If you would, let's open our Bibles to Psalm chapter 19, which is our sermon text for this evening, Psalm chapter 19, and I'll begin reading in verse 1 through the end of the 14th verse, which is the end of the chapter. So Psalm chapter 19, let's give attention to the reading of God's Word, Psalm chapter 19, beginning in verse 1. Hear now the word of the Lord. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words whose voice is not heard. Their measuring line goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun, which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber. And like a strong man, runs its course with joy. Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them. And there is nothing hidden from its heat. The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever. The rules of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold, sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them is your servant warned. In keeping them there is great reward. Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins. Let them not have dominion over me, then I shall be blameless and innocent of great transgression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. May God add his blessing to this reading from his holy and inspired word. Beloved, I think what we have before us is what is perhaps one of the most well-known psalms in all of the Psalter. Perhaps there are others that might be a little bit more familiar to us, whether it be the 23rd Psalm or maybe Psalm 2 or Psalm 110. But here in the 19th Psalm, King David looks out upon the creation and he begins to ponder the glory of God that he sees in the creation. But as he looks out into the creation, he does not simply stop there with what he sees. But rather, his mind eventually drifts to reflect upon the scriptures themselves. I think in this respect, we can say that the psalmist here, that King David, gives to us what the Belgic Confession has called the book of nature and the book of scripture. The Belgic Confession, for example, in Article 2 says this, that we know God by two means. First, by the creation, preservation, and government of the universe, which is before our eyes as a most elegant book, wherein all creatures, great and small, are as so many characters leading us to see clearly the invisible things of God, even his everlasting power and divinity, as the Apostle Paul says. all which things are sufficient to convince men and to leave them without excuse. Second, he makes himself more clearly and more fully known to us by his holy and divine word. That is to say, as far as is necessary for us to know in this life to his glory and our salvation. So here, what King David, in effect, is doing is he begins this reflection upon the glory of God as he reflects upon the book of nature written by God, which then leads him to reflect upon the book of Scripture, also written by God. And it's important, I think, that we recognize David's transition from one to the other. Because I think so many people in this world, perhaps even ourselves from time to time, as we look out upon the grandeur, the beauty, the splendor of the creation, Sometimes that's where our reflections stop. And in one sense, there's nothing wrong with that. We can surely appreciate the beauty of what sits before us. For indeed, there are many beautiful things to see. Have you ever thought as to why God created us with the ability to perceive colors, with the ability to sense smells and different textures and tastes? It's because this creation was beautifully and wonderfully made. And we were made so that we could enjoy all of these things and appreciate them. But, beloved, that is not where King David stops. He migrates from one book to the other, ultimately and chiefly, to reflect upon the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, at first glance, it might not be completely evident as to how he can make that transition. But especially towards the end of this psalm when King David cries out to the Lord that the Lord would keep him from presumptuous sins. And where he cries out to the Lord as his Redeemer, it is ultimately Jesus Christ in whom he takes shelter. And what's also important for us to recognize is that as David makes this transition to general things that God has made, to the very specific and special thing that God has made in terms of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and the salvation that comes through it. It's later on that we'll see in the message that the New Testament itself, even the Apostle Paul, draws upon this very passage to make the point, the important point, that as glorious as the creation is and as easily perceived that that glory is to all of humanity, that that is how far and widespread the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ will spread to literally the ends of the earth. And so let us keep those things in mind, not only the transition that David makes from general things to the specific message, if you will, of the gospel, but also rest in the fact of the knowledge that when God has set forth and loose the gospel upon this creation that he has done so so that it might go to the ends of the earth. In other words, God has seen fit to broadcast the message of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to every tribe and tongue and nation. And that is something for which we should all be grateful. Every one of us, because I suspect that for the most part of us, most of us are Gentile archetypes. We're not members, if you will, descendants of Abraham directly. And so as Gentiles, we have been brought in from afar because the gospel has been sent out into the nations. Quite literally, we can say, and as we'll see throughout the message, that the gospel has gone to the ends of the earth and that there is no place upon which, on this earth, that the sun sets ever on the gospel. Keeping those things in mind, let's begin to reflect here upon what David has written in the opening verses of the 19th chapter here in the Psalms and verses beginning in verses 1 through 3. He writes, the heavens declare the glory of God and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words whose voice is not heard. I have a confession to make that I do not know much about art. I don't know much about the finer things in life. I consider myself something of adult in those areas. I can remember being at a seminary gathering where there were a number of faculty and what have you gathered about talking about the latest, finest art and music, and the only thing that I could contribute to the conversation was to ask if anybody had seen Star Wars. That's about probably as far as my cultured palette goes. Nevertheless, I think that if you do study art, literature, poetry, writing, or what have you, that as you look very closely and as you become very attuned to a particular artist's style, that you can recognize that artist's signature, if you will, in their work. You know, we've all seen and heard how over the years that people say, I went and bought this painting at a garage sale, and nobody knew what it was, and then it turns out to be some very expensive art piece of art that nobody realized was by the author. And it's because an art expert could look at it and say, yes, that's a Van Gogh or that's a Picasso. Well, beloved, when we look out into the creation itself, God has painted one of the most brilliant pieces of art, if you will, that we could ever imagine. And he has left his indelible signature upon the creation itself. And I think it's this very fact that causes David, as he looks out upon the creation, as he looks out upon the stars, as he looks out upon the mountains, as he looks out upon the clouds, the hills and the valleys, to recognize that the heavens themselves cry out and preach, if you will, the glory of God. It was Calvin who said that the creation is God's theater for his glory. Don't think of the theater in terms of what we might go to here down at the local cinema, but rather think of the theater in terms of a grand 19th century theater where the curtains would be pulled back. And as the curtains are pulled back, you see a beautiful stage set forth. Think about the glory in the creation. Follow, if you will, in David's footsteps, if only but for a moment. Who of us has not maybe gone out in the morning and have been able to see the sun burst up over the horizon. A number of occasions I've had that opportunity. I remember doing so in Scotland when I was studying overseas. In one sense, it sounds impressive, but when you take into account the fact that the sun rises at around 7.30 at certain parts in the morning, it's not so impressive. I wasn't up that early. But still, it was glorious and it was beautiful just seeing the sun burst over the horizon. When you think of the glory in the creation in things as microscopic and minuscule as insects. And you see how intricately they are designed and made. One of the things that I'm sure many of you as parents have done is you begin to live life anew, maybe a second time, if you will, through the eyes and through the lives of your children. I'm amazed at the fact that when a child is born, the Lord sees fit to give the child a small miniature set of teeth. and then later those teeth fall out and then the full adult size set of teeth come in all on their own without prompting. I mean, these are amazing things. Begin to ponder whether it be the vast expanse of the universe and how many billions of light years it is, whatever that means. Or then think about it on the subatomic microscopic level and how small and how infinitesimal there is in terms of how intricate the creation is at even that level. And I think we can begin to take in, but for a moment, if only for a moment, how David can cry out and say, the heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. David likens the glory of God to the sun and he says here you see the sun and he likens the sun to a bridegroom coming out of his chamber which might be lost on us a little bit because in our own culture things are a little bit reversed. It's not the bridegroom that comes out of his chamber but rather it's the bride. But who of us have not been at a wedding where all of a sudden the organ plays that ever familiar music of the wedding march and everybody stands and everybody turns to the back because you know that the bride and all of her beauty will come forth. That is what the glory of God is in this creation. David likens the glory of God to the strong man. Think of the athlete running triumphantly through the stadium as the crowd thunders. And this is what it is like, maybe even a sliver of what it is like, to behold the glory of God in all of the creation. But you see, David does not stop here. He would certainly do well, and he would not be faulted for simply admiring the book of nature. This glorious piece of work, this beautiful painting, if you will, this sculpture, this glorious piece of music, whatever idea you want to attach to it, that God as the artist has made. He would not be faulted for simply stopping there. But you see, beloved, one of the things that the Lord does when he redeems us is he corrects our vision. He corrects our vision. Because when we are unregenerate and when we are subject to sin and the dominion of sin, we are essentially blinded to the things of God. There's a sense in which we can see them, but to borrow the language from Scripture, we do not see. We can hear them, but we do not hear. I remember one time, it scared the living daylights out of me, where I had what I thought was a mild eye infection, went to the doctor, gave me some drops. The next morning I woke up and I could not see out of my left eye. It was like it was a shower door, looking through a glass that was all hazy. Well, that kind of blindness is what marks us in our unregenerate state. But yet, when God redeems us, when he regenerates us, when he effectually calls us, he takes off the blinders. Not only does he correct our vision, but he gives us what Calvin would call the spectacles, if you will, of Scripture. The corrective lenses, if you will, that we place them upon our eyes. And not only now are we able to see clearly, but we are able to see that not only the book of nature, but we're also able to see the book of Scripture, if you will, and we're able to see the connection between the two. If we were nearsighted or farsighted before and unable to perceive these things, with the spectacles of Scripture, we can go from the book of nature and recognize God as its author, but then we can transition almost seamlessly to the book of Scripture and recognize that God is also the author of both books. While perhaps guilty of a slight overgeneralization, we can say that the book of nature describes and gives us the idea that God exists, whereas the book of Scripture tells us who God is and what specifically he has done for us in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. And it is here that David makes this transition. The glory of the creation that he sees causes him to reflect upon God and the author of all of that he sees. And then it causes him to reflect upon the scriptures. One leading seamlessly to the other. We read this in verses 7 and 9, or 7 and following. He says, the law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever. The rules of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. Well, if the creation reflects something of God generally, then we can say that the scriptures reflect something of God specifically. Now, when David writes in verse 7 of the law of the Lord, it's likely that he does not simply have the Decalogue in mind, just only the Ten Commandments. But rather, the law could also refer to the first five books of the Bible, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. And so what is likely is that the psalmist is reflecting not merely upon just the law itself, But he begins rather broadly and he thinks of, say, God's character as it is revealed in the various narratives in the law in the first five books of the Bible. Think of God's redemption of Israel from Egypt in Exodus. Think of God's revelation of himself and the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to Abraham in Genesis 12. We think of all of these great testimonies and it causes David to reflect then upon God's holy character, who he is, as well as what he has done. And in so doing, it causes him to reflect upon God's holy law. And he then goes from the broad observation of who God is to the more narrower observation in terms of God's precepts and his commandments. And the need for the fear of the Lord. How can we not but fear the Lord? When we read, for example, of the judgments that he delivered against the Egyptians and against Pharaoh's army. And the great redemption that he brought for Israel, those who were under the blood of the Passover lamb. And in fact, many people think that this is precisely the chain of thought that is running through the psalmist's mind because in Psalms 17 and 18, he borrows language from the Exodus and applies it to his own redemption and to his own trials and to his own tribulations. But why is it? Why is it that David here reflects upon the law and upon the commandments of the Lord? Well, I think because as he reflects upon the great acts of redemption, the judgment that has fallen upon God's enemies and the enemies of Israel, I think he is naturally drawn to reflect upon the holiness, the righteousness, the ethical and moral purity of the God that he worships. And in reflecting upon this, if we say that the creation generally reflects God's attributes, then we can say that the law very specifically reflects his character and his attributes. And I think in many ways, like Isaiah, who was in the temple that day, and saw the revelation of God, and it caused him to fall upon his face because he recognized that he was standing in the presence of a holy God and that he himself was a man of unclean lips and was of a people of unclean lips. That it caused him to reflect upon his own need for God's grace, his own inability to keep the law of God. He says there in verses 11 and following, talking about the commandments and the precepts and God's law, By them is your servant warned, and keeping them there is great reward. Who can discern his errors? Declare me innocent from hidden faults. Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins. Let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless and innocent of great transgression. I cannot help but think that as David was reflecting upon the wonders, the majesty, the glory and the grandeur of the greater creation, that it helped him in many ways to see his own insignificance, his own inabilities, his own creatureliness. I often think of our own existence here and we see things, you know, we think that we fit in. We think that everything seems normal to us. Everything seems about, sized about the right size. Everything seems to fit for us. And you get up into an airplane and you look down and you see how tiny the cars are. You go up and you see some of the pictures from the moon that were taken back in the 60s and the 70s. And all of a sudden, what once looked so large now looks so very, very small and atomistic. In other words, it doesn't take you long to reflect upon your own smallness, if you will, before you realize how utterly dependent upon God you are. And that's just in reflecting upon the creation. I think a similar pattern unfolds when you reflect upon the law of God and your utter inability to keep it. I mean, all we have to do is think one thought that leads us astray, and we are guilty of violating all the law. One slight act of cruelty, one small infraction, and we're guilty of it all. Or as David here even says, what about the hidden faults of which we do not know? How often do we go about life perhaps ignorant of sins that we commit? Sins that we're unaware of? I mean, good grief, it's tough enough keeping track of the sins that we know about, let alone the ones that we don't know about. And yet, David, as he contemplates, at least by comparison, his insignificance in contrast with the grandeur of the creation, or in this case, his inability, I think, to keep the law of God perfectly, he cries out to the Lord, calling upon him for his grace, keep back your servant from presumptuous sins. Let them not have dominion over me. In other words, in the words of St. Augustine, grant what you command and command what you will. In other words, we cannot simply perform the law if we just try hard enough. We cannot simply just pull up our bootstraps. I've said this one before, and perhaps you've heard it from others, but there's no such thing as sola bootstrappa. That's not one of the solas of the Reformation. You can't just try hard enough, and if I just tug hard enough on my bootstraps, I can do the law. And David does not present that picture here. But rather, I think that in the broader context of the Psalter itself, David was ultimately looking to the Messiah, his greater son. In other words, when the Psalter was put together, it's not just a ragbag collection of psalms just kind of mixed together and without any rhyme or reason. Remember, in terms of the progression of the Psalter, Psalm 19 comes well after Psalm 2, for example, and anticipates Psalm 110 and all of these other psalms that would have been penned by David where David clearly was looking to the Messiah to redeem him so that when he calls upon the Lord to keep him back from presumptuous sins, He's ultimately calling upon Christ himself to keep him back from his presumptuous sins, to protect him from himself, if you will. That is one thing I think that David was intimately aware of was his own sinfulness. Certainly Psalm 14, for example, earlier in the Psalter would tell us that, as well as Psalm 51. And I think for all of these reasons, David concludes the psalm in verse 14. He says, Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Do you see how David goes and starts out very broadly looking at the glory of God and the creation? Goes and narrows his focus to the law of God. in which God is revealed very specifically and clearly. And when he comes away, he does not look upon the law as some sort of ladder to somehow climb his way up to the mountain of heaven, but instead he relies upon the grace of God, not only to keep him from sin, also as the shelter from which he would seek the forgiveness of sin, but he ultimately finds rest beneath the mighty wings of God. his rock, and his redeemer. Beloved, as I said at the beginning of the message, this is a pattern that is so important for us to gather, I think, and to collect and to carry out ourselves. But it's also a pattern that in many ways, I believe, we find in the New Testament. It's one that Paul himself unpacks, though perhaps we might say in slightly different words. Turn, if you will, to the 10th chapter of Romans. Romans chapter 10 where Paul I think in broad terms or with broad brush strokes follows the same type of pattern that we find here present in Psalm 19. He says in Romans chapter 10 verse 4 for Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. I think that this is a truth of which David would have been intimately familiar with. Because in Psalm 110, he was not looking to himself, but rather to his Lord, to Yahweh himself for salvation, as he also attests here at the end and throughout Psalm 19. And what Paul does here in the 10th chapter, as he says here, it is Christ that is the goal of the law. It is from Christ and through Christ that we receive this righteousness, not through our own law-keeping. And then Paul, in verses 5 and following, he goes on to talk about the righteousness that is based upon the law versus the righteousness that comes to us by faith. And he says there, for example, in verse 13, for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. I think in some ways echoing the very things and truths of which David writes in Psalm 19. But notice then how Paul talks here in verse 14, after he's unpacked the gospel in terms of that it is not by works, but it is by faith in Christ alone, by his grace alone, that we are saved. It is through the perfect law-keeping of Christ that we are saved. But how are they to call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him in whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent. As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news. But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us? So faith comes from hearing and hearing through the word of Christ. He says, you have to send preachers out there to preach this gospel because they're not going to get it from the creation. In other words, to borrow again the language from belgic article 2 you cannot read the book of nature and find the gospel in the book of nature you can only find the gospel in the book of scripture and so this is why paul says quite clearly you have to send preachers to take the message of the gospel that is only found in the book of nature, to spread it throughout the nations. But notice how Paul states how far this message will go out. In verse 18, he says, but I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for their voice has gone out to all the earth and their words to the ends of the world. What is Paul quoting? Paul is quoting Psalm 19, verse 4. Psalm 19, verse 4. In other words, here we can say that Psalm 19 and Romans chapter 10 reach and hold hands across the span of redemptive history, if you will. And what Paul is saying is that as far spread as the glory of God is throughout the creation, so the knowledge of the gospel will be equally spread through the preaching of the word and through the sending out of preachers of the gospel of Jesus Christ So that all people will hear the message of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Beloved, this is a glorious truth. Because what it tells us is that we serve a merciful God. We serve a God that not only broadcasts his glory throughout the creation. but he also broadcasts the message of redemption through the preaching of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ literally to the ends of the earth. If you think about Israel's existence, there was a time in which in the history of this earth that the message of the gospel was confined to the postage stamp that we now know as Israel. But now, since Christ has come, And since the Holy Spirit has been poured out upon the church at Pentecost, and we see, for example, in Acts chapter 2, that people from all of the different nations were present there. The gospel has gone forth into the world. Indeed, even in Paul's own day, he was prepared to go to the ends of the world, which at his point and from his vantage point was Spain. But, beloved, the scriptures close with a beautiful picture. A beautiful picture where this massive city temple descends out of the heavens. And this city temple is the size of the known world in biblical time. And the overall message is that the gospel will go forth and God will redeem his elect from every tribe, tongue, and nation. Indeed, as Paul says, have they not heard? Indeed, they have. Their voice has gone out to all the earth and their words to the ends of the world. Beloved, we are the beneficiaries of God's faithfulness to gather his people from among the nations. We are the beneficiaries of the proclamation of the gospel that has gone now to the ends of the earth. Rejoice. Be filled with praise and thanksgiving for God as you look upon the creation, as you get up tomorrow, and you look out upon the glorious sunrise, as you look out upon the mountains, or perhaps you go and you see the oceans, praise God for His glory. Praise God that He has redeemed you and regenerated you and given you the lens of Scripture that you can see and perceive His glory clearly. But don't stop there. Turn and reflect upon God's character as it is revealed in his law. See your utter need. See your utter need for the redemption and grace that he gives us in Christ in the face of that law that we cannot keep. Rejoice in knowing that you have been saved from the curse of the law. And pray, beloved, pray that the gospel would continue to go forth. That it would go forth into every tribe, tongue, and nation. And not only pray, but give your tithes and your offerings. That missionaries, that pastors, that churches would go forth and be planted. That others would come so that they too could look out upon the creation. And that they can, by the grace and mercy and sovereign work of the Spirit, have their eyes opened that they might clearly perceive the glory of God in the creation and be led seamlessly into his word and that their hearts too would be filled with praise, thanksgiving, and joy. Indeed, beloved, we serve a mighty God, a God who has been gracious to create and a God who has been gracious to redeem. Be filled with praise, worship him, and give thanks for what he has done for us in the creation and in Christ, in the book of nature, and in the book of Scripture. Let's bow together in a word of prayer. Father, we are grateful for your kindness, your mercy, and your love. For indeed, it is difficult at times for us to begin to fathom the depths. But perhaps, O Lord, as we look out upon your creation, we can appreciate even a fraction of your glory. And we can recognize even a fraction of the depths of your love for us as we see not only your glory in the book of nature, but also your glory as it is revealed in the book of Scripture in our redemption through Christ. Burden our hearts, we pray, O Lord, for the propagation of the gospel throughout the world. Indeed, we ask and pray, O Lord, that for those who have yet to hear the gospel, that you would see that it goes forth and that you would sovereignly draw your elect from every tribe, tongue, and nation. That we would not be indifferent to those who do not believe, but rather we would fervently intercede on their behalf. Indeed, O Lord, we pray even especially for those whom we know. For many of us have friends and family and relatives who have not yet bowed the knee to Christ and placed their faith in him. And so we pray, O Lord, for them. Use us, we pray, that you would enable us to testify to the truths of the gospel, that we would point others to their need for Christ, their inability to fulfill the law and their utter need for Christ's perfect law-keeping and righteousness. In the end, O Father, we pray that you would glorify yourself not only in the greater creation, but especially in your church, in the body of the Lord Jesus Christ. We pray and ask all of these things in Christ, our rock and our redeemer, in his precious name, amen.