, thank you for being for life. And for being the Giver of life to those who don’t deserve it — which is all of us. Though you created us to live — we chose death when we rebelled against you. And we’ve been choosing death ever since. Death as we choose work as our identity instead of Christ. Death as we cause our children to spiritually stumble. And — death — as we murder the unborn. And for these reasons — and so many more — we deserve eternal death.

Yet — Jesus — in your great love for us, you came to live and die for us. Experiencing the death we deserve so we might experience the life you earned for us. A way of living that is for life. A way of living that’s a response to your love for us, your kindness to us, and your promises that are still to come. 

Spirit of God, we ask you to help us to be pro-life — not just in our words — not just in our giving — but help us to be pro-life in our living. Center our lives on Christ. May he be the foundation upon which our lives are built — from 9 to 5 — and all the other hours of our day. 

Help us to show a world — that’s caught up in a culture of death — in a culture of anti-living — help us to show them how life — the abundant life — is possible through faith in Christ alone. And we pray all of these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.

BENEDICTION

May you go demonstrating that you are for life — by living the life Christ has given you through his death. Amen.

God loves you. I love you. You are sent.

SCRIPTURE: Psalm 146 (ESV)

DATE: 1-10-21

As always it’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And the one thing I always want you to know — no matter if you’re worshiping with me in person or joining us online — I want you to know that God loves you and that I love you too. 

SERIES INTRODUCTION

About every other year, we begin the new year with a series that focuses on who God is and the implications for what this means in different areas of life. And as we begin 2021, we’re returning to some of these familiar topics and reminding ourselves that God is for justice. That he’s for life. And he’s for the family. But — as we saw last week when we began this series — God is first and foremost for himself. So the foundation for the rest of this series — what the rest of these sermons are built on — what we can’t forget as we talk about being for justice, and for life, and for the family — is the biblical truth that God is for God. 

ANNOUNCE THE TEXT

So if you have your Bible, please turn with me to Psalm 146. We’ll be looking at the entire psalm — verses 1-10. 

SERMON INTRODUCTION

And while you’re finding Psalm 146, we’re talking about justice — today — and for the next few weeks we’ll look at some specific areas of justice. And — it wouldn’t surprise me — if the word “justice” makes some of us cringe a bit. Mainly because justice issues have become so politicized. For some, using the words “social justice” in the church is simply giving ground to the political left. For some, “biblical justice” is a phrase being hijacked by the political right. 

Now the danger — for Christians — is that instead of allowing the Bible to define for us what are injustices — we allow our political party to define them for us. Too many Christians are spending more time listening to the news source of their choice — or to politicians — than they are spending time in Scripture. 

Thus — depending on your political party — some things are justice issues to fight for and other justice issues are seen as anti-Christian — regardless of what the Bible actually says or implies about the issue at hand. 

But we — God’s people — and I think we know this — we must allow God’s Word to define for us what are issues of injustice that his people — having been transformed by the grace of God as revealed in Jesus Christ — God’s people — in having been saved by Christ — must turn to his Word and rely on his Spirit for our marching orders as to what it means to be doers of justice in our world.

Because — as we’ll see — the God of the Bible is a God of justice. And just as his people are to be loving — because our God is love — and just as we’re to be gracious and patient and kind — because our God is gracious and patient and kind — we’re also to be people who do justice because our God is a just God — he is a God that is for justice. 

Now, if you’re not a Christian, you may have no issue with this expectation to do justice. My hope — though — is to show you that to do the justice you desire to see done requires supernatural help from God as we humans have failed — and continue to fail — in being just with each other. And — if you’re a Christian — my hope is to show you that — though we’re to leave eternal justice up to God — I hope to show you that we’ve been commanded to participate in being doers of justice in our world — we’re commanded to be doers of justice. 

And just as we’re commanded to share the good news of salvation with others we’re called to do acts of justice towards them as well. And we’ll see that this should not be news to us for Jesus — God in the flesh — the One we believe in — the One we’re following in all of life — did acts of justice when he walked here on earth. And — to follow Jesus — means that we also do acts of justice. 

THE GOD WHO IS JUST

But let’s turn to our psalm and allow God’s Word to guide us towards being people who are for justice. Here are the words found in Psalm 146. Beginning in verse 1. 

Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! 2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. 3 Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. 4 When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish. 5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, 6 who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever; 7 who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free; 8 the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. 9 The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. 10 The Lord will reign forever, your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the Lord! (Psalm 146:1-10 ESV)

So this psalm is a song of praise celebrating the faithfulness and justice of God. So the people of God — gathered together — would sing these words that acknowledge and praise that their God is for justice. Even the opening words of our psalm command us to praise the God who is just. That’s the first command in our psalm — “praise the Lord!” 

And the only other command — in the psalm — is to “put not your trust in princes, in a son of man in whom there is no salvation.” So only two commands. Praise God for his justice and don’t put your trust in worldly leaders to bring about the kind of justice we read of in this psalm.

But the positive command — the first command — is that we’re to praise God because of his justice. Until our last dying breath exits from our lungs — we’re to praise God because he is just and he is for justice. And — my hunch — is that praising God for his justice sounds a bit weird, right? We praise God for his grace. His love. His mercy. His blessings. We praise him for sending Jesus. But praise him for his justice?

Here’s one reason why this may seem a bit odd. Justice has two aspects to it, but we tend to think of only one of them. For example, if I ask you “What does it mean for someone to receive justice?” Many of you will think of something like, “It means that they get what they deserve.” And you’re probably thinking of a negative situation. 

A person’s done something wrong — so them receiving justice — is them being punished because of what they’ve done. Because if people aren’t punished — for doing wrong things — then they’ll just keep on doing wrong things, right? Punishing the wrongdoer is an act of justice. 

So it seems really odd to praise God for punishing wrongdoers. It would be weird for the worship team to lead us in a song where we celebrate that God punishes people for their wrongdoing. Or that people will be punished in Hell for all eternity — even though we believe that to be true — it’s not something we sing about. And yet — here — we have a psalm — a song to be sung by the people of God — that highlights that God is for justice. 

Now — though punishing a wrongdoer is an aspect of justice — the biblical idea of justice also has a positive side to it. It’s where the oppressed — the weak or the vulnerable — are given their due. 

So — doing justice, biblically speaking — isn’t just punishing the wrongdoer — doing justice also means to care for and protect the oppressed and vulnerable of society. Justice has both a negative and positive side to it. And this positive side of justice is what is to be sung about in our psalm.

So here’s what I hope you’ll understand. Doing justice — is the result of believing good, accurate, biblical theology. What do I mean? Well before we turn to doing acts of justice ourselves — our justice — and this what separates Christian justice from secular justice — our justice begins where our psalm begins. With praise. 

We can’t just believe that God is just. Or that he wants us to do justice. Our hearts must be stirred to praise him because he is just. As we saw last week — we must first be for God — before we’re for doing justice. That’s why last week’s sermon is the foundation for the rest of this series. We’re for God first. Why? Because — once we’re for God first — we’ll be the doers of justice that he expects us to be. 

JUSTICE FOR THE OPPRESSED

So let’s turn — now — to who the focus is of God’s justice in our psalm. And this isn’t unique to this psalm for throughout the Bible we find that God has a heart of justice towards a particular people — and these people are mentioned in our psalm. Let’s begin in verse 7 where we read that God is the One…

Who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free; 8 the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. 9 The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless. (Psalm 146:7-9a ESV)

Now — as I just said — this psalm isn’t the only place where we see these groups of people mentioned as being a priority for God’s justice. The widow, the orphan, the sojourner or immigrant, and the poor — the hungry in our psalm — are continually shown to be a concern for the heart of God because these are the people who are easily stepped all over by society. Throughout Scripture, we see God wanting to be known for caring for the oppressed and vulnerable. 

Have you ever spoken at an event where the host asks you, “How should I introduce you?” I have before. Now there are a lot of things that I could have them say. “Husband to Emily. Father to Wesley, Caleb, and Alice. Son of Ken and Betsy Hanson. The pastor of Gateway Church. An Army veteran. A graduate of the University of South Florida with a Bachelor’s degree in Jazz Saxophone Performance.” 

Similarly, there are many ways we can introduce God. But one way that he likes to be introduced — as seen throughout the Bible — is, “Tell them that I’m the God who protects the vulnerable. Tell them that I provide for the hungry. I set prisoners free. I care for the widow and orphan. Introduce me as the God who is for justice.” 

Like last week, the tenderness and kindness of God is on display in his care and concern for the vulnerable in society. Like a parent watching over their children to make sure they have what they need to flourish in life — God watches over the widow and the orphan. Like a parent who picks up their child who’s fallen off their bike — God lifts up those who are oppressed by society. 

Again, God does many other things — and is known for many other things — but his care for the vulnerable in society comes up so much in Scripture that he doesn’t want us to miss that he wants to be known for his justice towards them.

So what does it mean for us to do justice for these people? If God cares for them — then we’re to care for them too. Not caring for the vulnerable — but loving God — is basically telling God “I love you, but not the people who you love and have made in your image.” And — if I’m honest — if you say, “Josh, I love you, but I don’t love your wife and kids.” Well — I’m gonna question how genuine your love for me is. 

So what does it mean to love and care for the vulnerable? It means at least two things. First, it means that we must not do things that harm those who are vulnerable. 

And — second — and this is where the rubber meets the road — to care for the vulnerable means that we can’t ignore them. It is unjust of us to ignore the vulnerable.

Another Old Testament book is helpful here — the book of Job. In two places we see Job highlight what it means to do justice for the vulnerable. Here’s the first example. In Job chapter twenty-nine we read, “When I was in my prime, God’s friendship was felt in my home. 5 The Almighty was still with me, and my children were around me…“Those were the days when I went to the city gate and took my place among the honored leaders. 8 The young stepped aside when they saw me, and even the aged rose in respect at my coming. 9 The princes stood in silence and put their hands over their mouths. 10 The highest officials of the city stood quietly, holding their tongues in respect. 11 “All who heard me praised me. All who saw me spoke well of me. (Why? Job says…) 12 For I assisted the poor in their need and the orphans who required help. 13 I helped those without hope, and they blessed me. And I caused the widows’ hearts to sing for joy. 14 Everything I did was honest. Righteousness covered me like a robe, and I wore justice like a turban. 15 I served as eyes for the blind and feet for the lame. 16 I was a father to the poor and assisted strangers who needed help.” (Job 29:4-5, 7-16 NLT)

Did you see the overlap between those — mentioned in our psalm — and the people who Job did justice for? The lists are nearly identical.

Benjamin Franklin said, “Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are.” We see something similar — here in Job — where the same groups of people — as in our psalm that God does acts of justice for — are the groups whom Job did acts of justice for — he cared for them.

A few chapters later Job says, “Let God weigh me on the scales of justice, for he knows my integrity…Have I refused to help the poor, or crushed the hopes of widows? 17 Have I been stingy with my food and refused to share it with orphans? 18 No, from childhood I have cared for orphans like a father, and all my life I have cared for widows. 19 Whenever I saw the homeless without clothes and the needy with nothing to wear, 20 did they not praise me for providing wool clothing to keep them warm? 21 “If I raised my hand against an orphan, knowing the judges would take my side, 22 then let my shoulder be wrenched out of place! Let my arm be torn from its socket! 

23 That would be better than facing God’s judgment. For if the majesty of God opposes me, what hope is there?” (Job 31:6, 16-23 NLT)

It’s not just the acts of justice that he did for the vulnerable, Job says, “Put me on the scales of God’s justice and see if I’ve ignored the vulnerable?” And — then he says — “God, if I’ve done anything against — or to ignore the vulnerable — rip my arm out of its socket. For that would be better than facing your just judgment that’s sure to come my way.” Why? Because God opposes those who do injustice. I wonder how many of us would dare to pray Job’s words?

FOR JUSTICE

Now — in case anyone is concerned about all of this justice talk — let me be clear as to what I am and what I’m not saying. Let’s start with what I’m not saying.

I’m not saying that doing justice is the gospel — I’m not promoting a social gospel here. Doing justice is fruit of the gospel; but it’s not the gospel. 

The social gospel is a lie that says we’re saved by our good works of justice. The social gospel doesn’t care about evangelism, living a holy life, or believing in Christ for salvation. The social gospel is not what I’m promoting. 

• Doing justice is the result of having believed in Christ alone for your salvation. We become a people who are for justice because we’ve believed in a God who is for justice.
• Justice is directly linked to living a holy life, believing in Christ for salvation, and evangelism — or sharing the good news of what Christ has accomplished in his life, death, and resurrection. 
• So doing justice and being righteous are inseparable. Why? Because being righteous — being made right with God and living rightly — leads to living justly — or being for justice. 
• As a pastor has said, “A robust commitment to the gospel and the Great Commission will inevitably lead to encounters with the impoverished, the orphaned, and so forth.”

So I’m not saying that doing justice is the gospel. 

Then what am I saying? Be careful of being callous — or hardened — towards the brokenness in our world. 

• Can it be overwhelming? Yes. 
• Can it be hard to know where to begin? Absolutely. 
• Will it feel like you’re not even making a dent in the suffering of the vulnerable? It may.
• Will some confuse the gospel with a social gospel? It’s been done.

But believing the gospel and following Christ requires that we not harden our hearts and instead empathize with those who are vulnerable and do justice for them.

What am I saying? I’m also saying that we can’t compromise the conviction of our faith in the name of justice. We must be diligent in not justifying unbiblical shortcuts in the name of justice being done. 

We must refuse to justify the decisions we make with “Well, this choice was the lesser of two evils.” The lesser of two evils is still evil. And if evil is all the world has to offer us maybe we’re putting our trust in the princes of this world instead of putting our trust in God alone.

What am I saying? We must not allow issues of justice to divide us. What do I mean? As I said earlier, there’s so much suffering — so many who are vulnerable — that it can be easy to make our justice issue THE justice issue that every Christian must be sold out for. There are issues of justice that no Christian is to compromise on — which we’ll see later in this series — but — for example — someone can be pro-life and spend their blood, sweat, and tears as foster parents, while someone else volunteers at Women’s Resource Center, while someone else volunteers at a nursing home and so on. 

And I’m thankful that we have all three of the examples I just described here at Gateway — among you. 

• We’ve got numerous foster families among us. 
• Many of you are on the board, or you work at, or serve at Women’s Resource Center here in Findlay. 
• Some of you — pre-COVID — and I’m sure post-COVID you’ll be right back at it — some of you visit folks in our local nursing homes on a regular basis. 
• We’ve got folks who have a heart for serving those with special needs and you helped us create a space so you can serve them here at Gateway. 
• We have folks who are working with those in prison. 
• I so appreciate the care that all of you have for the vulnerable and outcasts in our community. Thank you for what you are doing. Thank you for being for justice.

JESUS THE JUST

But — as we talk about doing justice — it’s hard not to think of Jesus when we remember what he did while here on earth. He showed us what it means to be for justice. 

But what should stun us — about the justice we see Jesus display — especially when we keep in mind those two aspects of justice — often we see Jesus display the positive side of justice rather than the negative side. In fact, the scale would lean far in one direction if we were to weigh the acts of justice that we find Jesus doing on the pages of the Bible. For as it’s been said, “Never forget that justice is what love looks like in public.” And Jesus displayed for us what God’s justice and love look like in human flesh. 

Jesus came and intentionally sought out those who were ignored by society. The lepers. The blind. The lame. Women and children. Prostitutes and tax collectors. Even the demonized. In fact, Jesus coming to earth as a man is the ultimate example of not ignoring those who are poor — for he was born into a poor family. Thus when Mary and Joseph presented the sacrifice for the birth of their son — they offered the sacrifice for those who were poor. And Paul says this about Jesus. “You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.” (2 Corinthians 8:9 NLT)

Jesus gave up his heavenly riches — coming to earth to be poor and abandoned and betrayed by all of us — so that — through his obedience and suffering we might be given his heavenly reward.

After he had grown up and had been tempted in the wilderness, Luke records one of the first times Jesus made it clear why he had come to earth — what he had come to do the first time he was here. This is from Luke chapter 4.

“Then Jesus returned to Galilee, filled with the Holy Spirit’s power. Reports about him spread quickly through the whole region. 15 He taught regularly in their synagogues and was praised by everyone. 16 When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. 17 The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written: 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, 19 and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.” 

20 He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently. 21 Then he began to speak to them. “The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!”” (Luke 4:14-21 NLT) 

Jesus makes it clear that he came to bring about the justice of God for the poor, oppressed, and vulnerable. But if we were to go to the prophet Isaiah — and read what he wrote — we’ll notice that Jesus stopped quoting Isaiah at a very interesting point. Here’s the original quote from Isaiah.

“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, for the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed. 2 He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the Lord’s favor has come, and with it, the day of God’s anger against their enemies.” (Isaiah 61:1-2 NLT)

Back in Luke’s gospel — while telling the audience in Nazareth why he had come — Jesus talks about bringing God’s justice. But he stops his quotation of Isaiah just before saying “and I have brought the day of God’s anger.” Jesus will bring God’s anger when he returns — bringing to completion God’s justice against those who oppose him. But until that day — we’re to follow in Jesus’ footsteps. Being doers of justice because of our love for God and for those he’s made in his image.

CONCLUSION

Now I know that we haven’t talked about specific justice issues yet. My intent — today — wasn’t to get into specific issues of justice as that quickly turns into a political conversation and what’s the best way for our nation to legislate justice. That’s not my goal in preaching on what it means to be a people who are for justice. Why? Because we are to be a people who are for justice — not because it’s legislated — but because we are first and foremost for our just God. 

And as we continue in this series, if you’re not already involved in doing justice for the vulnerable in our society, allow these next few weeks to be a time when you ask God, “God, where do you want me to be involved in doing justice for the vulnerable?” If you need ideas of — maybe where to begin or ways to get involved — know that we have a list of ministry partners on our website — under the Go tab — that you can get involved with. Let us help you get involved in doing the acts of justice that God wants all of his people to be doing. For he is a God who is for justice. And — to be for him — is to be a people who are for justice. Let’s pray. 

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, thank you for being for justice. We even thank you for being for both aspects of justice — that those who refuse to repent of their injustices will not escape your punishment. But we pray this recognizing our own need to repent of the injustices we’ve caused. Thank you for your forgiveness. And we thank you for being for those who society has ignored, walked over, and oppressed. It reveals to us what it means when we say that you are compassionate, kind, generous, and a protector.

Spirit of God, help us to neither do things that harm the vulnerable nor to ignore them. Soften our hard hearts that may be overwhelmed by the injustices in our world or not know where to begin or wonder what we can do to bring about your justice. May we remember that our job isn’t to reverse every injustice we see, but that doesn’t mean we can’t do something. Spirit, give each of us clarity as to what acts of justice you are calling us to and may we obey your call.

Finally, Jesus, we thank you for showing us what it means to be for justice. You showed us in how you treated the vulnerable you encountered while here on earth. But ultimately you showed us your commitment to being for justice when you gave up your life in our place on the cross. As the old hymn — Beneath the Cross of Jesus — reminds us, your cross is our “Safe and happy shelter! A refuge tried and sweet! [For your cross is the] place where heaven’s love and justice meet.” We pray all of these things in your name. Amen.

BENEDICTION

May you go being for justice — why — because you are for God who is for justice. Amen.

God loves you. I love you. You are sent.

SCRIPTURE: Psalm 103 (ESV)

DATE: 1-3-20

As always it’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And the one thing I always want you to know — and this is true if you’re worshiping with us in person or are worshiping with us online — I want you to know that God loves you and that I love you too. 

SERIES INTRODUCTION

About every other year, we begin the new year with a series that focuses on who God is and some implications for what this means in different areas of life. In 2017, we did a series titled “Under God?” where we looked at how our nation’s pledge of allegiance ends with the words, “One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” And — by looking at who God is — we saw his concern for justice in the areas of race, life, and marriage. 

In 2019, we did a series titled “Evil” and asked the question “Are we blurring the lines between what God has declared to be just and good and the evil going on in our world?” We used a passage from Malachi as our text as we tackled a variety of topics including are all religions the same, immigrants, and a pro-life ethic.

In 2021, we’re again returning to some of these familiar topics but this year we’ll be doing so through the lens of things that God is for. And once again we’ll see that God is for justice. He’s for life. And he’s for the family. But before we get to any of these topics, we must begin with what God is most for. And what he is most for may surprise you, but it’s the foundation for the rest of this series. 

In fact — throughout 2021 — this theme of what God is for — is going to be woven into all of our worship services as — what God is for — will be the focus of our time of prayer each week throughout the year. 

ANNOUNCE THE TEXT

So let’s discover what God is most for. If you have your Bible, please turn with me to Psalm 103. We’ll be looking at the entire psalm together — all 22 verses — as we discover what God is most for — which is also what we — his people — are to be most for.

Here are the words found in Psalm 103. Beginning in verse 1. 

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, 3 who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, 5 who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. 6 The Lord works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. 7 He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel. 8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 9 He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. 10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; 

12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. 13 As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. 14 For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. 15 As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; 16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more. 17 But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children, 18 to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments. 19 The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all. 20 Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word! 21 Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his ministers, who do his will! 22 Bless the Lord, all his works, in all places of his dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul! (Psalm 103:1-22 ESV)

MORE THAN MENTAL ASSENT

Did you notice the repetition of the word “bless” in our psalm? Think about the different ways we use the word “bless.” 

• Someone sneezes and we say bless you. 
• If you’re from the south, you know that “bless your heart” is kind of an insult disguised as a compliment. 
• On social media the hashtag #blessed is used to show others all of the good things going on in life. 
• And some people end their emails or notes with the word “blessings.” 

But if we think of scripture — and in particular — our psalm — we see a glorious picture of who God is and how our response to who he is to be a response of blessing. But what does that mean — what does it mean for us to bless God?

Well one thing this indicates is that — contrary to what many think — there’s more to Christianity than just believing in God. Now we must believe in God — but we’re called to do more than that and — here — we see that part of the more — that we’re to do — is to bless God. There’s a response expected of those who believe in God.

Now something I’ve observed is that most people — if they believe in a divine power — have a positive view of their god. Meaning, our psalm is full of some wonderful truths about God — and a lot of people — even non-Christians — would say, “Yup. My god is just like that!” And this is because most people have a positive view of their god. It’s other people’s gods who are the wrathful, mean, vindictive god, right? 

It’s common for people to create their own versions of a god and this is usually a god who makes them feel good, accepted, and loved — a god who has no expectations of them. “Just keep on living your life, doing what you want to do, and I’ll be here to love on you when life is over.” For many, being religious — or being a spiritual person — isn’t much more than having a mental checklist that says, “This is what I believe my god is like” and nothing more. 

And this makes Christianity unique. For the God of Christianity expects a response from those who believe in him. 

The God of the Christian faith isn’t satisfied with people simply believing some things about him — he wants their believing in him to change all of who they are. Their emotions, their thoughts, their words, their actions, their relationships.

Now — for the rest of this sermon — we’re going to focus on what it means to bless the Lord — but I don’t want us to skip over one other response God’s people are to have. The response we see in verse 11, which says, “For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his (God’s) steadfast love toward those who fear him.” (Psalm 103:11 ESV)

We’ll look at God’s steadfast love — in a bit — but notice that God’s great, steadfast, never-ending love is towards those who fear him. So what does it mean to fear the Lord?

It’s been said that, “The remarkable thing about God is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else, whereas, if you do not fear God, you fear everything else.” 

Someone else has said, “We fear circumstances so much because we fear God so little.”

“Well that all sounds good, but it still doesn’t tell me what it means to fear the Lord.” One Bible scholar is helpful. He says that, “The fear of the Lord is [encouraged] throughout Scripture, demanding that God’s people stand always in awe of him, appreciate his supremacy and greatness, fear the consequences of disobeying his will, and not treat lightly any aspect of their covenant relationship with him, lest the consequences be severe or even fatal. Attempts on the part of some in modern times to define fearing the Lord as merely respecting him distort the biblical evidence.”

So — to fear the Lord — does mean to respect him, but it also means to be in awe of him, to recognize his greatness, to fear the consequences of disobeying him, and to not dismiss our responsibility to live for him.

Jesus gives us a glimpse as to what it means to fear the Lord when he says, “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” But — someone may think — “But, Jesus, don’t you know what John said? He said, ‘There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.’ So what about that, Jesus? If God loves me, why should I fear him?” 

What Jesus would most likely say is something like, “Why don’t you finish the rest of John’s verse?” For the whole verse says, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.” 

So a Christian — being secure in the love of God because of all that Christ has done on their behalf — a Christian should not be afraid of God’s eternal punishment. 

But we should still have a fear of the Lord — a standing in awe of who he is, appreciating his supremacy and greatness, fearing the consequences of disobedience, while desiring to honor him with every word that comes out of our mouth, every thought in our mind, and every action we make. No fear of eternal judgement — but that doesn’t mean we treat our relationship with God lightly. 

And treating our relationship with God lightly is something tempting for all of us to do as we go about living. And it’s something plaguing churches these days.

But let’s return to our psalm and see who God is and what it means to respond to who he is by blessing him. And — as we do — we’ll see who God is most for.

WHO GOD IS

Let’s begin with who God is. Now — something encouraging and amazing — and I hope your awe has been stirred from this psalm already — but our verses give us a picture of how good, and great, and beautiful God is. Beginning in verse 3 we read that God…

…forgives all your iniquity, (he is the One…) who heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, 5 who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. 6 The Lord works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. 7 He made known his ways to Moses, his acts to the people of Israel. 8 The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 9 He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. 10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. 11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; 12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. 13 As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. 14 For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust. 15 As for man, his days are like grass; he flourishes like a flower of the field; 16 for the wind passes over it, and it is gone, and its place knows it no more. 17 But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him, and his righteousness to children’s children, 

18 to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments. 19 The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all. (Psalm 103:3-19 ESV)

So we’ve just read that God forgives and he heals. He redeems us and crowns us with his steadfast love and mercy. Let’s pause here. 

How many of you have a hat with your favorite team’s logo on it? Now that hat represents your love for your team — a devotion you have to your team — and you wear the hat because you want others to know about your commitment to your team. But — here in our psalm — we have this picture of God crowning us with his love and mercy. 

So we’ve been given a spiritual hat that we’re to wear on our heads that shows others God’s love and mercy towards us. But — in wearing this hat — the expectation is that we respond to God’s love and mercy with a commitment to him. We respond with a love for him. We respond in a way that shows others that God gives us joy and delight.

Continuing on we read that God satisfies us and works righteousness and justice for the oppressed. He’s made known his ways and he acts on behalf of his people. He’s merciful and gracious, slow to get angry and abounding in love. We see that he won’t always chide — or scold us. Nor be angry with us forever. 

Something that should amaze us though — in many ways — we’ve become so used to this news that it doesn’t amaze us like it should — is that God doesn’t give us what our sins deserve. 

We’re reminded — again — of his infinite love for us and how — in love — he’s removed the sins of his people. What is his love like? The psalmist says, “For as high as the heavens are above the earth.” Think of the bigness of the universe. Think of looking up at the sky and seeing the stars and realizing how small we are. Well here’s something the bigness of creation is meant to do: It’s meant to show us how big God’s love is for us. When was the last time you looked up at the sky and stopped to ponder how big God’s love is for you?

The psalmist tells us that God has removed our sins from us as “far as the east is from the west.” The distance between Washington D.C. and Beijing is about 7,000 miles. Now I know that’s not the east and west the psalmist was thinking about when he wrote these words. But it helps us to picture the vastness of God’s love for us and how — when he thinks of us — when he thinks of you — because of your faith in Christ — he sees not your sin and fault and the things that give you shame. Why? Because he’s removed all of our transgressions from us as “far as the east is from the west.” 

Continuing on we see that God is like a compassionate father to us and that he knows us. He knows our weaknesses — that we’re nothing more than dust. From the dust of the ground he formed us and to dust our bodies will return until Jesus comes back to his creation. And if we stop and pause on this thought — that we began as dust — what a fragile beginning for us. 

Before Christmas, friends of ours were babysitting some kittens. Now — cats I tolerate — but I love me some kittens. But kittens seem so fragile, right? They seem so breakable. And there’s a natural tenderness mode — we all go into — when we hold a kitten, right? Well this tenderness — that we display — is but a small glimpse of the tenderness and compassion God has towards us — for he knows us — he remembers that we are but dust.

DIRT ILLUSTRATION

And this — this dirt is our humble beginnings — this is what God used to make us. So think of the ridiculousness of how highly we view ourselves — how proud we are — how we make ourselves to be the center of the universe — think of the ridiculousness of how we view ourselves when this dirt is where we come from. And think of how gloriously ridiculous it is that — though God made us and formed us from dirt — he loves and cares for us — in love he came to earth to live and die for us — even though we come from very humble beginnings. 

And though we may put on a good show for others — there’s no fooling God — we come from dirt, after all. He knows you and me — all of our folly and foolishness and sin — and — don’t miss this — he loves you and me anyway. And though our days are limited — like the flowers that come up in the spring only to die in the winter — though back to the ground — to dust — we’ll return — again, don’t miss this — God’s love towards us will never die or fade away. And that should floor us all. 

The psalmist goes on to tell us that God gives righteousness to his people. Righteousness is what we need to be able to survive the presence of his holiness — for nothing unrighteous can survive his holy presence. And God has established his throne in the heavens — he’s the King who rules and reigns over all his creation. This is who God is.

But here’s the point of tension for us. This is all glorious news — I mean — look at who God is! And — it seems pretty obvious — that our response to this news should be a response of joy, and hope, and gladness, and a desire to want to please this God who is so awesome and glorious. 

And — yet — the tension for us is that all of this can sound too good to be true. Because — let’s be real — if this is who God is — I mean — no sugar coating, no lies, no deception — if this is who God is — then no one and no thing can compare to him, right? And yet we often settle for so much less when it comes to what gives us joy, and hope, and gladness. Thus — instead of living for God — we live for something less. 

And — as I said earlier — there are many people who would agree wholeheartedly with the description of God in this psalm and yet be kind of “ho hum” about him. More passionate about something other than this amazing, awe-inspiring God.

GOD IS FOR GOD

And this leads us to what — though counterintuitive — is both biblical and natural once we really begin to believe that all we’ve just read is who God really is. But before we get to what’s counterintuitive — let’s talk about what should be our natural response to who God is: We should be for God. Anyone who believes that this is who God is — should be first and foremost for God. 

Meaning, our beliefs and thoughts, our words and emotions, our relationships and actions should demonstrate that first and foremost we…are…for…God. Because nothing else compares to him.

Now that seems fairly obvious — though not as easy to follow through on given the spiritual war we’re all in and the fickleness of our hearts.

But what’s counterintuitive? If we’re to be first and foremost for God — because of who he is — then it shouldn’t surprise us that God is first and foremost for himself. Wait, what? God is for himself? Yes. 

A few biblical examples that — I think — make this clear and not nearly as offensive as it may sound to our ears.

Jesus was once asked, “Which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” 37 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 

39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” 

Notice which commandment is first. Love God comes first. It’s primary. And — don’t forget — that Jesus is God. So God — himself — has told us — has commanded us — to love him first.

Additionally, there’s a theme throughout the Bible where we find a phrase that shows us that “God being for God” is why other things happen. We don’t have time to exhaust all of Scripture, but here are some examples from the psalms.

He (God) restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 

For your name’s sake, O Lord, pardon my guilt, for it is great. 

For you (God) are my rock and my fortress; and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me. 

Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of your name; deliver us, and atone for our sins, for your name’s sake! 

Both we and our fathers have sinned; we have committed iniquity; we have done wickedness. 7 Our fathers, when they were in Egypt, did not consider your wondrous works; they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love, but rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea. 8 Yet he (God) saved them for his name’s sake, that he might make known his mighty power. 

But you, O God my Lord, deal on my behalf for your name’s sake; because your steadfast love is good, deliver me! 

For your name’s sake, O Lord, preserve my life! In your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble!

The phrase “for your name’s sake” essentially means “for your glory, for you God, for you first and foremost.” And look at all that’s done — first and foremost for God — which results in our benefit and favor. 

“Lead us in righteousness — in right living — first and foremost — why? For your glory, God.”

“Pardon us of our guilt — first and foremost — why? For your glory, God.”

“Atone our sins — save us — first and foremost — for your glory, God.”

“Even though we sin, and rebel, and forget the works you’ve done for us — even though we forget your steadfast love towards us — first and foremost — for your glory, God, save us.”

With as gloriously wonderful as God is — he must be first and foremost be for himself. But this isn’t bad news. God’s not a narcissist — so this isn’t bad news — this is great news! Because God being for himself always results in good for his people. 

• For he is glorified when he leads us in righteousness. 
• He’s glorified when he pardons us of our guilt and forgives us of our sin. 
• God acts for his glory — which results in our good. 
• And we — his people — the recipients of his goodness — are to be like God by being first and foremost for him. 

BLESS THE LORD

And our response to who God is — our response of being for God — is to be a response of blessing. Our psalm begins with the words…

Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! 2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits… (verse twenty says…) 

20 Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word! 21 Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his ministers, who do his will! 22 Bless the Lord, all his works, in all places of his dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul! (Psalm 103:1-2, 20-22 ESV)

It’s hard for me to not think of Matt Redman’s song — Bless the Lord, O my Soul — when I hear the opening words to our psalm. If you’re familiar with the song, I’m sure it came to your mind as well.

But back to our original question. What does it mean to bless the Lord? Blessing God is an “expression of praising thankfulness — an exclamation of gratitude and admiration.”

As the doxology says, “Praise God from whom all blessings flow; praise him all creatures here below; praise him above ye heavenly hosts; praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.”

God — the One from whom all blessings flow — God the Giver of every good gift — the Originator of all blessings is the definition of the Blessed One. The One who is the source of all blessings is the One who is the Blessed. So us — blessing God — is us recognizing his blessedness. Us — blessing God — is us responding — with our words and lives and thoughts — “God, you are blessed!” 

What are some ways we do this? 

A simple place to begin is to tell someone about how awesome God is. Tell them about the things he’s done — in your life and in history. Share things that you admire about him. Or point out to others how the good things in your life — those hashtag #blessed things — are gifts from God. In fact, if you’re joining us on Facebook or YouTube, leave a comment telling others about the awesomeness of your God.

Another way — to bless God — is to kneel before him. 

As another psalm says, “Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker, 7 for he is our God. We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care.” 

When’s the last time you kneeled before God? Humbled yourself, gotten on your knees, and bowed before him? Something my wife and I began doing — quite some time ago — is that before we go to bed, we humble ourselves before God, bow before him, and thank him for one thing from the day.

Sing — singing is a great way to bless God. The psalms are filled with commands to sing to the Lord. And there’s no caveat as to how good of a singer you must be. One of the ways our worship staff serves you is by putting together playlists — on Spotify — of the songs we sing here at Gateway. They know that the more familiar you are with the songs — the easier it is to sing them. 

You can find the playlists on our app or regularly on our church blog — the Gate. The worship team posts the songs we’ll be singing each weekend so you can get to know the songs and prepare to sing with God’s people when we gather together. So don’t just stand or sit and watch, but join us in blessing the Lord by singing.

One last idea — and this one’s a bit outside the usual box of things we Christians do. Try writing your own psalm of blessing to the Lord. Now — I don’t mean — we’re going to add your psalm to the Bible. What I mean is write down — in your own voice — words about God’s goodness or kindness towards you. His graciousness or mercy. His power or beauty. And how all of these attributes of God are displayed in Christ. Write down — in your own words — who God is and what he’s done for you as a way to bless him. 

CONCLUSION

As we continue in this series — looking at things that God is for — we’ve seen that God is first and foremost for himself. And we — his people — are to be for him too — living a life that’s a blessing to him. 

And in the coming weeks — as we look at what it means to be for justice and for life and for the family — we must remember that we are first to be for God. And we must always remember that the Lord we mean — when we say and sing “Bless the Lord, O my soul” — the Lord we mean is the only Lord and Savior — our Lord Jesus Christ. Let’s pray. 

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, first we thank you for being first and foremost for yourself. This is great news for us because infinite blessings flow to your people because of this good news. Father, you are the Blessed One — the giver of every good gift — and in response we praise you and bless your holy name.

Spirit of God, thank you for the gift of new life that you give to all who turn to Christ in faith — what an undeserved blessing. I ask that you would give the gift of new life to many who hear my voice. Pour out your blessings of grace, and hope, and joy, and peace, and life on them.

And Jesus, thank you for making all of these blessings possible. You are the Lord to whom our souls are to praise with the words, “Bless the Lord, O my soul!” May we — in response to who you are — and in being for you — may we tell others about you. May we sing praises to you. May we bow down before you. And may all of who we are — our thoughts, emotions, actions, and relationships — may all of who we are be for you. And we pray all of these things in your name. Amen.

BENEDICTION

May you go blessing the Lord with all of who you are — being first and foremost for him. Amen.

God loves you. I love you. You are sent.