Living a lifestyle of steadfast hope (Psalm 8)

A revised blogpost ~ 

As requested, I have posted up my script for this particular sermon. The short sermon (20-25 mins depending on how long the pauses) was composed based on a prior comprehensive study on Psalm 8. It was certainly a fun sermon to preach -- my audience were so encouragingly and lovingly responsive! :D I won't put up my study, but I will include my bibliography after the sermon. Please feel free to critique or encourage. 

Picture source

INTRODUCTION

Let me start by bringing you a popular science fiction film concept: aliens.

Some of us can remember the old Spielberg blockbuster, first released in 1985 – a movie entitled “E. T. the Extra-terrestrial” or just “E. T.” It was about a group of children befriending an E. T. that got stranded on Earth - and helping E. T. to go home while hiding it from the adults. I was very young when I first watched E. T. Although it was supposed to be fun and profoundly moving, the film did not go down too well with me. I went to sleep every night after that, dreadfully afraid. I was afraid that an E. T. with strange hands and long fingers protruding from each hand would suddenly pop out from beneath my bed to say “hello” - or that I would wake up the next morning to discover that Earth had been invaded overnight by aliens from an unknown planet - with ten times the technology that our world has to offer! 

To be human is to be easily fascinated or frightened by the unknown, and hence, science fiction film producers make a lot of money dissecting evolution; envisioning the end of the world; and intriguing us with E.T. creatures that surpass humanity in their abilities. To be human is also to be concerned about the future and ultimately, death. Contingency plans are developed. Legacies are made. Fairy tales end “happily ever after” because that is what we hope life is about. Prophets, fortune-tellers, signs and wonders are pursued by many in search of hope. We all need hope. Hope gives purpose to yesterday and today. Hope enables us to endeavour in the present while we look forward to “happily ever after”.

However, it is in the face of hard times and opposition that faith is tested. Hopes are disappointed because faith was placed in the wrong things or people. Psalm 8 seems to paint us a picture that David - the psalmist - and the worshipers he had meant to inspire praise were being threatened by enemies; and they were perplexed at how distant God seemed to be in the face of their troubles; doubtful of God’s care for humanity. But David’s words still brimmed with hope and wonder, as we can see in verses 4-6:

 “What is man that Thou dost take thought of him,
And the son of man that Thou dost care for him?
Yet Thou hast made him a little lower than God,
And dost crown him with glory and majesty!
Thou dost make him to rule over the works of Thy hands;
Thou hast put all things under his feet.”

Christians, if we are exempt by grace through faith from the wrath God has reserved for His enemies… if we have been reconciled to our Creator through Christ… if we have been liberated from the power of sin to experience the power of God’s love… then can we not live a lifestyle of steadfast hope, the essence of eternal life Christ came to give? To live a lifestyle of steadfast hope is to always trust God and therefore praise Him, come what may. If David lived in a time before Christ came and yet could live such a lifestyle of steadfast hope, so should we all the more – because we have received the salvation of Christ. David could praise God amidst his troubles because he had valid reasons to trust God… And so, may his words in Psalm 8 inspire us today.

This brings me to my first point:

I.         Christians should live a lifestyle of steadfast hope by always trusting and praising God - because God makes us adequate to overcome those who oppose our faith.

a.   Let us look at Psalm 8:2: “From the mouth of infants and nursing babes Thou hast established strength because of Thine adversaries, to make the enemy and the revengeful cease.” Now…did David refer to infants and nursing babes in the literal sense? Or did he intend to allude to weak, unsophisticated people, who with their childlike faiths allow themselves to be led by God? Maybe it was both. Was David trying to imply that God’s revelation is not limited to the grown-ups... and that the praise of God’s youngest witnesses would stun His enemies? Or had David observed the little ones instinctively admiring God’s works and thereafter seen for himself the defeat of those who try to eclipse God’s identity? We can only imagine.

b.   Artists, given their intuitive, sensitive nature, may paint us a clearer picture through their observations. The late Vincent Van Gogh, a famous painter, once said: “If one feels the need of something grand, something infinite, something that makes one feel aware of God, one need not go far to find it. I think that I see something deeper, more infinite, more eternal than the ocean in the expression of the eyes of a little baby when it wakes in the morning and coos or laughs because it sees the sun shining on its cradle.” Perhaps, some of you here, parents and grand-parents, uncles and aunties could relate to Mr. Van Gogh.

c.   But let us not be distracted by mere assumptions and reading between the lines. Rather, let us focus on David’s allusion to the “mouths” and hence the lack of eloquence of those whom God appoints as vindicators of His glory. What the world considers ineffective and sometimes annoying, God empowers as the forte of His sovereignty. What a gracious and mighty God He is!

d.   Persecution and opposition to our faith have such a way of making us feel defeated, don’t they? Sometimes, we pray for many years and we still see no change. Subsequently, we feel ineloquent before God. Like water from a fountain, our words and petitions are often perceived to rain back over us seconds after they were pumped in the direction of the heavens! Those who oppose us don’t seem to relent. But if we think of God as the sovereign and mighty One who can empower the most ineloquent in His favor, won’t we see our prayers differently? I know I will. Besides, in the Gospel, Jesus said that those who oppose us for being Christ’s followers also oppose Him. God will eventually make us adequate to overcome opposition because He is the God who defeats His enemies through the weak and helpless.

e.   Since David did not specify how God establishes strength from those “mouths”, we also need to consider every aspect of an infant’s utterance - grunts, smacking of the lips, vulnerable cries, tantrums for attention... happy coos and babbles. Unlike you and me, infants cannot pretend to be who they are not. David was perhaps not only encouraging the original readers of Psalm 8 to be unreserved in their praise for God in the face of their enemies but also authentic - just as they were. And indeed, we see in many of the psalms David wrote that his praise was shaped in tears, bitter laments and even imprecations! He was always being real with God. He exemplified authenticity in praise. And God enabled him to overcome his enemies.

f.    Therefore, Christians - do not lose heart! Always trust God and praise Him even when others oppose your faith because you know that your hopes are not in vain. Trust and praise God unreservedly and authentically as a lifestyle of steadfast hope; because God, who makes us adequate to overcome those who oppose our faith - is the God who defeats His enemies through the weak and helpless.

We have come to the second point:

II.        Christians should live a lifestyle of steadfast hope by always trusting and praising God - because He is mindful of us and graciously cares for us. 

a.   In verse 3, David – mesmerised by the heavens, stars and moon, spoke about these most mysterious and massive of God’s masterpieces as the work of God’s fingers.

b.   Let us take a moment to appreciate these wonderful extensions on our hands – the fingers. ---- The arrangement and relations of bones, muscles, joints, tendons and tissues in our fingers as well as hands enable specialized movements at various joints in our fingers (demonstrate: flexion, extension, abduction, adduction and circumduction). We need these movements to signal, point and manipulate objects as well as to twist, roll, push and prod things into shape. Furthermore, our fingertips are among the areas of the human skin with the highest concentration of receptors sensitive to temperature, pressure, vibration, texture, and moisture. Our fingers are therefore the best instruments to ascertain the properties of the objects encountered.

c.   By referring to God’s fingers, David emphasised the extra care, precision and fine skill God had employed in forming and ordering the heavens... and all that it contains. Against the backdrop of such grand and mysterious design... David contrasted the simplicity - and even insignificance - of man’s blueprint. Probably, it was while being confronted with his human mortality and earthbound nature that David wondered in verse 4, “What is man that Thou dost take thought of him, and the son of man that Thou dost care for him?”

d.   In a Michael Jackson concert I once watched on TV, there were all these girls becoming insanely overwhelmed - crying and fainting when he picked them out from the crowd to get onto the stage where he was. Because they adored Michael Jackson so much and he was the King of Pop – one of the greatest music entertainers of all time - it was an incredible honor to be called onto the stage just because Michael Jackson wanted to look you in the eye, shake hands with you and give you a hug! This may not be the best illustration, but I dare say that David was in a similar star struck state. David was struck by the stars, yes… but more than that, he was overwhelmed that his Hero - the Creator of those heavenly bodies, which he must have admired since he was a shepherd boy out in the fields at night. This Creator chose to “take thought of” and “care for” man. God chooses to love man even when there is no reason for Him to do so!

e.   Perseverance in our trials requires us to look forward to “the season's end” and therefore press on in hope. However it is only by faith in the God who loves us that we can truly see any potential for goodness in our sufferings or patiently await deliverance. Friends, God’s loving care for us has been evidenced through Christ's death for our sins. Christ was sent to die – not for the heavens, stars and moon… or any other creation for that matter – but for human beings! Today, He continues to prove His love to us through the workings of the Holy Spirit in us, through us and for us. Augustine of Hippo once said, “God loves each of us as if there were only one of us.” How can we disregard so great a love and not trust Him with our lives?

f.    Therefore, we should always trust God and praise Him even when we face various trials because we know that our hopes are not in vain. Trust and praise God as a lifestyle of steadfast hope; because God, who is mindful of us and who graciously cares for us… is the Creator of the entire universe. 

This brings me to my third and final point:

III.      Christians should live a lifestyle of steadfast hope by always trusting and praising God - because He has made us fellow heirs with Christ.

a.   David was not only awed by the fact that the Creator of the universe would care for man. In verses 5-8, we see that David was also awed by the dominion God had bestowed upon man – as a commission. The fact that God is the One whose name is majestic in all the earth... and the fact that the Majestic One crowns man with glory and majesty over His creations caused David’s awe of God to reach a crescendo - a climax. It was also, if you like, one moment in time when David was utmostly convinced that God is worthy to be trusted and praised, regardless.   

b.   Now, of course we know that man, in his fallen state, has never been able to fulfill the commission he was made for. Why did the New Testament writers use on Jesus the term “Son of man”, which David himself used in verse 4 of Psalm 8 to underscore the sinful spiritual condition of Adam’s sons? It is because Jesus Christ has borne the doom of the sinful spiritual condition of mankind... in order to lead the fallen mankind to recover the privilege and commission it has lost in Adam. In Christ, we are regenerated with the Father’s divine life through the Holy Spirit... into begotten children of His own nature, of whom Christ is the first-born begotten Son. If we are fellow sons/daughters with Christ, we are also fellow heirs with Christ - through whom all things were made, for whom all things were made and in whom all things hold together. We inherit more than the world and all that it contains. We are also able to look forward to Christ dwelling among us and our glorified bodies capable of deeper, higher, fuller joys than we presently have.

c.   John Newton, writer of the hymn “Amazing Grace” once said, “Suppose a man was going to New York to take possession of a large estate, and his carriage should break down a mile before he got to the city, which obliged him to walk the rest of the way; what a fool we should think him, if we saw him wringing his hands, and blubbering out all the remaining mile about his broken carriage.”

d.   Likewise, my friends - wouldn’t we be fools if we held on to the present comforts, securities and pleasures of this world so tightly – that we failed to fall in love with our inheritance beyond this world – namely God Himself? Wouldn’t we be fools if we hold on to the present securities of this world so tightly that when they fail us, life becomes like a broken compass because we have not learnt to trust God? And if we know that we can look forward to an inheritance, won’t we be fools if we get so engrossed with the temporary afflictions, difficulties, troubles and pain that we fail to appreciate the journey to the goal? Sad but true, I do know of a person who ceased to hope and took his own life on the way to the goal. 

e.   Friends, it is easier said than done, but we need to look at our sufferings in the light of our inheritance in Christ. We need to seek to know our trials and tribulations today as our loving God’s order and gracious means to keep us from falling in love with the comforts, securities and pleasures of this world.

f.    Therefore, we should always trust God and praise Him even when we face various trials because we know that our hopes are not in vain. Trust and praise God as a lifestyle of steadfast hope; because God, whose name is majestic in all the earth… has made us fellow heirs with Christ, our Lord... who is crowned with glory and majesty and has been given dominion over all of God’s creations.

CONCLUSION

Friends, I began with the subject of aliens. I would also like to conclude with the subject of aliens. This time, I am not talking about E.T. but about Christians – the citizens of heaven, whom the Bible also calls “aliens and strangers in the world”.

I remember how I struggled when I went to Poland a few years ago (for a study + mission trip), because I didn’t feel like I belonged there. The language was foreign, the culture and food were difficult to get used to, and even the water with its high iron content stained my white clothings yellow or brown - as if I had suffered a terrible haemorrhage! The Warsaw Baptist Theological Seminary was located in a sort of forest. Although the people were very hospitable, I couldn’t wait to come home to where things are familiar and “normal”. I was such an alien and stranger in Poland. Although I eventually came to enjoy my time in Poland - from the very beginning, I made it clear that I wasn’t staying. I talked to my Polish friends about Malaysia; and how I loved being in MBTS (haha); and how I had left my then-fiancé in Penang! Even when I fell sick or faced difficulties in my work there, I rejoiced everyday – because I was one day closer to going home. Everything I did there was done with a view toward returning to Penang and the work God has for me here.

That is the way we, Christians, should feel about our temporary life on Earth. If we look forward to going Home to be with God - who is the Creator of the universe, whose name is majestic in all the earth, and yet who loves us that He sent Christ to die for our sins - we can trust God and praise Him in our trials and tribulation. If we look forward to going Home to be with God - who makes us adequate while we are aliens on Earth to overcome those who oppose our faith, who is mindful of us and graciously cares for our needs, and who has made us fellow heirs with Christ – we can trust God and praise Him in our trials and tribulation. 

Trusting God and praising Him regardless – this is how we can face the present experiential realities with passion while getting in position for the future. Such is the lifestyle of steadfast hope. And so, to summarize the message of Psalm 8 for us today: In order to be victorious in their sufferings, Christians should live a lifestyle of steadfast hope by trusting and praising God through trials and tribulation - because God, who is sovereign and majestic, (1) makes us adequate to overcome oppositions to our faith... (2) is mindful of us and graciously cares for us... and (3) has made us fellow heirs with Christ.

Thank you.

(Note: to end with prayer and hymn.)

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Barnes, Robert. Barnes on the Old Testament, Psalms Vol. I. Edited by Robert Frew. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1967.

Bruce, F. F. The Epistle to the Hebrews. NICNT; rev. ed.; Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1990.

Calvin, John. Calvin's Bible Commentaries: Psalms, Part I. Translated by King, John. USA,Charleston SC: Forgotten Books, 2007.

Clifford, Richard J. Abingdon Old Testament Commentary - Psalms 1-72. Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 2002.

Craigie, Peter C. Word Biblical Commentary, Volume 19: Psalm1-50. Waco: Word Books, 1983.

Delitzsch, Franz. Biblical Commentary on the Psalms. Translated by Francis Balton, Vol. 1. Edinburgh: T. and T. Clark, 1871.

Guthrie, George H. The Structure of Hebrews: A Text-linguistic Analysis. Leiden/New York: Brill, 1994.

Hays, Richard B. The Conversion of the Imagination: Paul as Interpreter of Israel’s Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan/ Cambridge, UK: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1995.

Héring, Jean. The Epistle to the Hebrews. Translated by A. W. Heathcote and P. J. Allcock. London: Epworth, 1970.

Kidner, Derek. Psalms 1—72. Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries series. Leicester, England, and Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1973.

Luther, Martin. Luther’s Works: Selected Psalms. Translated by Jaroslav Pelikan. St. Louis, Mo.: Concordia Publishing House, 1955.
Weiser, Artur. The Psalms, a Commentary. Translated by Herbert Hartwell. Kentucky, Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2000.

Wilson, Gerald H. Psalms: Volume 1. NIVAC; Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002.