Your View of God
23 May 2021 AM – Psalm 138:6 – Humility – Scott Childs
Introduction: Some people view God as a myth in which religious people find comfort. Many religious people believe in God, but only seek him in time of need. Often Christians have a head knowledge of who God is, but they live as if He is an imaginary friend. A person’s view of God has a huge impact on how he views himself and everything else in this world. Read Psalm 138:6.
Transition: As we take a closer look at this verse, we find three statements about the LORD that ought to impact our lives.
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The LORD is high.
a. The LORD is Jehovah God.
1) Jehovah means the self-Existent or Eternal one, the I AM. He is the only being who had no beginning and no creator. He has always existed and always will. (Psalms 90:2) “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.“
2) Though unseen, He is a very real being. (Psalms 19:1) “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.” (Romans 1:20) “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:” Nature is full of incredible design that cannot be explained without an omnipotent Creator.
b. The LORD is at the very top.
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God is high in location, but he is also high in position. A king is much higher in position than a peasant, but God is so much higher than any king that it is unfathomable.
1) He is King above all others. (1 Timothy 6:15) “Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;“
2) He is the highest. (Luke 1:32) “He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:” (Psalms 47:2) “For the LORD most high is terrible; he is a great King over all the earth.“
3) He created and sustains all things. (Nehemiah 9:6) “Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee.” Compare John 1:1-3.
4) He is the greatest in might. (Revelation 1:8) “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.“
5) He is unlimited in power. (Jeremiah 32:17) “Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:” (Omnipotent)
6) He is the highest in knowledge. (Psalms 44:21) “Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.” (Omniscient)
7) Being a spirit, He is everywhere at the same time. (Psalms 139:7-10) “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.” (Omnipresent)
8) God’s understanding is infinite. (Psalms 147:4-5) “He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names. Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.“
9) He is absolutely holy. (Leviticus 11:44) “For I am the LORD your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy…“
10) No one loves more than God loves. (1 John 4:10) “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.“
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Is this how you have been viewing God?
2. The LORD respects the lowly.
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If you truly have a Biblical view of God, you will be lowly.
a. Who are the lowly?
1) This Bible term describes the humble.
2) It is opposite to that which is high. The lowly see God as high and themselves far below God.
3) Humility is not part of our inborn nature. We like to think highly of ourselves, our abilities, our talents and our achievements.
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There are very few lowly sports heroes. Humility is difficult for well-built men and beautiful women. Humility is uncommon among successful business people.
4) Humility is not something that we achieve, but it is a by-product of submission to God’s sovereignty.
b. The LORD respects humble people.
1) Though the LORD is high, he lovingly reaches down to all who are humble before Him.
2) The word translated “respect” refers to the ability to see or perceive something. God closely observes the humble.
3) What does God see in the lowly? He sees that they give God the glory for their abilities, talents and achievements. He sees that they are not competing with Him for honour. He sees their submissive hearts and desire to glorify Him.
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What does the LORD see when He looks at your life? Does He see a lowly spirit?
4) The word translated “respect” can also refer to the ability to observe, discern, or give attention to. The Lord observes the needs of the lowly. He listens to their prayers. He gives them grace for the struggles in life. (James 4:6) “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.“
5) Charles Spurgeon put it this way, “Because they think little of themselves he thinks much of them. They reverence him, and he respects them. They are low in their own esteem, and he makes them high in his esteem.”
3. The LORD knows the proud afar off.
a. Being proud belittles God.
1) Pride exalts self. When we exalt self, we belittle God.
2) It is proud to think that you do not need God. He gave you your life, your health and your abilities. Without these, you could do NOTHING.
3) It is proud to claim that you achieved your status by your own talent and hard work. God enabled you!
b. The LORD keeps His distance from the proud.
1) The LORD, who is high, knows or considers, but stays far away from the proud.
2) Why would Lord do this? It is because the proud steal God’s glory and praise. They act as if they are independent of God. They rebel against the very reason God created them. (Revelation 4:11) “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.“
3) Because pride keeps God at a distance, it always produces negative results.
a) (Proverbs 11:2) “When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom.“
b) (Proverbs 16:18) “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.“
c) (Proverbs 29:23) “A man’s pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit.“
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Have you been living as if you do not need God? Have you been failing to give God the credit for your achievements? If so, what does God want you to do?
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If you could ask King Nebuchadnezzar, he would tell you. In the book of Daniel, we read that it took 7 years of insanity before King Nebuchadnezzar humbled himself before God. He then said, (Daniel 4:37) “Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.“