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SEE HOW GOD REVEALS HIS GLORY, AND GIVE THANKS FOR IT.
In the name + of Jesus.
There are two ways that God has made
himself known to all people so that no one has an excuse. The Bible testifies, “The fool says in his
heart, ‘There is no God’” (Psalm 14:1).
Anyone who denies the existence of God is called a fool because that he
denies what is evident to all mankind.
All mankind can see the heavens and the earth and everything in
them. Creation itself insists that there
is a God who put it all together. The
other way God has made himself known to all mankind is from the
conscience. The conscience testifies to
a standard of good and evil. It commends
those who do good and convicts those who do evil. It is not some random standard that everyone
gets to choose for himself, even though we hear people speak about “my truth.” Everyone’s conscience upholds the same
standard. This is one reason people say
that all religions are the same. Each
religion confesses that there is a God, that he has expectations of us, and
that we are accountable to him. Where
religions differ is how to God’s favor.
But God has revealed this to you so that you do not need to live in
fear. See how God reveals his glory, and
give thanks for it.
In Psalm 19, King David points us to God’s
creation. “The heavens tell about the
glory of God. The expanse of the sky
proclaims the work of his hands. Day
after day they pour out speech. Night
after night they display knowledge” (Psalm 19:1-2). Neither atheists nor evolutionists have a
proper appreciation for the precision with which God created and sustains our
universe. They claim that it all
happened by chance. To attribute the
precision of the heavens to chance is to ignore the glory of God.
From the very beginning, God proclaimed
what his design was. On the fourth day
of creation, “God said, ‘Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to
divide the day from the night, and let them serve as markers to indicate
seasons, days, and years’” (Genesis 1:14).
With GPS and radar systems, we don’t pay attention to the sun, moon, and
stars like the people of ages past. They
relied on the constellations to mark the seasons. Sailors trusted the stars to determine where
on the seas they were. None of it was guesswork. The stars are reliable because they are precise. To say this all happened by chance is as
foolish as saying the Mackinac Bridge or Mount Rushmore just happened by
accident. The heavens reveal how wise,
how powerful, and how glorious God is.
See how God reveals his glory, and give thanks for it.
King David also noted that God’s glory was
not revealed only to Israel. No matter
where you live on earth, all people can see the glory of God. “Their voice goes out into all the
earth, and their word reaches the end of the world” (Psalm 19:4). God’s glory, his wisdom, and his power have
been made known to all people because all people witness his creation. Even the most primitive of people acknowledge
the creator even if they don’t know him by name.
Of course, God’s goodness is revealed by
more than just the heavenly bodies that rule over the day and night. When St. Paul visited one of the cities in
Galatia, he proclaimed that God made himself known in other ways. Paul said, “(God) did not leave himself
without testimony of the good he does.
He gives you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons. He fills you with food and fills your hearts
with gladness” (Acts 14:17). Many do
not honor the Lord on Christmas or Easter, but everyone celebrates Thanksgiving
because the Lord has demonstrated his kindness to all people by supplying all
they need to live. God’s glory is
revealed in the way God has created the world and sustains his creation day
after day. See how God reveals his
glory, and give thanks for it.
Psalm 19 goes on to say that God’s glory is
revealed more fully by his word. In his
word, God reveals who he is and what he desires. While our conscience gives us some
understanding of God’s desires, his word makes his will very clear. David wrote, “The precepts of the LORD are
right. They give joy to the heart. The commandment of the LORD is
bright. It gives light to the eyes. The fear of the LORD is
pure. It stands forever. The just decrees of the LORD are
truth. They are altogether righteous”
(Psalm 19:8-9). King David declares that God’s glory is
revealed in his commandments. His
commandments are good because he is good. “In keeping them there is great reward”
(Psalm 19:11).
But what happens when you don’t keep
them? And what if you don’t want to keep
them? What if you don’t want to honor
those who have authority over you? What
if you don’t want to bless those who curse you or to pray for those who
persecute you? What if you want to look
at a woman lustfully? What if you can’t
wait to share some juicy piece of gossip because it is the only interesting
thing you have to talk about? God’s word
exposes your sin and reveals that you are not right and pure and true and
righteous. “In keeping (God’s
commands) there is great reward” (Psalm 19:11), but you and I have earned a
curse rather than a reward.
First, the sinful heart denies any
wrong-doing. But your conscience does
not lie to you. The guilt is real and
inescapable. Then the sinful heart
insists that the problem is God’s word. “There’s
what God’s word says we should do and then there’s real life,” we reason. But the word of the Lord does not budge. The conviction sticks. God’s Law is good, even when it shows you
that you are not. “Yes, by them your
servant is warned” (Psalm 19:11), but we have failed to heed the
warning. We have failed to escape the
judgment. In fact, our sinful condition
is so corrupt that we fail to understand the depths of it. “Who can recognize his own errors? Declare me innocent of hidden sins” (Psalm
19:12). We even live in ignorance of
some of our sins. If our sins are hidden
from us, what hope do we have of freeing ourselves from them?
God’s glory can be seen from majesty of his
creation. It is right to give thanks for
the beauty and bounty God has provided.
We acknowledge that God is good because our conscience reveals his standards. And up to this point, all religions are
pretty much the same. Many will glorify
the Lord because he is powerful. Many
will glorify the Lord because he is holy. Many will give thanks to God because he
provides for us. But no one is saved by
the Lord for these attributes. If we are
to have hope or comfort, the Lord has to reveal more to us.
See how God reveals his glory, and give
thanks for it. King David tells us, “The
law of the LORD is perfect. It
revives the soul” (Psalm 19:7). The Commandments of God do not revive the soul. They tell you the good that you are to do,
but they can’t help you to do it. The Commandments
of God are good, but they can’t make you good.
When we read, “The law of the LORD is
perfect” (Psalm 19:7), the word “law”
covers more than just the Commandments.
The Hebrew word has its root in the word “throw.” What God throws out to people is not just
orders and threats for those who don’t follow them. God throws out to us all he wants us to
know. And, as it turns out, he throws
out a lifeline to us. He reveals how his
favor is won. And here is how your
Thanksgiving is greater than that of others.
Anyone can and should thank God for well-fed bellies. But God’s favor for you results in blessings
that outlast a turkey dinner, seasonal excitement, and even death. God provides not just what sustains you for
today, but for eternity.
See how God reveals his glory, and give
thanks for it. He gives us the word that
revives our soul. It is not merely a
word spoken, but the Word which became flesh and made his dwelling among
us. Whatever is true of God’s word is
true of Jesus; for he is the Word. As we
re-read this Psalm, we see that it describes Jesus. “[Jesus] is perfect. [He] revives the soul. [Jesus] is trustworthy. [He] gives wisdom to the inexperienced. [Jesus is] right. [He gives] joy to the heart. [Jesus] is bright. [He] gives light to the eyes. [Jesus] is pure. [He] stands forever. [Jesus is] truth. [He is] altogether righteous” (Psalm 19:7-9). See how God reveals his glory, and give thanks
for it.
While other religions have words that give
instruction, the Word made flesh took action.
He revives the soul, because he has mercy on the soul that is
crushed by guilt. Jesus alleviated that
crushing weight by taking it from you. “He
was crushed for the guilt our sins deserved” (Isaiah 53:5). The damning weight of your sins fell upon
Jesus. Your conscience has been set at
ease because Jesus has taken away all its accusations. Your soul has been revived so that you live
in peace.
He
gives joy to the heart, because he reveals
the love God has for sinners. Jesus has set
you apart as children of the resurrection so that you will dwell in God’s holy
presence forever. Jesus shows you that
he is not some distant “God.” He is your
Father. He seeks your good. He is invested in you and interested in
you. He does not merely put up with you;
he delights in you. He longs to dwell
with you and to have you dwell with him.
This is a joy that endures, even in days of grief and trouble.
He gives light to the eyes. Jesus sends his Holy Spirit to enlighten us
to see that God’s word truly is good. With
David, we acknowledge, “By (your words) your servant is warned. In keeping them there is great reward” (Psalm
19:10-11). The words of God show us
what we were created for and what we have been redeemed to be. God’s word warns us against evil so that we
are not filled with self-inflicted grief and guilt. God’s word reveals that we are set apart for
good works and destined for glory and honor.
Since we find delight in keeping God’s word in this imperfect state,
imagine our joy when we will serve the Lord without failings or flaws!
See how God reveals his glory, and give
thanks for it. Rejoice that the Lord “richly
and daily provides clothing and shoes, food and drink, property and home, spouse
and children, land, cattle, and all (we) own and all (we) need to keep (our)
body and life” (Luther’s Small Catechism; Apostles’ Creed: 1st Article). The glory of the Lord is revealed in part by
his gracious care for his creation. But
you are a new creation. Therefore, rejoice
that the Lord “has redeemed (you), a lost and condemned creature, purchased
and won (you) from sin, death, and the power of the devil” (Luther’s Small Catechism;
Apostles’ Creed: 2nd Article).
This is the true glory of God, revealed in Jesus Christ and proclaimed
in God’s word. Unlike all other gods, our
Lord loves sinners, saves them, and will dwell with his redeemed forever. “[This is] more desirable than gold, even
better than much pure gold. [This is] sweeter
than honey, even honey dripping from the honeycomb” (Psalm 19:10).
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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