God is Bigger Than My Problems
August 30, 2006
Pastor Matt Black
Midweek Service
Psalm 8:1-4
Discipleship: What are the Ten Commandments of God’s moral law?
(Quote them.)
Introduction: Open your Bible tonight to the 8th Psalm. Our text is found in Psalm 8:1-4. Tonight we are going to be looking into the subject of our moral purity. The title of tonight’s message is “God is Bigger than my Problems”.
Let’s stand together for the reading of God’s Holy Word:
1 O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens. 2 Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger. 3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; 4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
God made the heavens observable for a purpose. God wants us to know He is there. All creation knows He is there. His Godhead is revealed in creation.
I. The Message of Creation.
This verse says: God has set His glory above the heavens. Psalm 19:1 tells us virtually the same thing, “The heavens declare the glory of God”. The idea of these verses is that the heavens above us are declaring, or preaching God to us. There is a message in the greatness and grandeur of the great expanse above us. It tells us many things:
A. God is great!
· God is in control
· God is BIG
The reason God made everything BIG and us so small is to show us the difference between Him and us.
God controls the sea tides, He controls all the universes. When you look up into the sky and around at creation, this is the message you hear.
· Have you ever been to the ocean and looked as far as there is to look? It’s awesome!
· Have you been to the Niagara Falls or the Grand Canyon?
· Have you ever looked out into space on a clear night and see the multitude of stars?
· God controls all these things! He is BIG!
Now sometimes when we realize the greatness of God we feel so small and insignificant. I think David felt this way. He says in verse 4, “What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?”
B. We are small! What is man? Man is nothing. When we look at the heavens it ought to bring us down low. We are so proud. We think we are so important. We need to remember what 1 Peter 5:5 tells us—
· be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.
Turn over to Philippians 2:3, “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.” Now look over at verse 5, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
It is true, we think too highly of ourselves. One of the purposes of creation is to make us humble. Who am I?
But you know our heart is so depraved. That we take the truth of the creation, and we twist it.
We’ve seen the Message of the Creation, now let us see…
II. The Lies in our Heart.
LIE #1: There is a lie that Satan likes to tell God’s people. It is that
God is so BIG that He doesn’t have time for us.
He really does not care about us. He only likes to deal with the big things, and He forgets about the little things.
· If you really think God doesn’t care about you—that will shake you to your soul. That will lead you to depression and worry and anxiety.
· Also, if you think God doesn’t have time for you, that will lead you to try to handle your problems all by yourself. This will also lead you to depression and worry and anxiety!
LIE #2: There is another lie that we tell ourselves. It is that
God is not BIG enough.
Oh, He can handle the universes and planets. He deals with weather and seasons and solar systems, but He really cannot handle my problems. In fact, I’ve got to handle them.
Are you ever discouraged? Depressed. Stressed out? Guess what? You don’t think God’s big enough! What do you need to do?
Philippians 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
III. The Truth in the Bible. Look again at verses 3-4
3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; 4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
A. God is mindful of us. He created the world with us in mind. He knew that we would fall. He created the world knowing all of our problems.
B. God visited us! This world is a backdrop for Christ coming into the world. That’s why the universe is so great. God’s love for us is so great! God’s love is awesome. God left His mighty throne to visit us. God the Son Almighty who rules the universe stooped down from His throne to come into the world He created to die on a cruel cross for you and me. He became “sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Conclusion: Are you bearing your problems tonight? Do you think God is too busy or too small to take carry your sorrows? Isaiah 53:4-6 says it well, “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” God visits man. Look up into heaven and remember the Gospel message! The heavens declare the glory of God! Psalm 8:1, “O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.”
Closing Hymn: 38 How Great Thou Art