Psalm 29: The Voice of the LORD

[0:00] Well, if we could, this evening, for a short while, and with the Lord's help, we could turn back to that portion of Scripture that we read, the book of Psalms and Psalm 29.

[0:18] The book of Psalms and Psalm 29. And I want us to walk through this Psalm, but if we just read again at the beginning, verses 1 and 2, a Psalm of David, ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength, ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name, worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.

[0:48] As British people living in the United Kingdom, we're all familiar with the phrase, there's nothing as changeable as the weather.

[1:06] I'm sure we use that phrase all the time. There's nothing as changeable as the weather. But more than that, as British people, we're always talking about the weather. And we're always talking about what the weather is doing, or what the weather is going to do.

[1:22] As British people, we're always talking about the weather. And I'm sure that it's fair to say that the weather is a topic that we almost instinctively touch upon in every conversation.

[1:36] Everybody's talking about the weather. And in many ways, you can actually say that we're obsessed with talking about the weather. Because we not only talk about the weather all the time, if you're anything like me, you're checking the weather all the time.

[1:49] And we even have access to a weather forecast, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And we can find out what the weather is doing, or what the weather is going to do through our TV, or through our internet, or even through our mobile phones.

[2:04] We can have access to the weather forecast whenever and wherever we are in the world. And so it's safe to say that when we consider the weather, we often say there's nothing as changeable as the weather.

[2:18] Now just to talk about the weather for a moment, seeing we're on the subject, this past week has been all weather. Because, well, we've had lovely hot sunshine, which was at the very beginning of the week, if you can remember.

[2:33] And we've had it a few weeks before. And it's very unusual for the Western Isles to have hot sunshine. But we've also had plenty of wind. We've had that in the last few days. Then we've also had no wind.

[2:46] And living in Lewis, when there's no wind, that means there's smudges. But we've also had clear skies. We've also had cloudy skies. And then on Tuesday afternoon, we had dark skies.

[2:57] And those dark skies, if you were on the West Side at the time, there was torrential rain. Then there was massive rolls of thunder. Then there was huge flashes of lightning.

[3:08] And some people's telephone sockets were blown off the walls. And, you know, it's always amazing to hear the roar of thunder and see the flashes of lightning. And you have this torrential rain flooding the roads.

[3:20] And then in almost a moment, it all stops. And it goes silent again. Why? Because there's nothing as changeable as the weather.

[3:32] But, you know, when you consider the weather and you see how changeable it is and how powerful it can be, does it not ever make you think of the power of God? Does the strength of the wind and the heat of the sun and the noise of thunder and the flash of lightning and the downpour of the rain and even the whiteness of the snow, does it not ever make you think of the power and glory of God?

[3:58] Well, if it doesn't, it should. Because the weather, the weather is always pointing us and directing us and even speaking to us about the power and glory of God.

[4:13] To the point that when we consider the weather and even talk about the weather, which we do almost instinctively, when we consider the weather, it should cause us to respond in worship.

[4:26] You could almost say that the weather should lead us to worship. The weather should lead us to worship. And, you know, that's what David is reminding us here in Psalm 29.

[4:39] David is calling us to consider the weather and the power of creation and see that through it all, the Lord is speaking to us. The Lord is speaking to us because the weather should lead us to worship.

[4:52] The weather should lead us to worship. Now, I just want us to consider this psalm this evening under three simple headings. A call to worship, a cause for worship, and a consequence of worship.

[5:08] A call to worship, a cause for worship, and a consequence of worship. So, first of all, we see in verses 1 and 2, there's a call to worship.

[5:18] A call to worship. We're told there in verse 1, Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings. Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name.

[5:32] Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness. Psalm 29 begins with this call to worship. In which David is inviting everyone, everywhere, to ascribe glory to the Lord.

[5:48] And it's such a heartfelt call to worship that David uses the word, as you can see there, he uses the word ascribe three times in these opening verses. He says, Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings.

[6:01] Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name. David is calling everyone, everywhere, to give glory to the Lord.

[6:12] It's a call to worship. It's a call to ascribe worth to the Lord. Because that's what worship is. Worship is worth-ship.

[6:24] It's giving the Lord the worth, the honour, the glory, the adoration that is due to his name. My friend, worship is about ascribing to the Lord the glory due to his name.

[6:40] And notice to whom this call to worship is directed. Because David begins his call to worship by saying, in verse 1, Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings.

[6:51] Now from that, some have concluded that David's addressing the angels of heaven. And that is true. But he's actually addressing more than that. Because the literal translation of the opening words of this psalm are, Ascribe to the Lord, O sons of God.

[7:10] Ascribe to the Lord, O sons of God. And what David means by sons of God is not just the angels of heaven. David is referring to everything that has been created by God.

[7:21] Everything that has descended from God. Everything that has originated from God. Everything that has proceeded from the hand or even from the voice of God.

[7:33] David is saying to everything that God has created, Ascribe to the Lord, glory, O sons of God. He's addressing the whole of creation.

[7:44] He's addressing the angels of heaven. The cherubim. The seraphim. The archangels. Those who gather around the throne of God. He's calling them to worship the Lord.

[7:56] David's addressing then the animate creation. The sun. The moon. The stars. The hills and mountains. The seas and rivers. The birds of the air. The fish of the sea.

[8:07] The animals upon the ground. The insects that crawl upon the ground. He's calling all of it to worship the Lord. But more than that. As the climax and culmination of God's creation.

[8:21] As the apex. Those who were made in the image and likeness of God. David is addressing us. My friend, he's addressing you and I.

[8:31] And he's calling all of us. Whether sinner or saint. He's calling all of us to ascribe glory and honour and praise to the Lord.

[8:43] It's a heartfelt call to worship. Because David knows that the Lord is worthy of all glory, honour and praise. And he's worthy because of who he is.

[8:58] And what he has done. And the thing is, we know who God is because of the title David uses to describe him. You see that throughout the psalm. He is the Lord.

[9:10] And David uses this title, Lord, with capital letters. He uses that title 17 times in this short psalm.

[9:21] Which emphasises not only that this psalm is a psalm of praise all about the Lord. But it's also a psalm of praise directed and ascribed to the Lord. And as we've said before, whenever we see the title Lord in capital letters.

[9:36] Whenever we see that title in the Bible and we see it all over the Bible. It should always remind us that our God is a covenant making and a covenant keeping God.

[9:48] He's a God who makes promises and keeps promises. And that's why David is issuing this call to worship the Lord. And ascribe glory to his name. Because the Lord has given to us.

[10:01] He has given to us the promise of salvation. He has made a covenant of salvation. Promising eternal life to all who trust in him.

[10:13] And you know the wonder of the Lord's covenant of salvation. His promise of salvation. The wonder of it. Is that it's a covenant of grace. It's all of grace.

[10:25] Which means that the covenant isn't based upon our obedience. It isn't based upon our obedience to God's commandments. It's not even based upon our ability to uphold the laws of God.

[10:37] No, the Lord's covenant of grace. It promises us and it assures us that the Lord has acted in salvation according to his grace. Which means that there's nothing.

[10:50] There is nothing we can do to make God love us any more than he already does. There's no amount of good works. There's no amount of self-righteousness.

[11:02] No amount of tithing. No amount of church attending. Anything that will make God love us any more than he already does. And you know this is something we need to get into our minds and into our hearts.

[11:14] There is nothing we can do to make God love us any more than he already does. He already loves us because he created us. He made us in his image and likeness.

[11:28] We are image bearers. Although it's a marred image. We're image bearers of our creation. And he promises to save us when we seek him with all our heart and ascribe glory to his name.

[11:41] That's the wonder of this. And you know my friend, what David is calling us to do as sinners and as saints. He's calling us to worship the Lord. He's calling us to ascribe worth to the name of the Lord.

[11:55] He's calling us to give glory to the Lord. Because the Lord loves us. And he's a covenant making and a covenant keeping God. He makes promises and he keeps his promises.

[12:08] And his promise to you tonight. As it has been all your life. His promise to you tonight. Is that you will find him when you seek him with all your heart.

[12:22] You will find him when you seek him with all your heart. Why? Because as the Bible promises and as the Lord promises. The Lord is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him.

[12:37] But the question remains. Are you seeking him tonight with all your heart? The Lord promises that you will find him when you seek him with all your heart. And what's so beautiful about the Lord's covenant promises.

[12:50] Is that they're always signed and sealed with this covenant title Lord. Everything is signed by his name. And that title Lord.

[13:01] It means the one who keeps covenant. You know it's like every promise you read in the Bible. They're all signed by the Lord. The one who keeps covenant. The one who keeps covenant.

[13:12] The one who keeps his promises to you. My friend the Lord is the one who keeps covenant. And the Lord's covenant promise. Is a promise of redemption and restoration.

[13:23] To all who ascribe to him glory. But the thing is. We can only ascribe glory to the Lord. When it's whole hearted worship. We can only ascribe glory to the Lord.

[13:36] When we love his salvation. And we live for his glory. And we look for the extension of his kingdom. We can only ascribe glory to God. When we love his salvation.

[13:47] When we live for his glory. And when we look for the extension of his kingdom. But you know we're not living for the glory of God. Or we're not giving glory to God. When we're seeking the best of both worlds.

[14:01] We're not giving glory to God. When we're living with a foot in both camps. We're not giving glory to God. When we're halting between two opinions. We're not giving glory to God.

[14:11] When our heart is torn between the world and Christianity. That doesn't please the Lord. That doesn't give glory to God. Because half-hearted commitment. And half-hearted Christianity.

[14:22] And half-hearted worship. It's as good as no worship at all. Because it's robbing God. Of the glory that is due to his name. And that's what David doesn't want.

[14:36] David wants to ascribe all the glory. To the Lord. By loving his salvation. And by living for his glory. And by looking for the extension of his kingdom.

[14:47] David wants to give everything to God. Is that not how you want to live your life? Living your whole life. To the glory of God. Giving everything to him.

[14:59] That's why David is issuing this call to worship. He wants us all. To ascribe glory to God. But as David continues.

[15:09] He also reminds us that there's a cause for worship. There's a cause for worship. That's what I want us to see secondly. So there's a call to worship. But then secondly. There's a cause for worship.

[15:22] A cause for worship. Look at verse 3. He says. The voice of the Lord is over the waters. The God of glory thunders. The Lord over many waters.

[15:33] The voice of the Lord is powerful. The voice of the Lord is full of majesty. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars. The Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon. He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf.

[15:45] And Syrian like a young wild ox. The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire. The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness. The Lord shakes the wilderness of Kaddish.

[15:56] The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth. And strips the forests bare. And in his temple all cry glory. So having issued a call to worship.

[16:09] To the whole of creation. And calling us to ascribe glory, honor and praise to the Lord. In this section verses 3 to 9. David now reminds us. That there's a cause for worship.

[16:21] There's a reason for us to worship the Lord. And it's a good reason. Because David says that when we consider the power and beauty of creation. When we consider the weather and all its forms.

[16:33] And how changeable it can be. When we consider the strength of the wind. And the heat of the sun. And the noise of thunder. And the flash of lightning. And the downpour of the rain.

[16:44] And even the whiteness of the snow. When we consider the creation. And its weather. David says through it all. The Lord is speaking to us. The voice of the Lord can be heard.

[16:57] And notice David repeats the phrase. The voice of the Lord. He repeats it seven times. In this section. Section verses 3 to 9.

[17:08] He repeats that phrase. The voice of the Lord. He repeats it seven times. And because of the repetition. Some have described this psalm. As the psalm of seven thunders. The psalm of seven thunders.

[17:22] Because through the creation. And through its weather. The voice of the Lord. The voice of the Lord can be heard. And it's the voice of the Lord. The one who keeps covenant.

[17:34] It's the voice of the covenant making. And covenant keeping God. It's the voice of the one who makes promises. And keeps his promises. He's the one who's speaking to us. The Lord is speaking to us.

[17:48] But are we listening to what the Lord is saying? The Lord is speaking. But are we listening? And you know I believe the first thunder. Of the Lord's voice.

[17:59] Was on the first day of creation. Because David says in verse 3. He says the voice of the Lord is over the waters. The God of glory thunders. The Lord over many waters.

[18:11] And when David says the voice of the Lord is over waters. You know he's bringing us all the way back to Genesis 1. He's bringing us back to that first act of creation.

[18:23] When the Spirit we're told. The Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. And we're told in the opening verses of our Bible. In the beginning.

[18:34] God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void. And darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God we're told.

[18:45] Was hovering over the face of the waters. And it was at that point that the voice of the Lord. Then thundered into the darkness. And said let there be light.

[18:56] And there was light. And you know my friend. That first thunder. Of the Lord's voice. Let me assure you.

[19:08] That our Genesis. It didn't come about by a big bang. And it certainly wasn't an accident. Of billions of random particles. Colliding together at speed. No David reminds us here.

[19:21] It was the voice of the Lord. The voice of the Lord. Thundering into the darkness. Of his creation. And from that first moment.

[19:32] When the voice of the Lord. Was heard. David says that it was then. That this creation. Realised the power. Of the Lord's voice. Which is why David says in verse 4.

[19:43] The voice of the Lord. Is powerful. The voice of the Lord. Is full of majesty. My friend. It was when the powerful. And majestic voice of the Lord.

[19:54] Thundered into the darkness. At creation. That the Lord separated the light. From darkness. But more than that. By his powerful. And majestic voice.

[20:04] The Lord. We're told. He created the heavens. And the earth. He created the land. And the seas. He created the plants. And the trees. He created the animals. And the birds. The fish.

[20:15] And the insects. And he created. By the word of his power. You. And me. He created us. By the word of his power. The Lord God. Made it.

[20:25] All. By the power. And majesty. Of his voice. And you know my friend. David is saying to us tonight. This should be a cause. For worship.

[20:37] This should be a cause for worship. Because the voice of the Lord. Is speaking to us. Through creation. This should be a cause for worship.

[20:48] Because the voice of the Lord. Is speaking to us. Through creation. And you know David also wrote about this. In Psalm 19. We were singing that earlier.

[21:01] David said that the heavens. They are declaring the glory of God. The skies are proclaiming. His handiwork. We were singing Psalm 19. Verses 1 to 7.

[21:12] Where God speaks to us. Through his world. And he speaks to us. Through his word. But at the beginning of Psalm 19. David says that the creation. It's preaching a sermon to us.

[21:24] And it's the longest sermon. That was ever preached. It has been preached to us. Since the beginning of time. And the whole of mankind. In every generation.

[21:34] And in every nation. Throughout this world. They have heard God's sermon. They've heard the voice of the Lord. Speaking through his creation. And you know this is the thing.

[21:46] And it's as Psalm 19 says. Their voice has gone to the ends of the earth. No one is except from the Lord's voice. Because his sermon. Has been proclaimed.

[21:58] To everyone. Therefore we can all hear. The voice of the Lord. You have all heard. The voice of the Lord. And you know it's so loud. That we can't ignore it.

[22:10] The voice of the Lord. Speaking to us. With the sunrise. The voice of the Lord. Speaking to us. With the sunset. It's so loud. That we can't ignore it. It's so bold. That we can't turn away from it.

[22:21] And it's all around us. The beauty of God's creation. Is all around us. That we can't escape it. In fact. Because we've all heard. The voice of the Lord. Speaking to us.

[22:33] We are without excuse. We are without excuse. You know the Bible says. That there's no excuse. Good enough. For not wholeheartedly.

[22:45] Worshipping the Lord. And giving him the glory. That he deserves. There's no excuse. Good enough. And you know. That's what Paul actually. Emphasized. To the Romans.

[22:56] When he wrote his letter. To the church in Rome. He wrote in Romans chapter 1. That since the creation of the world. The Lord's invisible attributes. Have been clearly seen.

[23:07] In other words. The Lord has revealed himself to us. Since that first moment. He spoke. Why? So that we are without excuse.

[23:18] We are without excuse. And you know my friend. On the day of judgment. No one has the excuse. To say that they never heard.

[23:29] The voice of the Lord. No one has the excuse. You certainly don't have the excuse anyway. You've sat in church all your life. But no one has the excuse.

[23:39] To say that they've never heard. The voice of the Lord. Because they have heard. The voice of the Lord. You have heard the voice of the Lord. And the Lord has been speaking to you. All your life. And he's been issuing to you this call.

[23:54] To come and worship. To give him glory. To ascribe to him the worth. That is due to his name. But more than that. He's been giving to you a cause.

[24:04] A cause for worship. Because this covenant making. And covenant keeping God. He has reminded you again. And again and again. He is not like the other gods of this world.

[24:18] All the other gods. Says the psalmist. They are but idols dumb. Which blinded nations fear. But our God is the Lord. By whom the heavens created were.

[24:29] The voice of the Lord. It's far louder and more powerful. Than the dumb idols of this world. In fact that's what David draws attention to. In verses 5 to 9.

[24:40] He says there in verse 5. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars. The Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon. He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf. And Syrian like a young wild ox.

[24:52] The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire. The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness. The Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth.

[25:03] And strips the forests bare. And in his temple all cry glory. And you know in these verses. Verses 5 to 9. David mentions three places there.

[25:14] He mentions Libyan. Syrian. And Kadesh. Now the region of Libyan. Or Lebanon. It should be sorry. Lebanon. It was situated you could say.

[25:26] On the northwest of Israel. Lebanon. And it marked. Lebanon marked the territory of the Canaanites. And as David mentions. Lebanon. It's renowned for its forests.

[25:38] Lebanon. It says there. It had the strong cedars of Lebanon. So Lebanon is there. And then. On the border between Israel and Lebanon.

[25:49] There was a mountain called Syria. At least that was what the Canaanites called this mountain. The Israelites. They called this mountain. Mount Herma. And then you go further along.

[26:01] The border of Lebanon. And you have the wilderness of Kadesh. And Kadesh was a stomping ground. For the Canaanites. And so by naming these three places.

[26:13] Lebanon. Syrian. And Kadesh. David is. You could say. He's creating this boundary line. Of the Israelites. And the Canaanites. And David is saying. That the Lord's people.

[26:25] They are different. Those who worship the Lord. Are different. Because they worship this God. Who hears. And this God. Who speaks. But the Canaanites.

[26:36] They worship a dumb idol. That does not hear. And cannot speak. And to the Israelites. The voice of the Lord. They're saying. Is powerful. And glorious. And majestic.

[26:47] But the Canaanite God. He ignores their voice. Because he can't hear them. And you know. The Canaanites themselves. They ignored the voice of the Lord.

[26:59] They worshipped Baal. Who was just a voiceless dumb idol. But you know. What's fascinating about David's attack. Upon the Canaanite God. Baal. Is that Baal.

[27:10] Is that Baal. Was known to be the God of the weather. The Canaanite God of Baal. Was said to be the God. Who was in control of the weather. And in control of all the seasons. And you worshipped Baal.

[27:22] And you offered sacrifices to Baal. If you wanted rain. For your crops to grow. That was why there was this contest. Between Elijah. And the prophets of Baal.

[27:33] On the top of Mount Carmel. You remember in 1st Kings 18. That there had been. A drought in the land of Israel. For three and a half years. And the drought led to famine. But the Israelites.

[27:44] They foolishly. Crossed the boundary line. They crossed the border. And they worshipped. The Canaanite God. Of Baal. They prayed. And asked him. For rain.

[27:55] And as you would expect. The voiceless. Dumb. Idol of Baal. Never answered them. But when Elijah prayed. When Elijah prayed. To the Lord.

[28:05] The covenant God. You remember in that chapter. The voice of the Lord was heard. When fire fell. From heaven. That's what we're told. In verse 7.

[28:16] The voice of the Lord flashes forth. Flames. Of fire. And you know. What David is reminding us here. Is that the Lord is the God of the weather. Not Baal.

[28:27] Not any other God. But. And as we said earlier. When we consider the weather. When we even talk about the weather. Which is an everyday conversation. It should cause us.

[28:38] To see that the Lord is speaking to us. The Lord is speaking to us. And it should be a cause for worship. It should lead us to respond. In worship to the Lord.

[28:50] The weather. Although we may complain about it. Quite a lot. The weather should lead us to worship. The weather should lead us. To worship.

[29:01] And that's what David is emphasizing here. That when the Lord speaks. When the voice of the Lord is heard. In the weather. When the voice of the Lord is heard. In the strength of the wind. And the heat of the sun. And the noise of thunder.

[29:13] And the flash of lightning. And the downpour of the rain. And the whiteness of the snow. When the voice of the Lord is heard. We should know. As David says here. He's able to break the strong cedars of Lebanon.

[29:23] He's able to make the mountain of Syria. Skip like a young wild ox. He's able to shake the desert of Kaddish. Because my friend. When the voice of the Lord is heard.

[29:34] There is nothing. And there is no one. That can stand in his way. That's the whole point of this psalm. The voice of the Lord is powerful.

[29:45] And the voice of the Lord. Is full of majesty. And you know my friend. You might not have Baal. At home.

[29:57] To worship. But there might be some other dumb idol. That you cling to. You might not have a shrine of Baal. In your back garden.

[30:09] But there might be some. Voiceless idol. That you worship daily. And it could be the idol of work. It could be the idol of wealth. It could be the idol of worldliness.

[30:22] It could be the idol of worth. Where do you find your worth. In life. And you know. You may cling to your silent. Voiceless. Dumb idols. And spend your life ignoring.

[30:35] The voice that's speaking so loudly. And so clearly. But you know. One day soon. The voice of the Lord. Will speak to you directly.

[30:46] In judgment. And there's nothing you can do. To stand in his way. My friend. You need to be ready for that day. When the Lord.

[30:58] Addresses you directly. Because he's speaking to you clearly tonight. As he has been speaking to you. All your life. In fact.

[31:09] This is actually what Jesus said. To the Pharisees of his day. Jesus criticized the Pharisees. For always talking about the weather. And being able to predict the weather forecast.

[31:23] Jesus said. You know how to interpret. The appearance of the sky. But you cannot interpret. The sign of the times. Jesus. And what Jesus was saying is that.

[31:36] You're always looking at the weather. You're always talking about the weather. But you're ignoring the Lord of the weather. You're ignoring the one who is speaking to you.

[31:47] Day after day. Night after night. Night after night. You're ignoring the voice of the Lord. Speaking into your life. Because the voice of the Lord.

[31:59] It can be heard. And it is being heard. Through the whole of creation. But the question remains. Are you listening? Are you listening?

[32:11] And so my friend. Tonight you're being issued a call to worship. Because there's a cause for worship. But lastly and briefly. There's also a consequence of worship. So a call to worship.

[32:22] A cause for worship. And a consequence of worship. A consequence of worship. Look at verse 10. We're told there. The Lord sits enthroned over the flood.

[32:34] The Lord sits enthroned as king forever. May the Lord give strength to his people. May the Lord bless his people with peace. David concludes this psalm of the Lord's voice.

[32:47] By reminding us that when we respond to the call to worship. We are to respond because we have a good cause for worship. But there's also a consequence.

[32:59] There's a call. There's a cause. But there's also a consequence for worship. And the consequence of ascribing glory to the Lord. And listening to the Lord's voice. The consequence is the Lord's blessing.

[33:13] In which the Lord we're told here. The covenant king who sits upon his eternal throne. He pronounces upon his people his benediction.

[33:23] It's a benediction of blessing. In which the Lord promises strength and blessing to those who worship his name. In other words.

[33:34] The consequence of worship. Is a guaranteed promise. Of redemption. Restoration. And resurrection.

[33:46] The consequence of worshipping the Lord wholeheartedly. Of giving the Lord the glory due to his name. Is redemption. Restoration.

[33:58] And resurrection. And you know I say this. Because when David called the sons of God. You remember that from verse 1. When he called the sons of God to worship.

[34:09] He was calling the angels. The animate creation. And us. He was calling the sons of God. He was calling the whole of creation. To worship the Lord and the beauty of holiness. And David says that those who trust in the Lord.

[34:21] Those who respond in wholehearted worship. They have the covenant promise. And assurance. That they will be part of the worshipping people. In the new heavens. And the new earth.

[34:33] That's what David is assuring us here. In fact this is actually. What David says here. Is what Paul repeats in Romans chapter 8. Because in Romans 8.

[34:44] It's a whole chapter on the hope of the Christian. And Paul assures us. In Romans 8. He says. I consider that the sufferings of this present time. Are not worth comparing.

[34:56] With the glory. That is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits. With eager longing. For the revealing. Of the sons of God.

[35:07] The whole of creation. We know that the whole creation. Has been groaning together. In the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation. But we ourselves. Who have the first fruits of the spirit.

[35:19] We groan inwardly. As we wait eagerly. For adoption as sons. And the redemption. Of our bodies. The promise. The covenant promise.

[35:31] To those who respond. In worship. Is redemption. Restoration. And resurrection. To the new heavens.

[35:44] And the new earth. And the new earth. And the new earth. And the new earth. And the new earth. Giving him. Your whole heart. And it's the guaranteed promise.

[35:56] Of redemption. Restoration. And resurrection. To the new heavens. And the new earth. But you only have that. Guaranteed consequence of worship. When you respond to the call.

[36:08] And you see that there's a cause. For worship. My friend. The voice of the Lord. Is speaking to you. Tonight. As he has been.

[36:19] For many years. He is still speaking to you. Speaking to you. In love. And in grace. And in mercy. And he's calling you.

[36:30] To respond. Calling you to come. And the Lord will continue. Speaking to you. Until your dying breath. He will speak to you.

[36:43] Until opportunity comes to an end. But tonight. Are you listening? Are you listening to what he's saying? And are you willing to respond?

[36:57] Today. If you hear his voice. Do not harden your heart. May the Lord bless these thoughts to us. Let us pray.

[37:09] Amen. O Lord. Our gracious God. We give thanks to thee. For all I promises. That they are covenant promises. Signed and sealed.

[37:20] By the covenant king. The Lord. And Lord. We give thanks to thee. For the call. To come and worship. And that we have good reason. To worship. We have good reason.

[37:30] To come to the Lord. Because he's speaking to us. He's calling us. He's inviting us. And Lord. Help us to respond. Help us not to ignore the voice of the Lord.

[37:41] Lord. Because the Lord. One who is speaking to us so loudly. So clearly. So powerfully. And so majestically. The Lord. Help us to respond. To come in faith and obedience.

[37:52] Confessing our need of the Lord. To follow him all the days of our life. And to trust in him. As our good shepherd. Lord bless us we pray. Bless us in the week that lies ahead.

[38:04] A week as always that is unknown to any of us. But known only to thee. And help us then. Every day. To cast our cares. Into thine hand. Knowing that thou art the one who cares for us.

[38:18] Do us good then we pray. Go before us. And cleanse us. For Jesus sake. Amen. We shall bring our service to a conclusion.

[38:31] By singing the closing words of that psalm. Psalm 29. Psalm 29. The Scottish Psalter. Page 239.

[38:44] Psalm 29. We're singing from verse 6.

[38:54] Down to the end of the psalm. He makes them like a calf to skip. Even that great Lebanon. And like to a young unicorn. The mountain Syrian.

[39:05] God's voice divides the flames of fire. The desert it doth shake. The Lord doth make the wilderness of Kaddish. All to quake. God's voice doth make the hinds to calve.

[39:16] It makes the forest bare. And in his temple everyone. His glory doth declare. The Lord sits on the floods. The Lord sits king. And ever shall. The Lord will give his people strength.

[39:28] And with peace bless them all. So these verses of Psalm 29. To God's praise. He makes the might.

[39:43] God out to sin. He knows they've ever known.

[39:56] God's voice. He knows they've ever known. And he's ever known. He knows they've ever known. And he's ever known. God's voice. God's voice. He buys the flames of fire.

[40:11] God's voice defies the flames of fire, the desert tints of shame.

[40:33] The Lord doth make the wilderness of Kadesho to quake.

[40:52] God's voice doth make the hines to quake. It makes the forest fair, and in his temple everyone his glory doth declare.

[41:28] The Lord sits on the floods, the Lord sits king and ever shall.

[41:47] The Lord will give his people strength, and with peace bless them all.

[42:07] The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all, now and forevermore. Amen.