Rev. David Holwick G
First Baptist Church
Ledgewood, New Jersey
February 25, 1990
Psalm 136
|
I. Superheroes.
A. Everyone likes to look up to someone who is greater than them.
1) My day - Davy Crockett, John Wayne.
2) Today - Robocop, Mutant Ninja Turtles.
#1112
B. The Bible has the ultimate hero: God.
II. God of Creation.
A. How big is your God?
1) "God of the gaps."
a) God is only behind what is unexplained.
b) As more is explained God retreats to the background.
1> Stephen Hawkings says in 20 years we won't need
religion.
2> Personal story of Charles Darwin.
Began as very religious young man.
Studied for ministry.
After studying evolution he found his faith began
to fade.
#1111
2) Big Bang, Science.
a) Science sometimes goes full circle.
b) The latest scientific fad is the "Big Bang" creation.
c) Scientists don't like it because it presupposes a
beginning.
1> Robert Jastrow, noted astronomer:
The Big Bang theory in astronomy tells us the universe
has a beginning.
Theologians are delighted with the proof that the universe
had a beginning, but astronomers are curiously upset.
It turns out that the scientist behaves the way the rest
of us do when our beliefs are in conflict with the
evidence.
We become irritated, we pretend the conflict does not
exist, or we paper it over with meaningless phrases.
(from "God and the Astronomers," p.16)
#677
3) How big is your personal God?
a) Can he resurrect the dead?
1> Can he change your circumstances?
b) Or does he just watch?
B. God is the ultimate Creator.
1) Salmon Brothers can make a pond, but God made the oceans.
2) God is not part of nature, he is above it.
a) (Religion of ecology has dangerous aspects.)
C. We are God's creatures.
1) We are more important than anything in nature, acc. to Bible.
a) God knows the number of hairs on our heads.
b) God uses processes, but He is still in control.
2) We can trust him to take care of us.
III. God of History. 136:10 ff
A. Psalm 136 recalls the great deeds of God in history.
1) Exodus and Conquest.
B. Conflicting theories: history as a line or a circle.
1) No miracles, nothing new under sun, everything explainable.
2) Supernatural: unusual things can happen.
a) God is always on verge of breaking in.
1> History is heading for a climax.
b) Second Coming will transform world.
1> Events in Europe are only a taste of how quickly
events can change.
C. We should believe great things.
1) Founder of modern missionary movement, William Carey:
Carey was an impoverished English shoemaker.
Converted and became a Baptist lay preacher.
Wrote a book on missions.
(Most Christians thought missions was only for Apostles.)
(God would do it in his own good time.)
Carey preached a moving sermon before a group of pastors:
"Attempt great things for God,
Expect great things from God."
One year later, 1793, Carey and his family sailed for India.
In five years he had translated the NT into Bengali.
By the end of his career he translated the whole Bible into
3 languages and founded a college that exists today.
Great difficulties:
No converts for 7 years.
His wife died of insanity.
A warehouse fire destroyed 30 years of translation work.
Through it all he never gave up the faith.
His secret for accomplishing great things?
"I can plod. I can persevere in any definite task. To this
I owe everything."
#1110
2) What can we accomplish if we set our faith to it?
D. God can do great things.
1) History of this church.
2) Future history (deacons' goals).
IV. God of personal relationship.
A. God is not just concerned about planets and governments.
B. He loves each individual. 136:23
1) Meaning of term "hesed."
a) Covenant relationship; love.
b) Cannot be broken.
2) God does not give up on us.
a) God as a deliverer. 136:24
b) God as a provider. 136:25
Copyright © 2024 by Rev. David Holwick
Created with the Freeware Edition of HelpNDoc: Easy to use tool to create HTML Help files and Help web sites