Genesis: Creation, Fall, and Dominion

Are You Awe Struck Yet?

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Old Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2023-03-22

Synopsis: In this sermon, Pastor John Weaver expounds Psalm 33:8, calling believers to stand in awe of God. He presents two primary reasons for awe: God's creation and coherence (His power in making and sustaining the universe) and God's counsel and control (His sovereignty over the plans of the wicked). Using astronomical data, oceanography, and Scripture, he illustrates God's majesty and urges listeners to praise Him, trust His protection, and rest in His sovereign purposes.

[John Weaver] Psalm 33, Psalm 33, verse 8 is what we're going to be looking at. Psalm 33, verse 8. We will look at several other verses in this Psalm, but verse 8 is the main one. Psalm 33 and verse 8.

[John Weaver] The title of the message is Are You Awestruck Yet? Are You Awestruck Yet? The Bible says in Psalm 33 in verse 8, Let all the earth fear the Lord. Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. Now, Psalm 33 happens to be a psalm of praise, and that's made clear in the very first three verses. So if you look at those verses with me. The psalmist says, Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous, for praise is comely for the upright. Praise the Lord with harp.

[John Weaver] Sing unto him with psaltery and an instrument of ten strings. singing him a new song, play skillfully with a loud noise." So the Word of God is telling us that we must praise the Lord not only with our mouths, but with music as well, and we are to be rejoicing in the Lord. Now, the psalmist also gives us Numerous reasons as to why we should praise the Lord. And if you look at verses 4 and 5, that's made clear as well. For he, that is God, loveth righteousness and judgment. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. By the word of the Lord were the heavens made.

[John Weaver] Now, notice if you would, verse 4, I skipped. For the word of the Lord is right, and all his works are done in truth. He loveth righteousness and judgment. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord."

[John Weaver] Now, certainly he's telling us in these passages, we must praise our Lord for His greatness. We must praise Him for His veracity, for His judgment, for His truth. But there's one word there that's really important. He said in verse 5, He loveth righteousness and judgment. The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. So if you were to just simply take the word goodness, and run through the Bible and find out everything that the Bible says about goodness, you would be absolutely impressed, I believe. I think this word needs to be meditated over.

[John Weaver] We need to consider His bountifulness. We need to consider His graciousness and, yes, His goodness that is given to us constantly.

[John Weaver] Now, let me show you. I want you to hold Psalm 33, but turn over your Bibles, if you would, to Psalm 107. It's an interesting thing just in this one Psalm, how many times a truth is given to us. So if you will notice 107, Psalm 107, beginning there with verse eight, look at this verse, Psalm 107, verse eight. And it states, Oh, that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men. Now, after making that statement, look at verse nine. for he satisfieth the hungry soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness."

[John Weaver] Then he says, such as sit in the darkness and the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron, etc., and he goes on down. And he tells how God brought them out of darkness, how God brought them out. And in other words, he's just simply saying, if we would praise the Lord for His goodness, we would be consistently and constantly praising Him.

[John Weaver] Now, I call your attention back to verse 8. Here's why. He said, Oh, that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men. Now skip down to verse 15, if you would. And look at this truth again. Oh, that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men. Then if you'll skip down to verse 21 again, he says this, Oh, that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works to the children of men. And then finally, in verse 31, Oh, that men would praise the Lord for His goodness and for His wonderful works to the children of men.

[John Weaver] So that verse is actually repeated four times in this particular psalm. So when you look at the different sections in which this verse occurs or this truth occurs, you'd be impressed at the goodness of God. So my question would be something like this. Have you ever been satisfied with food? Have you ever been given a bountiful supply? Have you ever been given health? Have you ever been given life? Have you ever been sustained?

[John Weaver] All of these are reasons to praise the Lord. Someone says, well, I'm sick. Well, consider this if you would please. Number one, you've had more well days than you have sick days. And number two, the very fact that you are still alive means that you recovered from your sickness. So I'm just simply pointing out the fact that these are still numerous reasons given to us as to why we should be praising the Lord.

[John Weaver] And when you begin to add this concept, that none of us deserve any of God's mercies and goodnesses, nor can we ever earn those things. So God's goodness is shown to all. And we have to learn to say with Jacob in Genesis chapter 32 and verse 10, I'm not worthy of the least of thy mercies, nor of all the truth which thou showed unto thy servant. And certainly that is true.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to go back to verse eight of Psalm 33, because this is our text today. When God says, let all the earth fear the Lord, Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him." Awe is an absolutely wonderful word, and yet it is a word that is often misunderstood. A standing in awe is something that has happened to most of us at one time or another in our lives.

[John Weaver] There have been times that we've recognized an old friend. whom we have not seen in years, and we just stand there almost, I can't believe this is an individual. And then there are individuals who have beloved celebrities, if you could call them that, and when they happen to meet one on the street, they just stand in awe with their mouth open because they cannot believe that, you know, this is real.

[John Weaver] And then, of course, there are times in our lives that God has showed us truth and given us something that is exceedingly profound, and all of a sudden you realize, hey, I understand this. I now see this. This has just fallen into the right place for me. And then, of course, there are times when there are incidents that happen. And there is a miraculous and marvelous escape. And you can do nothing but just stand there.

[John Weaver] I was telling some of the folks this morning, I watched a little clip on the Internet. A man was walking down the sidewalk in the city, and all of a sudden a car came speeding down the street The driver lost control, ran into another car that was parked. The car spun once it hit the other car and went up against the building on the sidewalk, missing the man who was walking by about six inches. And the man just stood there amazed.

[John Weaver] I mean, he could have been killed instantly. And I would simply say he was awestruck because he hardly even moved. and he just realized all of a sudden how he had been delivered. So, all then has been defined as a feeling of respect and reverence mixed with dread and wonder and often inspired by something majestic and powerful. So, standing in awe refers then to an overwhelming amount of respect admiration, and wonder to the point that oftentimes we're unable to either speak or move. Now, it's interesting that there are three times in the Scripture that we're told to stand in awe. Let me show you.

[John Weaver] I want you to hold Psalm 33, but look in your Bibles to Psalm 4 and verse 4. Here's the first one. Psalm 4 and verse 4. The Scripture says, stand in awe and sin not. Commune with your own heart upon your bed and be still. But note that command, stand in awe and sin not. Now, the second time it occurs, of course, is in our text in Psalm 33 and verse 8.

[John Weaver] Let all the earth fear the Lord. Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him." And then, of course, it occurs, if you will turn there, to Psalm 119 and verse 161. Psalm 119 and verse 161, where David says this,"...princes have persecuted me without a cause, but my heart standeth in awe thy word. My heart standeth in awe of thy word." Now, there are wonderful truths connected with Psalm 4 and verse 4, as well as Psalm 119 and verse 161. In fact, truth is exceedingly plentiful in any verse of the Bible. But I want to concentrate on verse 8 of Psalm 33, so I want you to turn back there so we can look at some words before we really get into this psalm. Notice if you would, in verse 8, he said, Let all the earth fear the Lord. Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. Now, the word fear is the Hebrew word yoreh, and it literally means to fear, to be afraid, to tremble, to reverence, to honor, and to cause to be astonished.

[John Weaver] That's what it means when he says, let all the earth fear the Lord. Let them all tremble before Him. Let them all reverence and honor Him. Let them all be astonished at Him. And then he says this, let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.

[John Weaver] Now, the word all is the Hebrew word gur, which means to dread. It means to fear, to be afraid, and to stand in awe. So once again, all the world is to stand in awe in reference to God. So here's a good question. Why should all the earth fear the Lord, and why should all of the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him? I'm sure that if I were to ask that question to many believers, everyone could give me an answer. And I can assure you that there are numerous answers to that question in Scripture. However, what I want to do is point out two truths from our text today that should have us standing in awe.

[John Weaver] That is why I titled this message, Are you awestruck yet? So, I want you to look, if you would, please, at verses 6 and 7. Because here's the first reason we are to be awestruck, and that is we're to stand in awe at His creation and His coherence. I'll explain that just shortly. So in verse 6, he says, By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.

[John Weaver] He gathered the waters of the sea together as a heap. He layeth up the depth in storehouses.

[John Weaver] Now go back to verse 6. By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. That means that God made everything. And of course, the Bible tells us in the book of John, without him was not anything made that was made. So God is actually the creator of all things. And he did create, according to the Latin term, ex nihilo, that is, out of nothing. So everything that we see was made out of nothing. God called it into existence. God spoke it into existence.

[John Weaver] There was not the eternity of matter. That matter always existed and God had something to work with? No. According to Genesis 1, matter came in when God spake the world into existence. And so, we are to stand in awe at His creation and His coherence.

[John Weaver] Now, I'm certainly not an astronomer, but when I read this verse, especially verse 6, by the word of the Lord, were the heavens made, and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. I got on the computer, and I typed in my search engine, how many galaxies are there? And I want to read you one of the articles. Here it is. The universe is considered by some to be infinite. Well, I understand only God is infinite, but what they're saying is they cannot discern an end to the universe. Let me go back. The universe is considered by some to be infinite, while others find comfort in the fact that it may have an end. Throughout the ages of space exploration, The only certain thing is maybe the fact that the universe will never be charted.

[John Weaver] Then the question is asked, why is this? It's because of the endless galaxies that seem to pop out left and right, their sizes, distances, and other aspects. So how many galaxies are there in the universe? Currently, The observable universe, that's just what can be seen. Currently, the observable universe, which has a radius of 46.5 billion light years, seems to contain at least 2 trillion galaxies. Our galaxy, the Milky Way, is just one among these numerous galaxies. and it is not even considered a big galaxy. It stretches for 105,700 light-years in diameter, and may contain at least 100 billion planets and around 400 billion stars. Now, if we were to imagine how many planets and stars Those two trillion galaxies might have.

[John Weaver] We would probably have to throw out our calculators. This is especially true since some galaxies are several times larger than our Milky Way galaxy. The largest galaxy ever discovered in our universe is a supergiant elliptical galaxy designated as IC 1101. This galaxy contains well above a hundred trillion stars, and it stretches for over 5.5 million light years across. IC 1101 is around 50 times larger than our Milky Way galaxy, and it is situated at approximately 1 billion light years, or 320 megaparsecs across, or away from us. A megaparsec is a unit of astronomical distance equal to one million parsecs. Think about this. The observable, that is what we can see, contains at least two trillion galaxies. Our Milky Way galaxy contains at least 400 billion stars. The supergiant elliptical galaxy contains above 100 trillion stars. Who knows how many the other galaxies contain?

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to look in your Bibles, if you would hold Psalm 33, but I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Genesis, chapter 1, and look, if you would please, at verse 16. Genesis 1 and verse 16. It's an astounding statement. Genesis 1, verse 16. The Bible says, And God made two great lights, the greater light to rule the day, that would be the sun, and the lesser light to rule the night, that would be the moon. And then this little side, He made the stars also. Yes, He did. He made the stars also. So it's not just the sun and the moon, but the stars as well. Now, if you would turn over in your Bibles to Psalm 8, And verse 3, here's another psalm that shows you the magnificence and the greatness of God's creation. Because David in this psalm says this, when I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars which thou hast ordained, What is man that thou art mindful of him, and the Son of man that thou visitest him?

[John Weaver] But note, he said, when I consider, when I meditate, when I think about thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon, and the stars, which thou hast ordained, what is man? Now, once you begin to really consider the universe, You'll begin to see how insignificant we are, and that is exactly why I ask, when I see the greatness and the vastness of your creation, what is man? Years ago, I had a shrimper friend, and he invited me to go out with him on his shrimp boat. And I took another friend, and we went. It was a very large shrimp boat.

[John Weaver] In fact, it would sleep 12 people. And it was on that voyage that I learned you shrimp at night. I didn't know that. And but he would let down the nets and he would be shrimping at night. We were 40 miles out in the Gulf. And it was midnight and happened to be a full moon and the ocean was as smooth as silk. And I never will forget sitting on the bow of that boat. looking at the moon and the stars, the glassy water and the reflection in there, there was no sound made anywhere. There was nothing but the moon and the stars and water.

[John Weaver] And I began to realize how vast everything really truly was. Now, so David said, when I consider, when I think about this, when I meditate upon this, Then I have to ask, what is man that they aren't mindful of him?

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to turn to Psalm 147 and get ready for this. Psalm 147. Psalm 147.

[John Weaver] Now, I ask a question to Ed Wolf this morning.

[John Weaver] And I said, Ed, would you please stand up and tell me the birthdays of all your grandchildren? Ed just shook his head. No, he couldn't do that. Well, you know, the interesting thing is, Alice and I have six grandchildren. We've got five great grands and a sixth one on the way. And I have no idea what the birthdays of my grandchildren are. Well, I can get close probably, but I could not give you the exact date.

[John Weaver] And really and truly, I have no need to remember those because she does. You know, I tell people, you know, I know for sure the birthday of our first child. I know that absolutely certain. The next the next three, I can get close a day or two, you know, but And I may get it every time, but I may miss it every time. I never will forget when I first went to the university, every semester, there's two semesters in the year, but every semester we had to fill out all these papers, you know, and what date were you married? What's your wife's birthday? What's the children's birthday? You know, they wanted all that information. And I never could remember, were we married on the 13th? Were we married on the 15th? Were we married on the 16th? I mean, you know, because it was the 13th, but the 16th is her birthday, you see what I'm saying? And I'd get those things mixed up and I'd put, I got to laughing because I thought, I bet they don't, I bet they think I have no idea when I got married or what my children's birthdays were.

[John Weaver] Well, you know, I can remember it was either July 30th or 31st, you know, I was one of the two. And April the 12th was Becca's? Oh, see, I don't remember. Okay. All right. So, but I'm just simply, I'd put different dates down. I didn't remember. I just did not remember. And because there was no need for me to remember because she did. But I remember a lot of things that she does not. See, now, the reason I'm showing you this is it's not just for fun.

[John Weaver] But look in Psalm 147 and verse 4. Look at this. He telleth the number of the stars. He called them all by their names. God knows exactly how many stars He created, and He knows their names. If there are 400 billion stars in our Milky Way galaxy, He knows the names of every one of them. If there's over a hundred trillion in the giant galaxy, He knows the names of every one of them.

[John Weaver] I'm just simply asking you Are you standing in awe yet? Do you realize the greatness of God's creation, the greatness of God's power, and the greatness of God's knowledge?

[John Weaver] Now, look, if you would, back in Psalm 33 in verse 9, and you ask, how did God do all of this? Well, it's very simple. The Bible says in verse 9, For he spake, and it was done, he commanded, and it stood fast. It was by his word, and it was done. He just simply spoke the worlds into existence. He spoke the stars into existence. He spoke the sun and the moon into existence. Anything and everything that has been created, God created. He simply spoke it into existence. Now, if that doesn't impress you, When you look at verse 6, By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, and all those of them by the breath of his mouth. Maybe verse 7 might impress you.

[John Weaver] He gathered the waters of the sea together as an heap. He layeth up the depth in the storehouses. Here's an interesting fact from the National Oceanic Service. Listen to this. About 97% of the Earth's water is in the ocean. It's hard to imagine, but about 97% of the Earth's water can be found in the ocean. Of the tiny percentage that's not in the ocean, about 2% is frozen up in glaciers and ice caps. Less than 1% of all the water on Earth is fresh. A tiny fraction of water exists as water vapor in our atmosphere. According to the United States Geological Survey, there are over 332,519,000 cubic miles of water on the planet. Now, a cubic mile is a mile this way, this way, this way, and that way.

[John Weaver] A cubic mile is the volume of a cube measuring one mile on each side. Of this vast volume of water, the National Geophysical Data Center estimates that 321,003,271 cubic miles is in the ocean. Now listen to this. That's enough water to fill So many gallon-sized milk containers. I could not even read that number. It's 352 comma 670 comma followed by 15 zeros. I had to look it up. So here it is. The ocean has about 352 million trillion or 352 quintillion gallons of water in it.

[John Weaver] A quintillion is followed by 18 zeros. So if the water in the ocean would fill 352 quintillion, 670 trillion, I don't know what all, gallon-sized milk containers. Wow. Now listen to this. When you consider, and here's my question, when you consider that the oceans cover approximately 73% of the earth. Why do the oceans not flood and destroy the earth? And here's the answer. It's very simple. And that's God's decree.

[John Weaver] If you'll look at verse 9 again, For He spake, and it was done. That's creation. He commanded, and it stood fast. That's coherence. He holds everything together. Now, look in your Bibles, holding Psalm 33, to Jeremiah chapter 5 and verse 22. Jeremiah chapter 5. Watch, if you would, please, at verse 22. Here's a good question. Jeremiah 5, verse 22. God asks, Fear ye not me, saith the Lord? Remember our text in Psalm 33 and verse 8? That all the earth stand in fear of the Lord, that all the world stand in awe of him. And he asked, Fear ye not me, saith the Lord?

[John Weaver] Will you not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree that it cannot pass it? And though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail? Though they roar, yet they cannot pass over it." Are you standing in awe yet? When you stop and think of the vastness of God's creation, that God not only created it, but God causes it to stand and to stay in place, And when you remember that the oceans, of course, do not count or include all of the visible lakes and rivers and streams, or even what you and I would call the underground lakes.

[John Weaver] So ask again, what is holding everything together? Well, why do not the stars fall? Why does not the sun explode? Why does not the moon break in half? Why do the waters not cover the earth? And the answer is because of God's decree. God created, and God makes everything cohere. It was the sovereign, omnipotent, eternal, almighty God who spoke the world into existence, and it's that same sovereign, eternal, omnipotent, majestic, and glorious God that holds everything together.

[John Weaver] So if you look in your Bibles to the book of Colossians chapter 1 and look if you would please at verses 16 and 17 Colossians chapter 1 Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians look in chapter 1 of Colossians at verses 16 and 17 The Bible says For by him Were all things created that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions or principalities or powers, all things were created by him and for him. Here it is. And he is before all things and by him, all things consist or all things have their being or all things are held together by him. That's coherence. Wow.

[John Weaver] Now, let me show you something. I hope you remember this passage, but in case you don't, since we're in the New Testament, just flip back to the book of Luke, chapter 19, and look, if you would please, Luke 19, and let's begin reading there with verse 37. Our Lord, of course, is being praised by his disciples. Look, if you would, Luke chapter 19, verse 37. And when it was come nigh, even now at the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice. Now look for all the mighty works that they had seen. Our Lord did many marvelous and mighty works and they're praising God for those works. Okay. Notice if you would, verse 38, saying, Blessed be the king that cometh in the name of the Lord, peace in heaven, and glory in the highest. And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples.

[John Weaver] And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out. Wow. Well, let me put it to you like this. I do not want the stones to do the praising for me. I don't want the sun and the moon and the stars to do the praising for me. I want to be able to do that. I want to stand in awe at His creation and His coherence.

[John Weaver] If you will look in your Bibles to Psalm 148 and verse 3, You may not be willing to praise Him. You may not be willing to acknowledge His greatness. You may not be willing to say, Lord, your creation and your coherence are absolutely wonderful. If you will not, look, if you would please, at Psalm 148 in verse 3, the Bible says, Praise ye Him, sun and moon, praise Him, all you stars of light. So God's creation is going to praise Him. And quite frankly, I prefer to praise Him myself. Now, here's another thought. I want you to turn in your Bibles to Romans chapter 1, because the greatness and the vastness of God's creation leaves sinners without excuse. There are places in this country, places in this world that do not have the preaching of the Word of God, and yet they have God's visible expression in creation. So he says this in Romans chapter 1, beginning there with verse 18, For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness, actually, who press it down, who suppress the truth.

[John Weaver] It's not that they don't have it, they don't want it. Then he says in verse 19, because that which may be known of God is manifest in them, watch, for God has showed it to them, 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. So the greatness and the vastness of God's creation and coherence leaves men without excuse. I want you to look back to Psalm 33. Watch this carefully. The first reason we are to praise him is because of his creation and coherence. But here's a second reason.

[John Weaver] And that is because of his counsel and his control. Verses 10 and 11. The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to naught. He maketh the devices of the people of none effect. The counsel of the Lord standeth forever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.

[John Weaver] Now stop and think, if you would, about verse 10. The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to naught. He maketh the devices of the people of none effect. And then he says this, the counsel of the Lord standeth forever. In these two verses, you see God's counsel and God's control. There are many today that fight against God. There are many that try to dethrone him, overthrow him, deny him, denigrate him, destroy him. And there are many that devised advices and counsels against him. Witness, if you would, today what is known as the Great Reset. Think about the New World Order. Think about the Illuminati. Think about the Bohemian Grove.

[John Weaver] How about the Davos crowd? How about the Bilderbergers? How about the United Nations? How about the Council on Foreign Relations? How about the Trilateralists, for example? There are multitudes that are fighting against God. And the Scripture tells us that these individuals are not only contrary to God, they're contrary to the Scripture, they're contrary to man, and they're contrary to liberty and freedom. And here's the good news. The good news is their schemes, their plans, their counsel, their devices will be brought to nothing. They will absolutely fail.

[John Weaver] Now, look, if you would, in verse 10. He said,"...the Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to naught." We oftentimes use the word not for zero or for nothing The hebrew word is the word poor and it means to be nothing to be broken and to be crushed So he says the lord brings the counsel of the heathen to nothing. In other words, it's crushed It is worthless. It is broken And then he says in verse 10. He make it that advises the people of none effect The Hebrew word nu simply means to disallow, to forbid, to restrain, to frustrate, to hinder, and to hold back. So God is controlling even the heathen in this sense of the word. All of their counsel, all of their schemes, all of their plans will ultimately fail and come to naught.

[John Weaver] Now, if you think that somehow that the wicked are going to win, You're not only mistaken, you're greatly mistaken. Because God is not only omnipotent, which means all-powerful, God is omniscient, which means all-knowing. And in the omniscience of God, He knows everything. He knows everything past, present, and future. He knows everything possible. The Scripture says He knows our thoughts. The Scripture says He knows our thoughts even before they enter into our minds.

[John Weaver] You can't slip up on God's blind side before he doesn't have one. You can't make a plan against him that he doesn't already know about. And not only is God omniscient, God is omnipotent, he's all-powerful. And if the entire world and every demon in hell united in hands against God, it would occasion God no uneasiness. No, because he is the omnipotent God. And you know what God does? He laughs. He laughs at their ignorance, their stupidity, and their arrogance.

[John Weaver] Look in your Bibles to Psalm 2. You can see it very plainly, beginning there with verse 1. So here's a good question. And we can ask this in light of what I'm teaching. The psalmist begins, Why do the heathen rage? And the people imagine a vain thing. A vain thing is something that is useless, worthless. It's of no good, no account. And here's one of them. The kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed saying, let us break their bands asunder and cast away their courts from us.

[John Weaver] In other words, we don't like God's control. We don't like God's law. We don't like God's rule. We don't like God's reign. We'll break everything. We'll do as we please. Verse four, he that said it in the heaven shall laugh. The Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure." Wow. God laughs at the plans and the schemes of the wicked. The Bible tells you in the book of Job chapter 5 and verse 13, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. Wow. Job also says the deceived and the deceiver are his.

[John Weaver] Since we're in the Psalms, look if you would at Psalm 7 and verses 15 and 16. Psalm 7, look in verse 15, we're talking about the wicked. Here's what the wicked does. He made a pit and digged it, and it's fallen into the ditch which he made. His mischief shall return upon his own head. And his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate, that is, the top of his head." God said he's going to dig a ditch, he's going to fall in it. Whatever mischief that he plans, God said, I'm going to bring it down upon the top of his own head. Look in Psalm 9, Psalm 9 and verse 16. Psalm 9, verse 16.

[John Weaver] The Lord is known by the judgment which he executed. The wicked is snared, the work of his own hands God's going to take whatever the wicked does and turn it against them Look if you would in Psalm 57 and verse 6 Psalm 57 and verse 6 Psalm 57 verse 6 David said They have prepared a net for my steps My soul is bowed down. They've digged a pit before me into the midst where they are fallen themselves. So they dug a pit for David and they fell into the very pit that they dug. If you would turn right over to the book of Proverbs and look in chapter 19 and verse 21, I love this passage. Proverbs chapter 19 and verse 21.

[John Weaver] I found this to be true over and over. Proverbs 19, verse 21. There are many devices in a man's heart. Nevertheless, the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand. Many devices in a man's heart, but it's the counsel of the Lord that's going to stand. Then if you would turn over to Proverbs chapter 28, and look, if you would, at verse 10. Proverbs 28 and verse 10.

[John Weaver] The Scripture says, Whoso causeth the righteous to go astray in an evil way, he shall fall himself into his own pit, but the upright shall have good things in possession. Now, I want you to turn, if you would, to Isaiah 46, and as you turn there, I want to quote a passage from Obadiah 1 and verse 15. Because there the Bible says, For the day of the Lord is near upon all the heathen.

[John Weaver] As thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee. Thy reward shall return upon thine own head. So look, if you would now, please, to Isaiah chapter 46. And let's begin reading there with verse 9. Isaiah 46 and verse 9. Isaiah 46, verse 9. through verse 11. Isaiah 46 verse 9, God says, Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is none else. I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, watch it, my counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure. Calling a ravenous bird from the east the man that executed my counsel from a far country.

[John Weaver] Yay I have spoken it. I will also bring it to pass. I've purposed it. I will also Do it it is the counsel of the Lord that stands forever. I Man's plans are going to be broken. They're going to be crushed. They will come to absolute nought, zilch, nothing, zero. Their plans will be disappointed. They will be devastated. Like Haman, they'll be hanged on their own gallows. They'll fall into the pit which they dug. They'll be caught in the snare that they laid. They'll be entrapped in the net which they set. So stand in awe. Stand in awe, not just simply of God's creation and coherence, but stand in awe of His counsel and His control.

[John Weaver] Now stop and think about this. When you and I look around the world today, we see the wicked prospering. It looks as if they are on the cusp of success. May I remind you that we walk by faith and not by sight. And secondly, if you tell me things are going wrong, I'm going to tell you this. Everything is going wrong, just right. It's going wrong just the way that God has ordained it. There's nothing can happen apart from God. Remember, if anything happens apart from God's control, then that thing is God and not God. God has absolute and sovereign control even over the wicked.

[John Weaver] Now, you can ask me this question. Could God overthrow all of the wicked instantly? And the answer is yes. Could God prevent their wickedness? The answer is yes. Could God stop them at any moment? The answer is yes. Well, you're going to ask me, why then does God not stop them? And the answer is. He does not do so for his own honor and his own glory. Now, you're going to ask me again how the world can sin and rebellion redound to God's honor and God's glory. Well, I will show you.

[John Weaver] Turn in your Bibles to Psalm 76, and look, if you would please, at verse 10. Psalm 76 and verse 10. Here's what the Scripture says. Psalm 76 and verse 10. Look at it. Surely the wrath of man shall praise the Lord, or shall praise thee. The remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain. Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee. Hang on. The remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain. So think about this. Actually, he says, surely the wrath of man shall keep a Sabbath unto thee. It will praise thee. Hmm. The remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain.

[John Weaver] You say, how in the world can sin ever glorify God? Have you ever stopped to think about this? If it was not for sin, we would know nothing of God's absolute holiness. If it was not for sin, we would know nothing about God's absolute righteousness. If it was not for sin, we would know nothing about God's justice. If it was not for sin, we would know nothing about God's mercy, God's love, God's forgiveness, God's greatness, God's compassions. Look in your Bibles, read in your Bibles about God's men, Saul of Tarsus, who became the Apostle Paul. Look at the Apostle Peter. And think about Pharaoh. What did God say?

[John Weaver] For this very purpose have I raised thee up, that I might show my power in thee. So, on the one hand, you have men like Alexander the coppersmith, you have Pharaoh, who are emblems of God's justice because of their wickedness and their rebellion. They're emblems of God's righteousness and of God's wrath. And then you have Saul of Tarsus, you have the apostle Peter, you have you and I. And we are examples and emblems of God's mercy and God's grace. Clearly, the wrath of man shall praise the Lord. The remainder of wrath shall he restrain. So whatever will not ultimately redound to God's honor and God's glory, God will not allow to come to pass.

[John Weaver] Let me give you an illustration. Look in your Bibles to Genesis chapter 20. Genesis chapter 20. Abraham is in Gera. He has said concerning Sarah, his very beautiful wife, she is my sister. She herself said, he is my brother. In Abimelech, the king took her. I do not know, but Abimelech had not come near her. I don't know why, I don't know how. Maybe God gave him a case of the 24-hour virus. I don't know, but look at it. And Abraham journeyed from Thits toward the south country and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur and sojourned in Gera. And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister. And Abimelech king of Gero sent, and took Sarah. But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said unto him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken, she is a man's wife. But Abimelech had not come near her.

[John Weaver] And he said, Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation? Said he, nodding to me, She is my sister. And she, even she herself, said, He is my brother. the integrity of my heart and the innocency of my hands have I done this and God said unto him in a dream yea I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart for I also withheld thee from sinning against me therefore suffered I thee not to touch her now therefore restore the man his wife for he is a prophet And he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live. And if thou restore her not, know that thou shalt surely die, thou and all thine house." Wow. God said, I know that you did this in the innocency of your heart and integrity of your hands. Therefore, I withheld thee from sinning against me. God restrained Abimelech from defiling the lineage of the Lord Jesus Christ. Hmm. You remember Jabez?

[John Weaver] I preached on him many years ago. The Bible says that Jabez was more honorable than all of his brethren. And he said, Lord, I pray that thy hand would be with me that thou wouldst keep me from evil, that it might not grieve me, and that thou wouldst enlarge my coast." And the next verse said, and the Lord granted him his request. That's a good prayer request. Lord, keep me from evil. Keep me from sinning against thee.

[John Weaver] Certainly, certainly God has the power to restrain. There will be just enough sin, just enough evil, just enough rebellion, just enough wickedness that will ultimately bring honor and glory to God. The Bible says in Psalm 46 and verse 6, the heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved, he uttered his voice, the earth melted. Have you ever stopped to think about this? All God has to do to destroy the wicked and stop the wicked is to speak. He uttered His voice, and the earth melted. What did He say in Psalm 2 and verse 5? Then shall He speak unto them in His sword is pleasure, and He shall vex them in His wrath. God simply speaks, and it's over for the wicked. They can't function. They're gone. It's...

[John Weaver] He has absolute and total control. It's His counsel that's going to stand. He controls the heathen. They can only do what He allows them to do. And ultimately, what they do is going to work out for His honor and His glory, because God cannot be thwarted. He cannot be hindered. He cannot be overthrown. He cannot be nullified, because He's God. He is God, and He cannot be defeated. The Word of God says in Psalm 114 in verse 7, Tremble thou earth at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob. Tremble thou earth. Exactly the truth of Psalm 33 in verse 8.

[John Weaver] Now let me make a couple of applications. The first one is this. Since God is so absolutely powerful in creation and coherence, And since God is so powerful in his counsel and in his control, why in the world would anyone doubt his ability to protect his own? You say we could be in vast danger. That is true. But God does indeed protect His own. The Bible tells you in Romans chapter 8, What then shall we say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? And listen to this, He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not also with Him freely give us all things? So if God so loved us that He gave us His greatest gift, the Lord Jesus Christ, how shall He not also with Him freely give us all things? Protection is one of those things. Preservation is one of those things. Provision is one of those things. I'm just simply saying, God is so great and so vast, we should be praising Him.

[John Weaver] We need to be awestruck God's creation and coherence. We need to be awestruck at God's counsel and God's control. We need to be awestruck at his person, at his position, at his power, at his protection. It's just like he said in Isaiah, I am God and beside me there is no other. He is God. Here's one quote from from Charles Adams Spurgeon. Spurgeon said, there is an inferior kind of worship in the trembling which involuntarily admits the boundless power of a thundering God. A defiant blasphemer is out of place in a world covered with tokens of the divine power and Godhead.

[John Weaver] The whole earth cannot afford a spot congenial for the erection of a synagogue of atheism, nor a man in whom it is becoming to profane the name of the God. Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. Let them forsake their idols and reverently regard the only living God. What is here placed as a wish may also be read as a prophecy, the adoration and praise of God shall ultimately be universal. And that is true. Stand in awe and not commune with your own heart upon your own bed and be silent.

[John Weaver] Have you ever done that? Have you ever just lay in bed and meditated and thought on God. Stand in awe and sin not, commune with your own heart and consider the greatness of God, the greatness of his creation, the greatness of his coherence. I don't have to worry about the world coming to an end tomorrow. I don't have to worry about the stars falling out of the sky.

[John Weaver] or the earth breaking apart. It is by Him all things consist and have their being. I can, along with Him, laugh at the wicked. I don't like what they're doing. He doesn't like what they're doing. But they're fulfilling His plan and His Word, and ultimately will bring Him honor and His glory. And I can laugh at them and say, You're mighty, mighty stupid. and you will find out one day who God really, truly is. In the name of Jesus Christ, every knee shall bow of things in heaven, things of the earth, and things under the earth, and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Are you awestruck? You should be when you consider such a great and wonderful God.

[John Weaver] and His so marvelous creation and His control and His counsel. Father, help us, we pray today. Teach us and build us up in the most holy faith. And may we stand in awe of Thee, O Lord. May we consider Thy greatness. And Lord, as we do, we can ask with David, what is man that Thou art mindful of him? Give us, Lord, Your blessings, we pray in Christ's name. Amen. ♪ ♪ you

Are You Awe Struck Yet?

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	7snBbRFwRcc
Subject	Old Testament Studies
Course	Genesis: Creation, Fall, and Dominion
Genre	Sermon
Date	2023-03-22
Dictation Name
Book	Book 075: Genesis — Chapter 22
Source Timed Segments	81

Formatted Transcript

Introduction: The Call to Praise and Awe

The sermon opens with Psalm 33:8 as the main text, noting that the psalm is a call to praise God with music and rejoicing. The psalmist gives reasons for praise, including God's goodness.

Psalm 33, verse 8 is what we're going to be looking at. Psalm 33, verse 8. We will look at several other verses in this Psalm, but verse 8 is the main one. Psalm 33 and verse 8.

The title of the message is "Are You Awestruck Yet?" The Bible says in Psalm 33 and verse 8, "Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him." Now, Psalm 33 happens to be a psalm of praise, and that's made clear in the very first three verses. So if you look at those verses with me, the psalmist says,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 33:1-3

"Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright. Praise the Lord with harp." "Sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings. Sing unto him a new song; play skillfully with a loud noise."

So the Word of God is telling us that we must praise the Lord not only with our mouths, but with music as well, and we are to be rejoicing in the Lord. Now, the psalmist also gives us numerous reasons as to why we should praise the Lord. And if you look at verses 4 and 5, that's made clear as well. "For the word of the Lord is right; and all his works are done in truth. He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. By the word of the Lord were the heavens made."

Now, notice if you would, verse 4, I skipped. "For the word of the Lord is right; and all his works are done in truth. He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord." Now, certainly he's telling us in these passages, we must praise our Lord for His greatness. We must praise Him for His veracity, for His judgment, for His truth. But there's one word there that's really important. He said in verse 5, "He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord." So if you were to just simply take the word "goodness" and run through the Bible and find out everything that the Bible says about goodness, you would be absolutely impressed, I believe. I think this word needs to be meditated over.

We need to consider His bountifulness. We need to consider His graciousness and, yes, His goodness that is given to us constantly. Now, let me show you. I want you to hold Psalm 33, but turn over your Bibles, if you would, to Psalm 107. It's an interesting thing just in this one Psalm, how many times a truth is given to us. So if you will notice Psalm 107, beginning there with verse 8, look at this verse, Psalm 107, verse 8. And it states, "Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!" Now, after making that statement, look at verse 9, "For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness."

The Goodness of God as a Reason for Praise

Using Psalm 107, the preacher emphasizes that God's goodness—seen in satisfaction, deliverance, and daily mercies—should lead to constant praise. Even in sickness, there are reasons to praise.

Then he says, "Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron," etc., and he goes on down. And he tells how God brought them out of darkness, how God brought them out. And in other words, he's just simply saying, if we would praise the Lord for His goodness, we would be consistently and constantly praising Him. Now, I call your attention back to verse 8. Here's why. He said, "Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!" Now skip down to verse 15, if you would. And look at this truth again. "Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!" Then if you'll skip down to verse 21 again, he says this, "Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!" And then finally, in verse 31, "Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!"

So that verse is actually repeated four times in this particular psalm. So when you look at the different sections in which this verse occurs or this truth occurs, you'd be impressed at the goodness of God. So my question would be something like this. Have you ever been satisfied with food? Have you ever been given a bountiful supply? Have you ever been given health? Have you ever been given life? Have you ever been sustained?

All of these are reasons to praise the Lord. Someone says, "Well, I'm sick." Well, consider this if you would please. Number one, you've had more well days than you have sick days. And number two, the very fact that you are still alive means that you recovered from your sickness. So I'm just simply pointing out the fact that these are still numerous reasons given to us as to why we should be praising the Lord. And when you begin to add this concept, that none of us deserve any of God's mercies and goodnesses, nor can we ever earn those things. So God's goodness is shown to all. And we have to learn to say with Jacob in Genesis chapter 32 and verse 10,

Scripture Reading — Genesis 32:10

"I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant."

And certainly that is true.

Now, I want you to go back to verse 8 of Psalm 33, because this is our text today. When God says, "Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him." Awe is an absolutely wonderful word, and yet it is a word that is often misunderstood. A standing in awe is something that has happened to most of us at one time or another in our lives.

Defining Awe and Its Biblical Occurrences

Awe is defined as a feeling of respect, reverence, dread, and wonder. The command to 'stand in awe' appears three times in Scripture: Psalm 4:4, Psalm 33:8, and Psalm 119:161. The focus is on Psalm 33:8.

There have been times that we've recognized an old friend whom we have not seen in years, and we just stand there almost, "I can't believe this is an individual." And then there are individuals who have beloved celebrities, if you could call them that, and when they happen to meet one on the street, they just stand in awe with their mouth open because they cannot believe that, you know, this is real. And then, of course, there are times in our lives that God has showed us truth and given us something that is exceedingly profound, and all of a sudden you realize, "Hey, I understand this. I now see this. This has just fallen into the right place for me." And then, of course, there are times when there are incidents that happen. And there is a miraculous and marvelous escape. And you can do nothing but just stand there.

I was telling some of the folks this morning, I watched a little clip on the Internet. A man was walking down the sidewalk in the city, and all of a sudden a car came speeding down the street. The driver lost control, ran into another car that was parked. The car spun once it hit the other car and went up against the building on the sidewalk, missing the man who was walking by about six inches. And the man just stood there amazed. I mean, he could have been killed instantly. And I would simply say he was awestruck because he hardly even moved, and he just realized all of a sudden how he had been delivered. So, awe then has been defined as a feeling of respect and reverence mixed with dread and wonder and often inspired by something majestic and powerful. So, standing in awe refers then to an overwhelming amount of respect, admiration, and wonder to the point that oftentimes we're unable to either speak or move. Now, it's interesting that there are three times in the Scripture that we're told to stand in awe. Let me show you.

I want you to hold Psalm 33, but look in your Bibles to Psalm 4 and verse 4. Here's the first one. Psalm 4 and verse 4. The Scripture says, "Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still." But note that command, "Stand in awe, and sin not." Now, the second time it occurs, of course, is in our text in Psalm 33 and verse 8. "Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him." And then, of course, it occurs, if you will turn there, to Psalm 119 and verse 161. Psalm 119 and verse 161, where David says this,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 119:161

"Princes have persecuted me without a cause: but my heart standeth in awe of thy word."

Now, there are wonderful truths connected with Psalm 4 and verse 4, as well as Psalm 119 and verse 161. In fact, truth is exceedingly plentiful in any verse of the Bible. But I want to concentrate on verse 8 of Psalm 33, so I want you to turn back there so we can look at some words before we really get into this psalm. Notice if you would, in verse 8, he said, "Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him." Now, the word "fear" is the Hebrew word "yare," and it literally means to fear, to be afraid, to tremble, to reverence, to honor, and to cause to be astonished.

That's what it means when he says, "Let all the earth fear the Lord." Let them all tremble before Him. Let them all reverence and honor Him. Let them all be astonished at Him. And then he says this, "Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him."

Now, the word "awe" is the Hebrew word "gur," which means to dread. It means to fear, to be afraid, and to stand in awe. So once again, all the world is to stand in awe in reference to God. So here's a good question. Why should all the earth fear the Lord, and why should all of the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him? I'm sure that if I were to ask that question to many believers, everyone could give me an answer. And I can assure you that there are numerous answers to that question in Scripture. However, what I want to do is point out two truths from our text today that should have us standing in awe.

First Reason for Awe: God's Creation and Coherence

Verses 6-7 and 9 show that God created everything by His word and holds it together. The vastness of the universe—trillions of galaxies, stars, and the oceans—demonstrates His power and knowledge.

That is why I titled this message, "Are You Awestruck Yet?" So, I want you to look, if you would, please, at verses 6 and 7. Because here's the first reason we are to be awestruck, and that is we're to stand in awe at His creation and His coherence. I'll explain that just shortly. So in verse 6, he says, "By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth." "He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses."

Now go back to verse 6. "By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth." That means that God made everything. And of course, the Bible tells us in the book of John, "without him was not any thing made that was made." So God is actually the creator of all things. And He did create, according to the Latin term, ex nihilo, that is, out of nothing. So everything that we see was made out of nothing. God called it into existence. God spoke it into existence.

There was not the eternity of matter. That matter always existed and God had something to work with? No. According to Genesis 1, matter came in when God spake the world into existence. And so, we are to stand in awe at His creation and His coherence.

Now, I'm certainly not an astronomer, but when I read this verse, especially verse 6, "By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth," I got on the computer, and I typed in my search engine, "How many galaxies are there?" And I want to read you one of the articles. Here it is. "The universe is considered by some to be infinite." Well, I understand only God is infinite, but what they're saying is they cannot discern an end to the universe. Let me go back. "The universe is considered by some to be infinite, while others find comfort in the fact that it may have an end. Throughout the ages of space exploration, the only certain thing is maybe the fact that the universe will never be charted."

Then the question is asked, "Why is this? It's because of the endless galaxies that seem to pop out left and right, their sizes, distances, and other aspects. So how many galaxies are there in the universe? Currently, the observable universe, that's just what can be seen. Currently, the observable universe, which has a radius of 46.5 billion light years, seems to contain at least 2 trillion galaxies. Our galaxy, the Milky Way, is just one among these numerous galaxies, and it is not even considered a big galaxy. It stretches for 105,700 light-years in diameter, and may contain at least 100 billion planets and around 400 billion stars." Now, if we were to imagine how many planets and stars those two trillion galaxies might have,

we would probably have to throw out our calculators. This is especially true since some galaxies are several times larger than our Milky Way galaxy. "The largest galaxy ever discovered in our universe is a supergiant elliptical galaxy designated as IC 1101. This galaxy contains well above a hundred trillion stars, and it stretches for over 5.5 million light years across. IC 1101 is around 50 times larger than our Milky Way galaxy, and it is situated at approximately 1 billion light years, or 320 megaparsecs, away from us." A megaparsec is a unit of astronomical distance equal to one million parsecs. Think about this. The observable, that is what we can see, contains at least two trillion galaxies. Our Milky Way galaxy contains at least 400 billion stars. The supergiant elliptical galaxy contains above 100 trillion stars. Who knows how many the other galaxies contain?

Now, I want you to look in your Bibles, if you would hold Psalm 33, but I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Genesis, chapter 1, and look, if you would please, at verse 16. Genesis 1 and verse 16. It's an astounding statement. Genesis 1, verse 16. The Bible says,

Scripture Reading — Genesis 1:16

"And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day,"

that would be the sun,

Scripture Reading — Genesis 1:16

"and the lesser light to rule the night,"

that would be the moon. And then this little side,

Scripture Reading — Genesis 1:16

"He made the stars also."

Yes, He did. He made the stars also. So it's not just the sun and the moon, but the stars as well. Now, if you would turn over in your Bibles to Psalm 8, and verse 3, here's another psalm that shows you the magnificence and the greatness of God's creation. Because David in this psalm says this, "When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; what is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?"

But note, he said, "When I consider," when I meditate, when I think about "thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon, and the stars, which thou hast ordained; what is man?" Now, once you begin to really consider the universe, you'll begin to see how insignificant we are, and that is exactly why I ask, when I see the greatness and the vastness of your creation, "What is man?" Years ago, I had a shrimper friend, and he invited me to go out with him on his shrimp boat. And I took another friend, and we went. It was a very large shrimp boat. In fact, it would sleep 12 people. And it was on that voyage that I learned you shrimp at night. I didn't know that. And but he would let down the nets and he would be shrimping at night. We were 40 miles out in the Gulf. And it was midnight and happened to be a full moon and the ocean was as smooth as silk. And I never will forget sitting on the bow of that boat, looking at the moon and the stars, the glassy water and the reflection in there, there was no sound made anywhere. There was nothing but the moon and the stars and water.

And I began to realize how vast everything really truly was. Now, so David said, "When I consider," when I think about this, when I meditate upon this, then I have to ask, "What is man that thou art mindful of him?" Now, I want you to turn to Psalm 147 and get ready for this. Psalm 147.

Now, I ask a question to Ed Wolf this morning.

And I said, "Ed, would you please stand up and tell me the birthdays of all your grandchildren?" Ed just shook his head. No, he couldn't do that. Well, you know, the interesting thing is, Alice and I have six grandchildren. We've got five great-grands and a sixth one on the way. And I have no idea what the birthdays of my grandchildren are. Well, I can get close probably, but I could not give you the exact date. And really and truly, I have no need to remember those because she does. You know, I tell people, you know, I know for sure the birthday of our first child. I know that absolutely certain. The next three, I can get close a day or two, you know, but I may get it every time, but I may miss it every time. I never will forget when I first went to the university, every semester, there's two semesters in the year, but every semester we had to fill out all these papers, you know, and what date were you married? What's your wife's birthday? What's the children's birthday? You know, they wanted all that information. And I never could remember, were we married on the 13th? Were we married on the 15th? Were we married on the 16th? I mean, you know, because it was the 13th, but the 16th is her birthday, you see what I'm saying? And I'd get those things mixed up and I'd put, I got to laughing because I thought, I bet they think I have no idea when I got married or what my children's birthdays were.

Well, you know, I can remember it was either July 30th or 31st, you know, I was one of the two. And April the 12th was Becca's? Oh, see, I don't remember. Okay. All right. So, but I'm just simply, I'd put different dates down. I didn't remember. I just did not remember. And because there was no need for me to remember because she did. But I remember a lot of things that she does not. See, now, the reason I'm showing you this is it's not just for fun.

But look in Psalm 147 and verse 4. Look at this.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 147:4

"He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names."

God knows exactly how many stars He created, and He knows their names. If there are 400 billion stars in our Milky Way galaxy, He knows the names of every one of them. If there's over a hundred trillion in the giant galaxy, He knows the names of every one of them. I'm just simply asking you: Are you standing in awe yet? Do you realize the greatness of God's creation, the greatness of God's power, and the greatness of God's knowledge?

Now, look, if you would, back in Psalm 33 in verse 9, and you ask, "How did God do all of this?" Well, it's very simple. The Bible says in verse 9,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 33:9

"For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast."

It was by his word, and it was done. He just simply spoke the worlds into existence. He spoke the stars into existence. He spoke the sun and the moon into existence. Anything and everything that has been created, God created. He simply spoke it into existence. Now, if that doesn't impress you, when you look at verse 6, "By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth." Maybe verse 7 might impress you.

"He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses." Here's an interesting fact from the National Oceanic Service. Listen to this. "About 97% of the Earth's water is in the ocean. It's hard to imagine, but about 97% of the Earth's water can be found in the ocean. Of the tiny percentage that's not in the ocean, about 2% is frozen up in glaciers and ice caps. Less than 1% of all the water on Earth is fresh. A tiny fraction of water exists as water vapor in our atmosphere." According to the United States Geological Survey, there are over 332,519,000 cubic miles of water on the planet. Now, a cubic mile is a mile this way, this way, this way, and that way.

A cubic mile is the volume of a cube measuring one mile on each side. Of this vast volume of water, the National Geophysical Data Center estimates that 321,003,271 cubic miles is in the ocean. Now listen to this. That's enough water to fill so many gallon-sized milk containers. I could not even read that number. It's 352,670 followed by 15 zeros. I had to look it up. So here it is. The ocean has about 352 million trillion or 352 quintillion gallons of water in it.

A quintillion is followed by 18 zeros. So if the water in the ocean would fill 352 quintillion, 670 trillion, I don't know what all, gallon-sized milk containers. Wow. Now listen to this. When you consider, and here's my question, when you consider that the oceans cover approximately 73% of the earth, why do the oceans not flood and destroy the earth? And here's the answer. It's very simple. And that's God's decree.

If you'll look at verse 9 again, "For he spake, and it was done." That's creation. "He commanded, and it stood fast." That's coherence. He holds everything together. Now, look in your Bibles, holding Psalm 33, to Jeremiah chapter 5 and verse 22. Jeremiah chapter 5. Watch, if you would, please, at verse 22. Here's a good question. Jeremiah 5, verse 22. God asks, "Fear ye not me? saith the Lord." Remember our text in Psalm 33 and verse 8? That all the earth stand in fear of the Lord, that all the world stand in awe of him. And he asked, "Fear ye not me? saith the Lord."

"Will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it: and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it?" Are you standing in awe yet? When you stop and think of the vastness of God's creation, that God not only created it, but God causes it to stand and to stay in place, and when you remember that the oceans, of course, do not count or include all of the visible lakes and rivers and streams, or even what you and I would call the underground lakes. So ask again, what is holding everything together? Well, why do not the stars fall? Why does not the sun explode? Why does not the moon break in half? Why do the waters not cover the earth? And the answer is because of God's decree. God created, and God makes everything cohere. It was the sovereign, omnipotent, eternal, almighty God who spoke the world into existence, and it's that same sovereign, eternal, omnipotent, majestic, and glorious God that holds everything together.

Second Reason for Awe: God's Counsel and Control

Verses 10-11 reveal that God frustrates the plans of the wicked and His own counsel stands forever. Despite human schemes, God sovereignly controls all things for His glory.

And that is because of his counsel and his control. Verses 10 and 11. "The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect. The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations."

Now stop and think, if you would, about verse 10. "The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect." And then he says this, "The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever." In these two verses, you see God's counsel and God's control. There are many today that fight against God. There are many that try to dethrone him, overthrow him, deny him, denigrate him, destroy him. And there are many that devise advices and counsels against him. Witness, if you would, today what is known as the Great Reset. Think about the New World Order. Think about the Illuminati. Think about the Bohemian Grove.

How about the Davos crowd? How about the Bilderbergers? How about the United Nations? How about the Council on Foreign Relations? How about the Trilateralists, for example? There are multitudes that are fighting against God. And the Scripture tells us that these individuals are not only contrary to God, they're contrary to the Scripture, they're contrary to man, and they're contrary to liberty and freedom. And here's the good news. The good news is their schemes, their plans, their counsel, their devices will be brought to nothing. They will absolutely fail.

Now, look, if you would, in verse 10. He said, "The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought." We oftentimes use the word "nought" for zero or for nothing. The Hebrew word is the word "pur" and it means to be nothing, to be broken, and to be crushed. So he says the Lord brings the counsel of the heathen to nothing. In other words, it's crushed. It is worthless. It is broken. And then he says in verse 10, "He maketh the devices of the people of none effect." The Hebrew word "nun" simply means to disallow, to forbid, to restrain, to frustrate, to hinder, and to hold back. So God is controlling even the heathen in this sense of the word. All of their counsel, all of their schemes, all of their plans will ultimately fail and come to nought.

Now, if you think that somehow that the wicked are going to win, you're not only mistaken, you're greatly mistaken. Because God is not only omnipotent, which means all-powerful, God is omniscient, which means all-knowing. And in the omniscience of God, He knows everything. He knows everything past, present, and future. He knows everything possible. The Scripture says He knows our thoughts. The Scripture says He knows our thoughts even before they enter into our minds.

You can't slip up on God's blind side because He doesn't have one. You can't make a plan against Him that He doesn't already know about. And not only is God omniscient, God is omnipotent, He's all-powerful. And if the entire world and every demon in hell united in hands against God, it would occasion God no uneasiness. No, because He is the omnipotent God. And you know what God does? He laughs. He laughs at their ignorance, their stupidity, and their arrogance.

Look in your Bibles to Psalm 2. You can see it very plainly, beginning there with verse 1. So here's a good question. And we can ask this in light of what I'm teaching. The psalmist begins,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 2:1-5

"Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?"

A vain thing is something that is useless, worthless. It's of no good, no account. And here's one of them.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 2:1-5

"The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us."

In other words, we don't like God's control. We don't like God's law. We don't like God's rule. We don't like God's reign. We'll break everything. We'll do as we please. Verse 4, "He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure." Wow. God laughs at the plans and the schemes of the wicked. The Bible tells you in the book of Job chapter 5 and verse 13, "He taketh the wise in their own craftiness." Wow. Job also says the deceived and the deceiver are his.

Since we're in the Psalms, look if you would at Psalm 7 and verses 15 and 16. Psalm 7, look in verse 15, we're talking about the wicked. Here's what the wicked does.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 7:15-16

"He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made. His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate,"

that is, the top of his head. God said he's going to dig a ditch, he's going to fall in it. Whatever mischief that he plans, God said, "I'm going to bring it down upon the top of his own head." Look in Psalm 9, Psalm 9 and verse 16. Psalm 9, verse 16.

"The Lord is known by the judgment which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands." God's going to take whatever the wicked does and turn it against them. Look if you would in Psalm 57 and verse 6. Psalm 57 and verse 6. Psalm 57 verse 6, David said, "They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down: they have digged a pit before me, into the midst whereof they are fallen themselves." So they dug a pit for David and they fell into the very pit that they dug. If you would turn right over to the book of Proverbs and look in chapter 19 and verse 21, I love this passage. Proverbs chapter 19 and verse 21. I found this to be true over and over. Proverbs 19, verse 21. "There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand." Many devices in a man's heart, but it's the counsel of the Lord that's going to stand. Then if you would turn over to Proverbs chapter 28, and look, if you would, at verse 10. Proverbs 28 and verse 10.

The Scripture says, "Whoso causeth the righteous to go astray in an evil way, he shall fall himself into his own pit: but the upright shall have good things in possession." Now, I want you to turn, if you would, to Isaiah 46, and as you turn there, I want to quote a passage from Obadiah 1 and verse 15. Because there the Bible says, "For the day of the Lord is near upon all the heathen." "As thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head." So look, if you would now, please, to Isaiah chapter 46. And let's begin reading there with verse 9. Isaiah 46 and verse 9, through verse 11. Isaiah 46 verse 9, God says, "Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country."

"Yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it." It is the counsel of the Lord that stands forever. Man's plans are going to be broken. They're going to be crushed. They will come to absolute nought, zilch, nothing, zero. Their plans will be disappointed. They will be devastated. Like Haman, they'll be hanged on their own gallows. They'll fall into the pit which they dug. They'll be caught in the snare that they laid. They'll be entrapped in the net which they set. So stand in awe. Stand in awe, not just simply of God's creation and coherence, but stand in awe of His counsel and His control.

Now stop and think about this. When you and I look around the world today, we see the wicked prospering. It looks as if they are on the cusp of success. May I remind you that we walk by faith and not by sight. And secondly, if you tell me things are going wrong, I'm going to tell you this. Everything is going wrong, just right. It's going wrong just the way that God has ordained it. There's nothing can happen apart from God. Remember, if anything happens apart from God's control, then that thing is God and not God. God has absolute and sovereign control even over the wicked.

Now, you can ask me this question. Could God overthrow all of the wicked instantly? And the answer is yes. Could God prevent their wickedness? The answer is yes. Could God stop them at any moment? The answer is yes. Well, you're going to ask me, "Why then does God not stop them?" And the answer is, He does not do so for His own honor and His own glory. Now, you're going to ask me again how the world can sin and rebellion redound to God's honor and God's glory. Well, I will show you.

Turn in your Bibles to Psalm 76, and look, if you would please, at verse 10. Psalm 76 and verse 10. Here's what the Scripture says. Psalm 76 and verse 10. Look at it. "Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain." Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee. Hang on. "The remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain." So think about this. Actually, he says, "Surely the wrath of man shall keep a Sabbath unto thee." It will praise thee. Hmm. "The remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain."

Applications: Trusting God's Protection and Praising Him

Because God is powerful in creation and control, believers should trust His protection and provision. The sermon concludes with a call to meditate on God's greatness and stand in awe, joining creation in praise.

He has absolute and total control. It's His counsel that's going to stand. He controls the heathen. They can only do what He allows them to do. And ultimately, what they do is going to work out for His honor and His glory, because God cannot be thwarted. He cannot be hindered. He cannot be overthrown. He cannot be nullified, because He's God. He is God, and He cannot be defeated. The Word of God says in Psalm 114 and verse 7, "Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob." Tremble, thou earth. Exactly the truth of Psalm 33 in verse 8.

Now let me make a couple of applications. The first one is this. Since God is so absolutely powerful in creation and coherence, and since God is so powerful in his counsel and in his control, why in the world would anyone doubt his ability to protect his own? You say we could be in vast danger. That is true. But God does indeed protect His own. The Bible tells you in Romans chapter 8, "What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?" And listen to this, "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" So if God so loved us that He gave us His greatest gift, the Lord Jesus Christ, how shall He not also with Him freely give us all things? Protection is one of those things. Preservation is one of those things. Provision is one of those things. I'm just simply saying, God is so great and so vast, we should be praising Him.

We need to be awestruck at God's creation and coherence. We need to be awestruck at God's counsel and God's control. We need to be awestruck at his person, at his position, at his power, at his protection. It's just like he said in Isaiah, "I am God, and beside me there is no other." He is God. Here's one quote from Charles Haddon Spurgeon. Spurgeon said, "There is an inferior kind of worship in the trembling which involuntarily admits the boundless power of a thundering God. A defiant blasphemer is out of place in a world covered with tokens of the divine power and Godhead."

"The whole earth cannot afford a spot congenial for the erection of a synagogue of atheism, nor a man in whom it is becoming to profane the name of the God. Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. Let them forsake their idols and reverently regard the only living God. What is here placed as a wish may also be read as a prophecy, the adoration and praise of God shall ultimately be universal." And that is true. "Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still." Have you ever done that? Have you ever just lay in bed and meditated and thought on God? "Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart" and consider the greatness of God, the greatness of his creation, the greatness of his coherence. I don't have to worry about the world coming to an end tomorrow. I don't have to worry about the stars falling out of the sky.

or the earth breaking apart. It is by Him all things consist and have their being. I can, along with Him, laugh at the wicked. I don't like what they're doing. He doesn't like what they're doing. But they're fulfilling His plan and His Word, and ultimately will bring Him honor and His glory. And I can laugh at them and say, "You're mighty, mighty stupid, and you will find out one day who God really, truly is. In the name of Jesus Christ, every knee shall bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Are you awestruck? You should be when you consider such a great and wonderful God.

and His so marvelous creation and His control and His counsel. Father, help us, we pray today. Teach us and build us up in the most holy faith. And may we stand in awe of Thee, O Lord. May we consider Thy greatness. And Lord, as we do, we can ask with David, "What is man that Thou art mindful of him?" Give us, Lord, Your blessings, we pray in Christ's name. Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

The Goodness of God

Summary: God's goodness is displayed in His bountiful provision, satisfaction, and deliverance, and should lead to constant praise.

Evidence: Psalm 107 repeats 'Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness' four times. The preacher notes that even in sickness, we have had more well days and recovery is a mercy.

The Vastness of Creation

Summary: The universe's scale—trillions of galaxies, billions of stars—reveals God's incomprehensible power and knowledge, making humanity seem insignificant.

Evidence: The preacher cites astronomical data: 2 trillion galaxies, 400 billion stars in the Milky Way, and a supergiant galaxy with over 100 trillion stars. He references Psalm 8:3-4 and Psalm 147:4.

God's Sovereignty Over the Wicked

Summary: God frustrates the plans of the wicked, turning their schemes back on them, and His own counsel stands forever.

Evidence: Psalm 33:10-11 is expounded with cross-references like Psalm 2:1-5, Psalm 7:15-16, and Proverbs 19:21. The preacher asserts that God laughs at the wicked and their devices come to nothing.

The Call to Stand in Awe

Summary: Believers are commanded to fear the Lord and stand in awe of Him, recognizing His majesty in creation and control.

Evidence: Psalm 33:8 is the central text. The Hebrew words for 'fear' (yare) and 'awe' (gur) are explained. The preacher asks repeatedly, 'Are you awestruck yet?'

God's Protection and Provision for His People

Summary: Since God is all-powerful, believers can trust Him for protection, preservation, and provision, as He who gave His Son will freely give all things.

Evidence: Romans 8:31-32 is cited. The preacher argues that if God can control the universe, He can certainly protect His own.

Key Arguments

Creation demands awe because of its scale and God's intimate knowledge of it.

Summary: The universe contains at least 2 trillion galaxies, and God knows the number and names of all stars, demonstrating His infinite power and knowledge.

Evidence: The preacher reads an article on galaxy counts and cites Psalm 147:4: 'He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.'

God's coherence holds the universe together, preventing chaos.

Summary: God not only created but sustains all things; the oceans do not flood the earth because of His decree, and Christ holds all things together.

Evidence: Jeremiah 5:22 and Colossians 1:16-17 are quoted. The preacher asks why the oceans don't cover the earth and answers: God's decree.

The wicked's plans are ultimately futile because God's counsel stands.

Summary: Despite human conspiracies, God brings their counsel to nothing and His purposes prevail, often turning their own schemes against them.

Evidence: Psalm 33:10-11 is linked to Psalm 2, Psalm 7:15-16, Psalm 9:16, and Proverbs 19:21. The preacher lists modern groups like the UN and Bilderbergers as examples.

God restrains evil for His glory and the good of His people.

Summary: God limits sin so that it ultimately praises Him; He restrained Abimelech from sinning against Sarah, showing His protective control.

Evidence: Psalm 76:10 and Genesis 20:1-7 are expounded. The preacher explains that sin reveals God's holiness, justice, and mercy.

Believers should respond with trust and praise, not fear of worldly powers.

Summary: Since God is sovereign, Christians can laugh at the wicked and rest in His protection, knowing that all things work for His glory.

Evidence: The preacher cites Romans 8:31-32 and Psalm 2:4, and concludes with a call to meditate on God's greatness.

Scripture References

Psalm 33:8

Context: Main text: 'Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.'

Psalm 33:1-3

Context: The psalm is a call to praise with music and rejoicing.

Psalm 33:4-5

Context: Reasons for praise: God's word is right, He loves righteousness, and the earth is full of His goodness.

Psalm 107:8, 15, 21, 31

Context: Repeated call to praise the Lord for His goodness and wonderful works.

Genesis 32:10

Context: Jacob's confession of unworthiness of God's mercies.

Psalm 4:4

Context: First occurrence of 'stand in awe': 'Stand in awe, and sin not.'

Psalm 119:161

Context: Third occurrence: 'My heart standeth in awe of thy word.'

Psalm 33:6-7

Context: Creation by God's word and gathering of waters.

Genesis 1:16

Context: God made the stars also.

Psalm 8:3-4

Context: Considering the heavens leads to humility: 'What is man?'

Psalm 147:4

Context: God counts the stars and calls them by name.

Psalm 33:9

Context: God spoke and it was done; He commanded and it stood fast.

Jeremiah 5:22

Context: God set the sand as a boundary for the sea by a perpetual decree.

Colossians 1:16-17

Context: All things were created by Christ and in Him all things consist.

Luke 19:37-40

Context: If disciples keep silent, the stones will cry out in praise.

Psalm 148:3

Context: Sun, moon, and stars are called to praise God.

Romans 1:18-20

Context: Creation leaves men without excuse because God's power is clearly seen.

Psalm 33:10-11

Context: The Lord brings the counsel of the heathen to nought; His counsel stands forever.

Psalm 2:1-5

Context: The heathen rage, but God laughs and holds them in derision.

Psalm 7:15-16

Context: The wicked fall into the pit they dug; their mischief returns on their own head.

Historical References

Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Context: Quoted on the universal call to stand in awe of God and the impropriety of atheism in a world full of divine tokens.

Important Quotes

Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.

Significance: This is the central text of the sermon, calling for universal reverence and awe toward God.

By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.

Significance: Highlights God's creative power through His spoken word, a key reason for awe.

He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.

Significance: Demonstrates God's intimate knowledge and sovereignty over the vast universe.

For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.

Significance: Emphasizes the immediate efficacy of God's word in creation and sustaining.

The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect. The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.

Significance: Contrasts the futility of human plans with the eternal certainty of God's purposes.

Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain.

Significance: Explains how even human rebellion ultimately serves to glorify God.

Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still.

Significance: A call to personal meditation and reverence that leads to holy living.

Discussion Questions

What does it mean to 'stand in awe' of God, and how is this different from mere fear or respect?

Context: The preacher defines awe as a feeling of respect, reverence, dread, and wonder that can leave one speechless or motionless.

How does considering the vastness of the universe affect your view of God and yourself?

Context: The sermon presents astronomical data and Psalm 8:3-4 to show human insignificance and God's majesty.

In what ways have you experienced God's goodness, and how can you cultivate a habit of praising Him for it?

Context: Psalm 107 is used to illustrate repeated calls to praise God for His goodness in deliverance and provision.

Why does God allow the wicked to prosper and scheme, and how should this affect our trust in His sovereignty?

Context: The preacher explains that God frustrates the wicked's plans and uses their rebellion for His glory, citing Psalm 76:10.

How can we practically 'commune with our own heart' and meditate on God's greatness in our daily lives?

Context: The sermon concludes with an application from Psalm 4:4 to be still and consider God.

Applications

Praise God continually for His goodness

Summary: Recognize God's goodness in daily provisions, health, and deliverance, and make praise a constant practice.

Evidence: The preacher uses Psalm 107's repeated refrain and notes that even in sickness we have reasons to praise.

Meditate on creation to cultivate awe

Summary: Consider the vastness of the universe and God's intimate knowledge of it to foster humility and reverence.

Evidence: The preacher shares personal reflection on the night sky and cites Psalm 8:3-4 and Psalm 147:4.

Trust God's sovereign control over world events

Summary: Do not fear the schemes of the wicked; God's counsel stands, and He turns evil for His glory.

Evidence: Psalm 33:10-11 and cross-references show God's frustration of human plans; the preacher lists modern conspiracies as examples.

Rest in God's protection and provision

Summary: Since God is all-powerful, believers can confidently rely on Him for safety and needs, as He who gave His Son will give all things.

Evidence: Romans 8:31-32 is applied; the preacher argues that God's power in creation assures His care for His people.

Be still and commune with God

Summary: Set aside time to quietly meditate on God's greatness, allowing awe to lead to holy living and avoidance of sin.

Evidence: Psalm 4:4 is quoted as a command to stand in awe and sin not, with an emphasis on personal reflection.

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T19:35:33Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T12:30:07Z

Clean Transcript

Are You Awe Struck Yet?

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

Psalm 33, verse 8 is what we're going to be looking at. Psalm 33, verse 8. We will look at several other verses in this Psalm, but verse 8 is the main one. Psalm 33 and verse 8.
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The title of the message is "Are You Awestruck Yet?" The Bible says in Psalm 33 and verse 8, "Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him." Now, Psalm 33 happens to be a psalm of praise, and that's made clear in the very first three verses. So if you look at those verses with me, the psalmist says, "Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright. Praise the Lord with harp."
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"Sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings. Sing unto him a new song; play skillfully with a loud noise." So the Word of God is telling us that we must praise the Lord not only with our mouths, but with music as well, and we are to be rejoicing in the Lord. Now, the psalmist also gives us numerous reasons as to why we should praise the Lord. And if you look at verses 4 and 5, that's made clear as well. "For the word of the Lord is right; and all his works are done in truth. He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. By the word of the Lord were the heavens made."
#3 | 1:05 to 1:47 | cleaned
Now, notice if you would, verse 4, I skipped. "For the word of the Lord is right; and all his works are done in truth. He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord."
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Now, certainly he's telling us in these passages, we must praise our Lord for His greatness. We must praise Him for His veracity, for His judgment, for His truth. But there's one word there that's really important. He said in verse 5, "He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord." So if you were to just simply take the word "goodness" and run through the Bible and find out everything that the Bible says about goodness, you would be absolutely impressed, I believe. I think this word needs to be meditated over.
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We need to consider His bountifulness. We need to consider His graciousness and, yes, His goodness that is given to us constantly.
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Now, let me show you. I want you to hold Psalm 33, but turn over your Bibles, if you would, to Psalm 107. It's an interesting thing just in this one Psalm, how many times a truth is given to us. So if you will notice Psalm 107, beginning there with verse 8, look at this verse, Psalm 107, verse 8. And it states, "Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!" Now, after making that statement, look at verse 9, "For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness."
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Then he says, "Such as sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron," etc., and he goes on down. And he tells how God brought them out of darkness, how God brought them out. And in other words, he's just simply saying, if we would praise the Lord for His goodness, we would be consistently and constantly praising Him.
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Now, I call your attention back to verse 8. Here's why. He said, "Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!" Now skip down to verse 15, if you would. And look at this truth again. "Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!" Then if you'll skip down to verse 21 again, he says this, "Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!" And then finally, in verse 31, "Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!"
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So that verse is actually repeated four times in this particular psalm. So when you look at the different sections in which this verse occurs or this truth occurs, you'd be impressed at the goodness of God. So my question would be something like this. Have you ever been satisfied with food? Have you ever been given a bountiful supply? Have you ever been given health? Have you ever been given life? Have you ever been sustained?
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All of these are reasons to praise the Lord. Someone says, "Well, I'm sick." Well, consider this if you would please. Number one, you've had more well days than you have sick days. And number two, the very fact that you are still alive means that you recovered from your sickness. So I'm just simply pointing out the fact that these are still numerous reasons given to us as to why we should be praising the Lord.
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And when you begin to add this concept, that none of us deserve any of God's mercies and goodnesses, nor can we ever earn those things. So God's goodness is shown to all. And we have to learn to say with Jacob in Genesis chapter 32 and verse 10, "I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant." And certainly that is true.
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Now, I want you to go back to verse 8 of Psalm 33, because this is our text today. When God says, "Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him." Awe is an absolutely wonderful word, and yet it is a word that is often misunderstood. A standing in awe is something that has happened to most of us at one time or another in our lives.
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There have been times that we've recognized an old friend whom we have not seen in years, and we just stand there almost, "I can't believe this is an individual." And then there are individuals who have beloved celebrities, if you could call them that, and when they happen to meet one on the street, they just stand in awe with their mouth open because they cannot believe that, you know, this is real.
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And then, of course, there are times in our lives that God has showed us truth and given us something that is exceedingly profound, and all of a sudden you realize, "Hey, I understand this. I now see this. This has just fallen into the right place for me." And then, of course, there are times when there are incidents that happen. And there is a miraculous and marvelous escape. And you can do nothing but just stand there.
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I was telling some of the folks this morning, I watched a little clip on the Internet. A man was walking down the sidewalk in the city, and all of a sudden a car came speeding down the street. The driver lost control, ran into another car that was parked. The car spun once it hit the other car and went up against the building on the sidewalk, missing the man who was walking by about six inches. And the man just stood there amazed.
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I mean, he could have been killed instantly. And I would simply say he was awestruck because he hardly even moved, and he just realized all of a sudden how he had been delivered. So, awe then has been defined as a feeling of respect and reverence mixed with dread and wonder and often inspired by something majestic and powerful. So, standing in awe refers then to an overwhelming amount of respect, admiration, and wonder to the point that oftentimes we're unable to either speak or move. Now, it's interesting that there are three times in the Scripture that we're told to stand in awe. Let me show you.
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I want you to hold Psalm 33, but look in your Bibles to Psalm 4 and verse 4. Here's the first one. Psalm 4 and verse 4. The Scripture says, "Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still." But note that command, "Stand in awe, and sin not." Now, the second time it occurs, of course, is in our text in Psalm 33 and verse 8.
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"Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him." And then, of course, it occurs, if you will turn there, to Psalm 119 and verse 161. Psalm 119 and verse 161, where David says this, "Princes have persecuted me without a cause: but my heart standeth in awe of thy word." Now, there are wonderful truths connected with Psalm 4 and verse 4, as well as Psalm 119 and verse 161. In fact, truth is exceedingly plentiful in any verse of the Bible. But I want to concentrate on verse 8 of Psalm 33, so I want you to turn back there so we can look at some words before we really get into this psalm. Notice if you would, in verse 8, he said, "Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him." Now, the word "fear" is the Hebrew word "yare," and it literally means to fear, to be afraid, to tremble, to reverence, to honor, and to cause to be astonished.
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That's what it means when he says, "Let all the earth fear the Lord." Let them all tremble before Him. Let them all reverence and honor Him. Let them all be astonished at Him. And then he says this, "Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him."
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Now, the word "awe" is the Hebrew word "gur," which means to dread. It means to fear, to be afraid, and to stand in awe. So once again, all the world is to stand in awe in reference to God. So here's a good question. Why should all the earth fear the Lord, and why should all of the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him? I'm sure that if I were to ask that question to many believers, everyone could give me an answer. And I can assure you that there are numerous answers to that question in Scripture. However, what I want to do is point out two truths from our text today that should have us standing in awe.
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That is why I titled this message, "Are You Awestruck Yet?" So, I want you to look, if you would, please, at verses 6 and 7. Because here's the first reason we are to be awestruck, and that is we're to stand in awe at His creation and His coherence. I'll explain that just shortly. So in verse 6, he says, "By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth."
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"He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses."
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Now go back to verse 6. "By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth." That means that God made everything. And of course, the Bible tells us in the book of John, "without him was not any thing made that was made." So God is actually the creator of all things. And He did create, according to the Latin term, ex nihilo, that is, out of nothing. So everything that we see was made out of nothing. God called it into existence. God spoke it into existence.
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There was not the eternity of matter. That matter always existed and God had something to work with? No. According to Genesis 1, matter came in when God spake the world into existence. And so, we are to stand in awe at His creation and His coherence.
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Now, I'm certainly not an astronomer, but when I read this verse, especially verse 6, "By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth," I got on the computer, and I typed in my search engine, "How many galaxies are there?" And I want to read you one of the articles. Here it is. "The universe is considered by some to be infinite." Well, I understand only God is infinite, but what they're saying is they cannot discern an end to the universe. Let me go back. "The universe is considered by some to be infinite, while others find comfort in the fact that it may have an end. Throughout the ages of space exploration, the only certain thing is maybe the fact that the universe will never be charted."
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Then the question is asked, "Why is this? It's because of the endless galaxies that seem to pop out left and right, their sizes, distances, and other aspects. So how many galaxies are there in the universe? Currently, the observable universe, that's just what can be seen. Currently, the observable universe, which has a radius of 46.5 billion light years, seems to contain at least 2 trillion galaxies. Our galaxy, the Milky Way, is just one among these numerous galaxies, and it is not even considered a big galaxy. It stretches for 105,700 light-years in diameter, and may contain at least 100 billion planets and around 400 billion stars." Now, if we were to imagine how many planets and stars those two trillion galaxies might have,
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we would probably have to throw out our calculators. This is especially true since some galaxies are several times larger than our Milky Way galaxy. "The largest galaxy ever discovered in our universe is a supergiant elliptical galaxy designated as IC 1101. This galaxy contains well above a hundred trillion stars, and it stretches for over 5.5 million light years across. IC 1101 is around 50 times larger than our Milky Way galaxy, and it is situated at approximately 1 billion light years, or 320 megaparsecs, away from us." A megaparsec is a unit of astronomical distance equal to one million parsecs. Think about this. The observable, that is what we can see, contains at least two trillion galaxies. Our Milky Way galaxy contains at least 400 billion stars. The supergiant elliptical galaxy contains above 100 trillion stars. Who knows how many the other galaxies contain?
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Now, I want you to look in your Bibles, if you would hold Psalm 33, but I want you to turn in your Bibles to the book of Genesis, chapter 1, and look, if you would please, at verse 16. Genesis 1 and verse 16. It's an astounding statement. Genesis 1, verse 16. The Bible says, "And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day," that would be the sun, "and the lesser light to rule the night," that would be the moon. And then this little side, "He made the stars also." Yes, He did. He made the stars also. So it's not just the sun and the moon, but the stars as well. Now, if you would turn over in your Bibles to Psalm 8, and verse 3, here's another psalm that shows you the magnificence and the greatness of God's creation. Because David in this psalm says this, "When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; what is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?"
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But note, he said, "When I consider," when I meditate, when I think about "thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon, and the stars, which thou hast ordained; what is man?" Now, once you begin to really consider the universe, you'll begin to see how insignificant we are, and that is exactly why I ask, when I see the greatness and the vastness of your creation, "What is man?" Years ago, I had a shrimper friend, and he invited me to go out with him on his shrimp boat. And I took another friend, and we went. It was a very large shrimp boat.
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In fact, it would sleep 12 people. And it was on that voyage that I learned you shrimp at night. I didn't know that. And but he would let down the nets and he would be shrimping at night. We were 40 miles out in the Gulf. And it was midnight and happened to be a full moon and the ocean was as smooth as silk. And I never will forget sitting on the bow of that boat, looking at the moon and the stars, the glassy water and the reflection in there, there was no sound made anywhere. There was nothing but the moon and the stars and water.
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And I began to realize how vast everything really truly was. Now, so David said, "When I consider," when I think about this, when I meditate upon this, then I have to ask, "What is man that thou art mindful of him?"
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Now, I want you to turn to Psalm 147 and get ready for this. Psalm 147.
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Now, I ask a question to Ed Wolf this morning.
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And I said, "Ed, would you please stand up and tell me the birthdays of all your grandchildren?" Ed just shook his head. No, he couldn't do that. Well, you know, the interesting thing is, Alice and I have six grandchildren. We've got five great-grands and a sixth one on the way. And I have no idea what the birthdays of my grandchildren are. Well, I can get close probably, but I could not give you the exact date.
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And really and truly, I have no need to remember those because she does. You know, I tell people, you know, I know for sure the birthday of our first child. I know that absolutely certain. The next three, I can get close a day or two, you know, but I may get it every time, but I may miss it every time. I never will forget when I first went to the university, every semester, there's two semesters in the year, but every semester we had to fill out all these papers, you know, and what date were you married? What's your wife's birthday? What's the children's birthday? You know, they wanted all that information. And I never could remember, were we married on the 13th? Were we married on the 15th? Were we married on the 16th? I mean, you know, because it was the 13th, but the 16th is her birthday, you see what I'm saying? And I'd get those things mixed up and I'd put, I got to laughing because I thought, I bet they think I have no idea when I got married or what my children's birthdays were.
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Well, you know, I can remember it was either July 30th or 31st, you know, I was one of the two. And April the 12th was Becca's? Oh, see, I don't remember. Okay. All right. So, but I'm just simply, I'd put different dates down. I didn't remember. I just did not remember. And because there was no need for me to remember because she did. But I remember a lot of things that she does not. See, now, the reason I'm showing you this is it's not just for fun.
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But look in Psalm 147 and verse 4. Look at this. "He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names." God knows exactly how many stars He created, and He knows their names. If there are 400 billion stars in our Milky Way galaxy, He knows the names of every one of them. If there's over a hundred trillion in the giant galaxy, He knows the names of every one of them.
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I'm just simply asking you: Are you standing in awe yet? Do you realize the greatness of God's creation, the greatness of God's power, and the greatness of God's knowledge?
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Now, look, if you would, back in Psalm 33 in verse 9, and you ask, "How did God do all of this?" Well, it's very simple. The Bible says in verse 9, "For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast." It was by his word, and it was done. He just simply spoke the worlds into existence. He spoke the stars into existence. He spoke the sun and the moon into existence. Anything and everything that has been created, God created. He simply spoke it into existence. Now, if that doesn't impress you, when you look at verse 6, "By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth." Maybe verse 7 might impress you.
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"He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses." Here's an interesting fact from the National Oceanic Service. Listen to this. "About 97% of the Earth's water is in the ocean. It's hard to imagine, but about 97% of the Earth's water can be found in the ocean. Of the tiny percentage that's not in the ocean, about 2% is frozen up in glaciers and ice caps. Less than 1% of all the water on Earth is fresh. A tiny fraction of water exists as water vapor in our atmosphere." According to the United States Geological Survey, there are over 332,519,000 cubic miles of water on the planet. Now, a cubic mile is a mile this way, this way, this way, and that way.
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A cubic mile is the volume of a cube measuring one mile on each side. Of this vast volume of water, the National Geophysical Data Center estimates that 321,003,271 cubic miles is in the ocean. Now listen to this. That's enough water to fill so many gallon-sized milk containers. I could not even read that number. It's 352,670 followed by 15 zeros. I had to look it up. So here it is. The ocean has about 352 million trillion or 352 quintillion gallons of water in it.
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A quintillion is followed by 18 zeros. So if the water in the ocean would fill 352 quintillion, 670 trillion, I don't know what all, gallon-sized milk containers. Wow. Now listen to this. When you consider, and here's my question, when you consider that the oceans cover approximately 73% of the earth, why do the oceans not flood and destroy the earth? And here's the answer. It's very simple. And that's God's decree.
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If you'll look at verse 9 again, "For he spake, and it was done." That's creation. "He commanded, and it stood fast." That's coherence. He holds everything together. Now, look in your Bibles, holding Psalm 33, to Jeremiah chapter 5 and verse 22. Jeremiah chapter 5. Watch, if you would, please, at verse 22. Here's a good question. Jeremiah 5, verse 22. God asks, "Fear ye not me? saith the Lord." Remember our text in Psalm 33 and verse 8? That all the earth stand in fear of the Lord, that all the world stand in awe of him. And he asked, "Fear ye not me? saith the Lord."
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"Will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it: and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it?" Are you standing in awe yet? When you stop and think of the vastness of God's creation, that God not only created it, but God causes it to stand and to stay in place, and when you remember that the oceans, of course, do not count or include all of the visible lakes and rivers and streams, or even what you and I would call the underground lakes.
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So ask again, what is holding everything together? Well, why do not the stars fall? Why does not the sun explode? Why does not the moon break in half? Why do the waters not cover the earth? And the answer is because of God's decree. God created, and God makes everything cohere. It was the sovereign, omnipotent, eternal, almighty God who spoke the world into existence, and it's that same sovereign, eternal, omnipotent, majestic, and glorious God that holds everything together.
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So if you look in your Bibles to the book of Colossians chapter 1 and look if you would please at verses 16 and 17. Colossians chapter 1. Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians. Look in chapter 1 of Colossians at verses 16 and 17. The Bible says, "For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him." Here it is. "And he is before all things, and by him all things consist," or all things have their being, or all things are held together by him. That's coherence. Wow.
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Now, let me show you something. I hope you remember this passage, but in case you don't, since we're in the New Testament, just flip back to the book of Luke, chapter 19, and look, if you would please, Luke 19, and let's begin reading there with verse 37. Our Lord, of course, is being praised by his disciples. Look, if you would, Luke chapter 19, verse 37. "And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice." Now look, "for all the mighty works that they had seen." Our Lord did many marvelous and mighty works and they're praising God for those works. Okay. Notice if you would, verse 38, "Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest. And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples."
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"And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out." Wow. Well, let me put it to you like this. I do not want the stones to do the praising for me. I don't want the sun and the moon and the stars to do the praising for me. I want to be able to do that. I want to stand in awe at His creation and His coherence.
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If you will look in your Bibles to Psalm 148 and verse 3, you may not be willing to praise Him. You may not be willing to acknowledge His greatness. You may not be willing to say, "Lord, your creation and your coherence are absolutely wonderful." If you will not, look, if you would please, at Psalm 148 in verse 3, the Bible says, "Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light." So God's creation is going to praise Him. And quite frankly, I prefer to praise Him myself. Now, here's another thought. I want you to turn in your Bibles to Romans chapter 1, because the greatness and the vastness of God's creation leaves sinners without excuse. There are places in this country, places in this world that do not have the preaching of the Word of God, and yet they have God's visible expression in creation. So he says this in Romans chapter 1, beginning there with verse 18, "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness," actually, who press it down, who suppress the truth.
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It's not that they don't have it, they don't want it. Then he says in verse 19, "Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. 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." So the greatness and the vastness of God's creation and coherence leaves men without excuse. I want you to look back to Psalm 33. Watch this carefully. The first reason we are to praise him is because of his creation and coherence. But here's a second reason.
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And that is because of his counsel and his control. Verses 10 and 11. "The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect. The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations."
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Now stop and think, if you would, about verse 10. "The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect." And then he says this, "The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever." In these two verses, you see God's counsel and God's control. There are many today that fight against God. There are many that try to dethrone him, overthrow him, deny him, denigrate him, destroy him. And there are many that devise advices and counsels against him. Witness, if you would, today what is known as the Great Reset. Think about the New World Order. Think about the Illuminati. Think about the Bohemian Grove.
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How about the Davos crowd? How about the Bilderbergers? How about the United Nations? How about the Council on Foreign Relations? How about the Trilateralists, for example? There are multitudes that are fighting against God. And the Scripture tells us that these individuals are not only contrary to God, they're contrary to the Scripture, they're contrary to man, and they're contrary to liberty and freedom. And here's the good news. The good news is their schemes, their plans, their counsel, their devices will be brought to nothing. They will absolutely fail.
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Now, look, if you would, in verse 10. He said, "The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought." We oftentimes use the word "nought" for zero or for nothing. The Hebrew word is the word "pur" and it means to be nothing, to be broken, and to be crushed. So he says the Lord brings the counsel of the heathen to nothing. In other words, it's crushed. It is worthless. It is broken. And then he says in verse 10, "He maketh the devices of the people of none effect." The Hebrew word "nun" simply means to disallow, to forbid, to restrain, to frustrate, to hinder, and to hold back. So God is controlling even the heathen in this sense of the word. All of their counsel, all of their schemes, all of their plans will ultimately fail and come to nought.
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Now, if you think that somehow that the wicked are going to win, you're not only mistaken, you're greatly mistaken. Because God is not only omnipotent, which means all-powerful, God is omniscient, which means all-knowing. And in the omniscience of God, He knows everything. He knows everything past, present, and future. He knows everything possible. The Scripture says He knows our thoughts. The Scripture says He knows our thoughts even before they enter into our minds.
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You can't slip up on God's blind side because He doesn't have one. You can't make a plan against Him that He doesn't already know about. And not only is God omniscient, God is omnipotent, He's all-powerful. And if the entire world and every demon in hell united in hands against God, it would occasion God no uneasiness. No, because He is the omnipotent God. And you know what God does? He laughs. He laughs at their ignorance, their stupidity, and their arrogance.
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Look in your Bibles to Psalm 2. You can see it very plainly, beginning there with verse 1. So here's a good question. And we can ask this in light of what I'm teaching. The psalmist begins, "Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?" A vain thing is something that is useless, worthless. It's of no good, no account. And here's one of them. "The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us."
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In other words, we don't like God's control. We don't like God's law. We don't like God's rule. We don't like God's reign. We'll break everything. We'll do as we please. Verse 4, "He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure." Wow. God laughs at the plans and the schemes of the wicked. The Bible tells you in the book of Job chapter 5 and verse 13, "He taketh the wise in their own craftiness." Wow. Job also says the deceived and the deceiver are his.
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Since we're in the Psalms, look if you would at Psalm 7 and verses 15 and 16. Psalm 7, look in verse 15, we're talking about the wicked. Here's what the wicked does. "He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made. His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate," that is, the top of his head. God said he's going to dig a ditch, he's going to fall in it. Whatever mischief that he plans, God said, "I'm going to bring it down upon the top of his own head." Look in Psalm 9, Psalm 9 and verse 16. Psalm 9, verse 16.
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"The Lord is known by the judgment which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands." God's going to take whatever the wicked does and turn it against them. Look if you would in Psalm 57 and verse 6. Psalm 57 and verse 6. Psalm 57 verse 6, David said, "They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down: they have digged a pit before me, into the midst whereof they are fallen themselves." So they dug a pit for David and they fell into the very pit that they dug. If you would turn right over to the book of Proverbs and look in chapter 19 and verse 21, I love this passage. Proverbs chapter 19 and verse 21.
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I found this to be true over and over. Proverbs 19, verse 21. "There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand." Many devices in a man's heart, but it's the counsel of the Lord that's going to stand. Then if you would turn over to Proverbs chapter 28, and look, if you would, at verse 10. Proverbs 28 and verse 10.
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The Scripture says, "Whoso causeth the righteous to go astray in an evil way, he shall fall himself into his own pit: but the upright shall have good things in possession." Now, I want you to turn, if you would, to Isaiah 46, and as you turn there, I want to quote a passage from Obadiah 1 and verse 15. Because there the Bible says, "For the day of the Lord is near upon all the heathen."
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"As thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee: thy reward shall return upon thine own head." So look, if you would now, please, to Isaiah chapter 46. And let's begin reading there with verse 9. Isaiah 46 and verse 9, through verse 11. Isaiah 46 verse 9, God says, "Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country."
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"Yea, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it." It is the counsel of the Lord that stands forever. Man's plans are going to be broken. They're going to be crushed. They will come to absolute nought, zilch, nothing, zero. Their plans will be disappointed. They will be devastated. Like Haman, they'll be hanged on their own gallows. They'll fall into the pit which they dug. They'll be caught in the snare that they laid. They'll be entrapped in the net which they set. So stand in awe. Stand in awe, not just simply of God's creation and coherence, but stand in awe of His counsel and His control.
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Now stop and think about this. When you and I look around the world today, we see the wicked prospering. It looks as if they are on the cusp of success. May I remind you that we walk by faith and not by sight. And secondly, if you tell me things are going wrong, I'm going to tell you this. Everything is going wrong, just right. It's going wrong just the way that God has ordained it. There's nothing can happen apart from God. Remember, if anything happens apart from God's control, then that thing is God and not God. God has absolute and sovereign control even over the wicked.
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Now, you can ask me this question. Could God overthrow all of the wicked instantly? And the answer is yes. Could God prevent their wickedness? The answer is yes. Could God stop them at any moment? The answer is yes. Well, you're going to ask me, "Why then does God not stop them?" And the answer is, He does not do so for His own honor and His own glory. Now, you're going to ask me again how the world can sin and rebellion redound to God's honor and God's glory. Well, I will show you.
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Turn in your Bibles to Psalm 76, and look, if you would please, at verse 10. Psalm 76 and verse 10. Here's what the Scripture says. Psalm 76 and verse 10. Look at it. "Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain." Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee. Hang on. "The remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain." So think about this. Actually, he says, "Surely the wrath of man shall keep a Sabbath unto thee." It will praise thee. Hmm. "The remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain."
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You say, "How in the world can sin ever glorify God?" Have you ever stopped to think about this? If it was not for sin, we would know nothing of God's absolute holiness. If it was not for sin, we would know nothing about God's absolute righteousness. If it was not for sin, we would know nothing about God's justice. If it was not for sin, we would know nothing about God's mercy, God's love, God's forgiveness, God's greatness, God's compassions. Look in your Bibles, read in your Bibles about God's men, Saul of Tarsus, who became the Apostle Paul. Look at the Apostle Peter. And think about Pharaoh. What did God say?
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"For this very purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee." So, on the one hand, you have men like Alexander the coppersmith, you have Pharaoh, who are emblems of God's justice because of their wickedness and their rebellion. They're emblems of God's righteousness and of God's wrath. And then you have Saul of Tarsus, you have the apostle Peter, you have you and I. And we are examples and emblems of God's mercy and God's grace. Clearly, the wrath of man shall praise the Lord. The remainder of wrath shall he restrain. So whatever will not ultimately redound to God's honor and God's glory, God will not allow to come to pass.
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Let me give you an illustration. Look in your Bibles to Genesis chapter 20. Genesis chapter 20. Abraham is in Gerar. He has said concerning Sarah, his very beautiful wife, "She is my sister." She herself said, "He is my brother." And Abimelech the king took her. I do not know, but Abimelech had not come near her. I don't know why, I don't know how. Maybe God gave him a case of the 24-hour virus. I don't know, but look at it. "And Abraham journeyed from thence toward the south country, and dwelled between Kadesh and Shur, and sojourned in Gerar. And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah. But God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said to him, Behold, thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man's wife. But Abimelech had not come near her."
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"And he said, Lord, wilt thou slay also a righteous nation? Said he not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this. And God said unto him in a dream, Yea, I know that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart; for I also withheld thee from sinning against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touch her. Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live: and if thou restore her not, know thou that thou shalt surely die, thou, and all that are thine." Wow. God said, "I know that you did this in the innocency of your heart and integrity of your hands. Therefore, I withheld thee from sinning against me." God restrained Abimelech from defiling the lineage of the Lord Jesus Christ. Hmm. You remember Jabez?
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I preached on him many years ago. The Bible says that Jabez was more honorable than all of his brethren. And he said, "Lord, I pray that thy hand would be with me, that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me, and that thou wouldest enlarge my coast." And the next verse said, "And the Lord granted him his request." That's a good prayer request. "Lord, keep me from evil. Keep me from sinning against thee."
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Certainly, certainly God has the power to restrain. There will be just enough sin, just enough evil, just enough rebellion, just enough wickedness that will ultimately bring honor and glory to God. The Bible says in Psalm 46 and verse 6, "The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted." Have you ever stopped to think about this? All God has to do to destroy the wicked and stop the wicked is to speak. He uttered His voice, and the earth melted. What did He say in Psalm 2 and verse 5? "Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure." God simply speaks, and it's over for the wicked. They can't function. They're gone.
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He has absolute and total control. It's His counsel that's going to stand. He controls the heathen. They can only do what He allows them to do. And ultimately, what they do is going to work out for His honor and His glory, because God cannot be thwarted. He cannot be hindered. He cannot be overthrown. He cannot be nullified, because He's God. He is God, and He cannot be defeated. The Word of God says in Psalm 114 and verse 7, "Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob." Tremble, thou earth. Exactly the truth of Psalm 33 in verse 8.
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Now let me make a couple of applications. The first one is this. Since God is so absolutely powerful in creation and coherence, and since God is so powerful in his counsel and in his control, why in the world would anyone doubt his ability to protect his own? You say we could be in vast danger. That is true. But God does indeed protect His own. The Bible tells you in Romans chapter 8, "What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?" And listen to this, "He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" So if God so loved us that He gave us His greatest gift, the Lord Jesus Christ, how shall He not also with Him freely give us all things? Protection is one of those things. Preservation is one of those things. Provision is one of those things. I'm just simply saying, God is so great and so vast, we should be praising Him.
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We need to be awestruck at God's creation and coherence. We need to be awestruck at God's counsel and God's control. We need to be awestruck at his person, at his position, at his power, at his protection. It's just like he said in Isaiah, "I am God, and beside me there is no other." He is God. Here's one quote from Charles Haddon Spurgeon. Spurgeon said, "There is an inferior kind of worship in the trembling which involuntarily admits the boundless power of a thundering God. A defiant blasphemer is out of place in a world covered with tokens of the divine power and Godhead."
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"The whole earth cannot afford a spot congenial for the erection of a synagogue of atheism, nor a man in whom it is becoming to profane the name of the God. Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. Let them forsake their idols and reverently regard the only living God. What is here placed as a wish may also be read as a prophecy, the adoration and praise of God shall ultimately be universal." And that is true. "Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still."
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Have you ever done that? Have you ever just lay in bed and meditated and thought on God? "Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart" and consider the greatness of God, the greatness of his creation, the greatness of his coherence. I don't have to worry about the world coming to an end tomorrow. I don't have to worry about the stars falling out of the sky.
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or the earth breaking apart. It is by Him all things consist and have their being. I can, along with Him, laugh at the wicked. I don't like what they're doing. He doesn't like what they're doing. But they're fulfilling His plan and His Word, and ultimately will bring Him honor and His glory. And I can laugh at them and say, "You're mighty, mighty stupid, and you will find out one day who God really, truly is. In the name of Jesus Christ, every knee shall bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Are you awestruck? You should be when you consider such a great and wonderful God.
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and His so marvelous creation and His control and His counsel. Father, help us, we pray today. Teach us and build us up in the most holy faith. And may we stand in awe of Thee, O Lord. May we consider Thy greatness. And Lord, as we do, we can ask with David, "What is man that Thou art mindful of him?" Give us, Lord, Your blessings, we pray in Christ's name. Amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T19:35:33Z

Are You Awe Struck Yet?

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

In this sermon, Pastor John Weaver expounds Psalm 33:8, calling believers to stand in awe of God. He presents two primary reasons for awe: God's creation and coherence (His power in making and sustaining the universe) and God's counsel and control (His sovereignty over the plans of the wicked). Using astronomical data, oceanography, and Scripture, he illustrates God's majesty and urges listeners to praise Him, trust His protection, and rest in His sovereign purposes.

Introduction: The Call to Praise and Awe

The sermon opens with Psalm 33:8 as the main text, noting that the psalm is a call to praise God with music and rejoicing. The psalmist gives reasons for praise, including God's goodness.

Psalm 33, verse 8 is what we're going to be looking at. Psalm 33, verse 8. We will look at several other verses in this Psalm, but verse 8 is the main one. Psalm 33 and verse 8.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 33:1-3

"Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright. Praise the Lord with harp." "Sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings. Sing unto him a new song; play skillfully with a loud noise."

The Goodness of God as a Reason for Praise

Using Psalm 107, the preacher emphasizes that God's goodness—seen in satisfaction, deliverance, and daily mercies—should lead to constant praise. Even in sickness, there are reasons to praise.

Scripture Reading — Genesis 32:10

"I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, which thou hast shewed unto thy servant."

And certainly that is true.

Defining Awe and Its Biblical Occurrences

Scripture Reading — Psalm 119:161

"Princes have persecuted me without a cause: but my heart standeth in awe of thy word."

First Reason for Awe: God's Creation and Coherence

Scripture Reading — Genesis 1:16

"And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day,"

that would be the sun,

Scripture Reading — Genesis 1:16

"and the lesser light to rule the night,"

that would be the moon. And then this little side,

Scripture Reading — Genesis 1:16

"He made the stars also."

Now, I ask a question to Ed Wolf this morning.

But look in Psalm 147 and verse 4. Look at this.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 147:4

"He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names."

Now, look, if you would, back in Psalm 33 in verse 9, and you ask, "How did God do all of this?" Well, it's very simple. The Bible says in verse 9,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 33:9

"For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast."

Second Reason for Awe: God's Counsel and Control

Verses 10-11 reveal that God frustrates the plans of the wicked and His own counsel stands forever. Despite human schemes, God sovereignly controls all things for His glory.

Look in your Bibles to Psalm 2. You can see it very plainly, beginning there with verse 1. So here's a good question. And we can ask this in light of what I'm teaching. The psalmist begins,

Scripture Reading — Psalm 2:1-5

"Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?"

A vain thing is something that is useless, worthless. It's of no good, no account. And here's one of them.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 2:1-5

"The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us."

Since we're in the Psalms, look if you would at Psalm 7 and verses 15 and 16. Psalm 7, look in verse 15, we're talking about the wicked. Here's what the wicked does.

Scripture Reading — Psalm 7:15-16

"He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made. His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate,"

Applications: Trusting God's Protection and Praising Him

Are You Awe Struck Yet?

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	7snBbRFwRcc
Subject	Old Testament Studies
Course	Genesis: Creation, Fall, and Dominion
Genre	Sermon
Date	2023-03-22
Dictation Name
Book	Book 075: Genesis — Chapter 22
Source Timed Segments	81

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction: The Call to Praise and Awe: The sermon opens with Psalm 33:8 as the main text, noting that the psalm is a call to praise God with music and rejoicing. The psalmist gives reasons for praise, including God's goodness.
The Goodness of God as a Reason for Praise: Using Psalm 107, the preacher emphasizes that God's goodness—seen in satisfaction, deliverance, and daily mercies—should lead to constant praise. Even in sickness, there are reasons to praise.
Defining Awe and Its Biblical Occurrences: Awe is defined as a feeling of respect, reverence, dread, and wonder. The command to 'stand in awe' appears three times in Scripture: Psalm 4:4, Psalm 33:8, and Psalm 119:161. The focus is on Psalm 33:8.
First Reason for Awe: God's Creation and Coherence: Verses 6-7 and 9 show that God created everything by His word and holds it together. The vastness of the universe—trillions of galaxies, stars, and the oceans—demonstrates His power and knowledge.
Second Reason for Awe: God's Counsel and Control: Verses 10-11 reveal that God frustrates the plans of the wicked and His own counsel stands forever. Despite human schemes, God sovereignly controls all things for His glory.
Applications: Trusting God's Protection and Praising Him: Because God is powerful in creation and control, believers should trust His protection and provision. The sermon concludes with a call to meditate on God's greatness and stand in awe, joining creation in praise.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Creation demands awe because of its scale and God's intimate knowledge of it.

The universe contains at least 2 trillion galaxies, and God knows the number and names of all stars, demonstrating His infinite power and knowledge.

The preacher reads an article on galaxy counts and cites Psalm 147:4: 'He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.'

God's coherence holds the universe together, preventing chaos.

God not only created but sustains all things; the oceans do not flood the earth because of His decree, and Christ holds all things together.

Jeremiah 5:22 and Colossians 1:16-17 are quoted. The preacher asks why the oceans don't cover the earth and answers: God's decree.

The wicked's plans are ultimately futile because God's counsel stands.

Despite human conspiracies, God brings their counsel to nothing and His purposes prevail, often turning their own schemes against them.

Psalm 33:10-11 is linked to Psalm 2, Psalm 7:15-16, Psalm 9:16, and Proverbs 19:21. The preacher lists modern groups like the UN and Bilderbergers as examples.

God restrains evil for His glory and the good of His people.

God limits sin so that it ultimately praises Him; He restrained Abimelech from sinning against Sarah, showing His protective control.

Psalm 76:10 and Genesis 20:1-7 are expounded. The preacher explains that sin reveals God's holiness, justice, and mercy.

Believers should respond with trust and praise, not fear of worldly powers.

Since God is sovereign, Christians can laugh at the wicked and rest in His protection, knowing that all things work for His glory.

The preacher cites Romans 8:31-32 and Psalm 2:4, and concludes with a call to meditate on God's greatness.

Scripture References

Psalm 33:8: Main text: 'Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.'
Psalm 33:1-3: The psalm is a call to praise with music and rejoicing.
Psalm 33:4-5: Reasons for praise: God's word is right, He loves righteousness, and the earth is full of His goodness.
Psalm 107:8, 15, 21, 31: Repeated call to praise the Lord for His goodness and wonderful works.
Genesis 32:10: Jacob's confession of unworthiness of God's mercies.
Psalm 4:4: First occurrence of 'stand in awe': 'Stand in awe, and sin not.'
Psalm 119:161: Third occurrence: 'My heart standeth in awe of thy word.'
Psalm 33:6-7: Creation by God's word and gathering of waters.
Genesis 1:16: God made the stars also.
Psalm 8:3-4: Considering the heavens leads to humility: 'What is man?'
Psalm 147:4: God counts the stars and calls them by name.
Psalm 33:9: God spoke and it was done; He commanded and it stood fast.
Jeremiah 5:22: God set the sand as a boundary for the sea by a perpetual decree.
Colossians 1:16-17: All things were created by Christ and in Him all things consist.
Luke 19:37-40: If disciples keep silent, the stones will cry out in praise.
Psalm 148:3: Sun, moon, and stars are called to praise God.
Romans 1:18-20: Creation leaves men without excuse because God's power is clearly seen.
Psalm 33:10-11: The Lord brings the counsel of the heathen to nought; His counsel stands forever.
Psalm 2:1-5: The heathen rage, but God laughs and holds them in derision.
Psalm 7:15-16: The wicked fall into the pit they dug; their mischief returns on their own head.

Historical References

Charles Haddon Spurgeon: Quoted on the universal call to stand in awe of God and the impropriety of atheism in a world full of divine tokens.

Important Quotes

Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.

This is the central text of the sermon, calling for universal reverence and awe toward God.

By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.

Highlights God's creative power through His spoken word, a key reason for awe.

He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.

Demonstrates God's intimate knowledge and sovereignty over the vast universe.

For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.

Emphasizes the immediate efficacy of God's word in creation and sustaining.

The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect. The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.

Contrasts the futility of human plans with the eternal certainty of God's purposes.

Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain.

Explains how even human rebellion ultimately serves to glorify God.

Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still.

A call to personal meditation and reverence that leads to holy living.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

What does it mean to 'stand in awe' of God, and how is this different from mere fear or respect?

[Context]

The preacher defines awe as a feeling of respect, reverence, dread, and wonder that can leave one speechless or motionless.

[Question]

How does considering the vastness of the universe affect your view of God and yourself?

[Context]

The sermon presents astronomical data and Psalm 8:3-4 to show human insignificance and God's majesty.

[Question]

In what ways have you experienced God's goodness, and how can you cultivate a habit of praising Him for it?

[Context]

Psalm 107 is used to illustrate repeated calls to praise God for His goodness in deliverance and provision.

[Question]

Why does God allow the wicked to prosper and scheme, and how should this affect our trust in His sovereignty?

[Context]

The preacher explains that God frustrates the wicked's plans and uses their rebellion for His glory, citing Psalm 76:10.

[Question]

How can we practically 'commune with our own heart' and meditate on God's greatness in our daily lives?

[Context]

The sermon concludes with an application from Psalm 4:4 to be still and consider God.

Applications

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T12:30:07Z