Sermon Central
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Promotion Series
Contributed by Kelvin Mckisic on Jun 25, 2023 (message contributor)
Summary: Third in the series of God's powerful Ps, that of promotion.
Promotion
Today we will look at the third powerful “P” in our short series of the three Ps in the book of Psalms. The three powerful Ps are: Provision, Protection, and Promotion. Last week we looked at protection, so now let us look at those of promotion.
We give thanks to You, O God, we give thanks! For Your wondrous works declare that Your name is near. “When I choose the proper time, I will judge uprightly. The earth and all its inhabitants are dissolved; I set up its pillars firmly. Selah
“I said to the boastful, ‘Do not deal boastfully,’ And to the wicked, ‘Do not lift up the horn. Do not lift up your horn on high; Do not speak with a stiff neck.’ ” For exaltation comes neither from the east Nor from the west nor from the south.
But God is the Judge: He puts down one, And exalts another. For in the hand of the Lord there is a cup, And the wine is red; It is fully mixed, and He pours it out; Surely its dregs shall all the wicked of the earth Drain and drink down.
But I will declare forever, I will sing praises to the God of Jacob. “All the horns of the wicked I will also cut off, But the horns of the righteous shall be exalted.”
[Title]
The opening verse of this psalm presents an inclusive thought, we give thanks. Asaph, the writer of this psalm, wrote it from the perspective of the congregation; they together say we give thanks unto God, and the thought is repeated for emphasis. The people of God gladly give thanks unto their God. We, as a people of God, need to give thanks and understand that God is near.
We should praise God again and again. Stinted gratitude is ingratitude. For infinite goodness there should be measureless thanks. Our gratitude toward God has a basis, a reason. We gave thanks to God not only for His wondrous works, but for what those works proclaimed: that God, in all His character and attributes, was near to His people. Whether you know it or not, or even have problems believing it...but God is near to you and I. The reason for rejoicing lies in the manifest presence of God proclaimed and celebrated in the stories of God’s mighty acts; here in the word of God, those that have been handed down through tradition, and the feeling you have in your own heart. In remembrance and retelling of the history of salvation lies the comforting affirmation of God’s closeness to his people. The very fact that Jesus died for us shows the closeness and nearness of God, because God so loved the world.
The first verse spoken from the perspective of the people, but in verses 2-10 it is from the perspective of God Himself. God declares that He will be the judge the people of earth, throughout all the ages, and that His judgement will be done righteously, unlike that of those who deal corruptly with human judgement. In His judgments God reserves the right to choose the proper time. We often feel that we know the proper time for God’s judgments, and we are often troubled because God does not seem to share our perspective. The believer should have a humble trust in the uprightness of God’s judgments and the proper time for them.
‘Is this not laid up in store with Me, Sealed up among My treasures? Vengeance is Mine, and recompense; Their foot shall slip in due time; For the day of their calamity is at hand, And the things to come hasten upon them.’
A time will come that the wicked for be dealt with by God. Knowing this should keep us from being in the camp of the wicked…continue to praise and give God thanks.
The earth and all the inhabitants thereof are dissolved: I bear up the pillars of it. Selah.
This predicts the termination in confusion and guilt of mans’ government, as well as the firm establishment of the Messiah’s rule. The latter portion of this verse speaks of all creations that are upheld by God through Christ. Now, we feel that we are under the thumb of governmental powers and authorities who may not be aligned with God's will, but this is where we see promotion of the believers about that of the governmental powers. In short, the governmental powers will be dissolved, while the believers will be established firmly. Although it alludes to an end times event, it may happen to some of us before we breathe our last breath. How's that for a promotion.
In the fourth and fifth verses of our opening psalm God speaks to the proud. God warns the proud to boast and stop exalting their own strength, this is spoken of in our verses as “lifting up the horn no longer."
