Week 35 - 2021 Old Testament Poetry & Wisdom Rev. Timothy J. Henning Psalm 135 New Beginnings Fellowship - sbc

The Only True God “I know the greatness of the Lord—that our Lord is greater than any other god.” Psalm 135:5 NLT

• How do we know God exists? Are all religions the same or is Biblical Christianity the only true way to God? How do you worship and stay close to God?

Psalm 135 contrasts God’s majesty and power versus idols that are nothing but wood or stone. The same contrast can be seen today—the worship of the God of Israel (and the Bible) versus the worship of the other world religions.

The God of the Bible is the only true God. He is the God all people should worship. Also, Psalm 135 parallels several verses of Romans 1:18-25 that describe how people have rejected the evidence for God and worshipped substitute false gods.

A major emphasis behind Psalm 135 is—people have a natural drift away from God because of their fallen nature (Isaiah 53:6; Romans 3:23). You must be intentional about seeking God and walking with Him.

Central Lesson: People naturally drift away from God. You must intentionally seek

Him and walk with Him by the power of Christ.

1. God has revealed himself in HISTORY (135:7-14). “7 He causes the clouds to rise over the whole earth. He sends the lightning with the rain and releases the wind from his storehouses.”

“9 He performed miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt against Pharaoh and all his people.”

“12 He gave their land as an inheritance, a special possession to his people Israel.”

Romans 1:18-20 NLT “18 But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. 19 They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. 20 For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.”

The psalmist mentions three areas where God has revealed Himself. God has not always been silent or hidden.

1. The psalmist mention that God has revealed himself through nature—heaven, earth, the seas (v.6), and the weather (v.7). One example of God controlling the weather is the story of Elijah the prophet telling Ahab, the evil king of Israel (1 Kings 16:30), that there would be no dew or rain for 3 1/2 years and God stopped the rain (1 Kings 17:1; 18:42-46; James 5:17-18). Today, many scholars and scientists claim that nature reveals a design that points to an intelligent designer rather than evolutionary natural processes. This is a growing area of research called Intelligent Design and Fine-Tuning of the Universe.

2. Next, the psalmist mention that God has revealed himself through the Exodus, that is, the miracles and plagues in Egypt when God brought Israel out of slavery to the Egyptians (vs. 8-9).

3. Last, the psalmist mentions that God has revealed himself through leading Israel in the conquest of the Promised-land (vs.10-12).

2. When people REJECT God they worship man-made gods or religions that are spiritually empty (125:15-18).

“15 The idols of the nations are merely things of silver and gold, shaped by human hands. 16 They have mouths but cannot speak, and eyes but cannot see. 17 They have ears but cannot hear, and mouths but cannot breathe. 18 And those who make idols are just like them, as are all who trust in them.”

Romans 1:21-25 NLT “21 Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused. 22 Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools. 23 And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles. 24 So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies. 25 They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.”

Bible teacher, Warren Wiersbe, explained, “Dead idols cannot speak, see, hear, or breathe, and they cannot give life to their worshippers. Because Jehovah is the living God, He speaks to us in His Word, sees us in our every circumstance, hears our prayers, and comes to us when we need the help that only He can give.” (The Wiersbe Bible Commentary, p.1036).

3. People should recognize, worship, and CELEBRATE God intentionally (135:1-6, 19-22).

“1 Praise the Lord! Praise the name of the Lord! Praise him, you who serve the Lord, 2 you who serve in the house of the Lord, in the courts of the house of our God. 3 Praise the Lord, for the Lord is good; celebrate his lovely name with music.” God deserves our recognition, worship, and celebration. But since the human heart tends to drift away from God, we must be intentional about seeking God. We have to be intentional about prayer, reading scripture in our private quiet time with God, participating in worship gatherings and small groups. We grow closer to God because we choose to do so, and develop habits that include these aspects in our routines.

Most of all, we must realize that we cannot draw closer to God by our own determination and self-motivation alone, we need the power of Christ working through us. Jesus said: “…I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 NLT. Ask Christ to give you his power to faithfully seek Him and to love Him more. If you have not yet accepted Christ as your Savior, accept Him today.

Central Lesson: People naturally drift away from God. You must intentionally seek Him

and walk with Him by the power of Christ. ! Accept Christ as your Savior. ! As a Christian, dedicate your life to Christ. ! Invite someone to next Sunday’s study. ! Attend a small group. ! Read the Bible this week & journal meaningful verses. ! Pray for friends that need Jesus.