gratitude - a mark of spirituality (psalm 8)
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Aldersgate Sunday Sermon by Guest Speaker John Ng Ph. D. on the topic of Gratitude - A Mark of Spirituality based on Psalm 8, on 24 May 2009.TRANSCRIPT
Psalm 8
GRATITUDE –
A Mark Of Spirituality
Speaker: Dr John Ng
Aldersgate Methodist Church,
Singapore
In Praise of God
v 1 O LORD, Our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.
v 2 From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the
avenger.
In Praise of Humankind
Their Insignificance
v 3 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
v 4 What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for Him?
Their Significance
v 5 You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.
v 6 You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet:
v 7 all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field,
v 8 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.
In Praise of God v 9 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in
all the earth!
Psalm 8
Introduction
What do parents want from
their children?
GRATITUDE
Children get along
Children are grateful
Psalm 8
Introduction
God wants us to honor &
praise Him
Psalm 8 is a psalm of praise and
honor. It celebrates the glory and
grace of God, rehearsing who He is
and what He has done.
Ungrateful people will not enrich
community.
GRATITUDE – A Mark of
Spirituality
Psalm 8 Gratitude comes from a recognition and
experience of who God is v 1 O LORD, Our Lord, how majestic is
your name in all the earth! You have set your glory
above the heavens.
Adonai: Divine, majestic God
Yhwh: “I am who I am”
Unchangeable and Unchanging God
How do we
cultivate
gratitude?
Psalm 8 Gratitude comes from a recognition and
experience of who God is v 1 O LORD, Our Lord, how majestic is
your name in all the earth! You have set your glory
above the heavens.
Direct correlation between our
experience of God and gratitude
to Him: Who is God to us?
(Shunyi’s story)
How do we
cultivate
gratitude?
Psalm 8 Gratitude comes from a recognition of our need for Him v 2 From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise
because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.
Our need for Him & our
strength resides in Him:
Relationship between infants
and enemies?
Matt 21: 14 - 16
How do we
cultivate
gratitude?
Psalm 8 Matt 21: 14 - 16
There was healing of blind &
lame How do we
cultivate
gratitude? Children were shouting,
“Hosanna to the Son of David”
Chief priests & teachers were
indignant: ‘Do you hear what
these children are saying?’
Jesus quoted this verse (Psalm 8:
2)
Psalm 8 Matt 21: 14 - 16
In one stroke, Jesus claimed to be
God & that teachers were
enemies.
How do we
cultivate
gratitude?
Children recognize their
inadequacies, a cry for help” God
is their strength.
Psalm 8 Gratitude comes from a recognition of our need for Him v 2 From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise
because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. How do we
cultivate
gratitude? A self-made person will find it
difficult to be grateful.
Psalm 8 Gratitude comes from a recognition of
who we are in the context of
God’s creation v 3 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
How do we
cultivate
gratitude? The World is at His finger-tip!
Psalm 8 Gratitude comes from a recognition of
who we are in the context of
God’s creation
v 3 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
How do we
cultivate
gratitude? Egocentric individuals need to be
reminded that they are not the
center of the universe.
Psalm 8
Anderson, “Looking at the star-studded night sky, the psalmist is overwhelmed
with a sense of the relatively ephemeral and frail character of human beings and
wonders why the Creator pays any attention to such infinitesimally tiny
creatures.”
Psalm 8 Gratitude comes from a recognition
that we are special
v 4 What is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him? v 5 You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings
and crowned him with glory and honor.
v 6 You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet:
v 7 all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field,
v 8 the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas.
How do we
cultivate
gratitude?
Psalm 8 Gratitude comes from a recognition
that we are special
v 5 You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings How do we
cultivate
gratitude? We are more God-like rather
than beast-like
Psalm 8 Gratitude comes from a recognition
that we are special
v 5 You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings How do we
cultivate
gratitude? We are God-like rather than
beast-like
But we are paradox: Human is a
golden child and a black sheep.
Paradox of Our Time
ABRI Show of Force
The paradox of our
time in history is that
we have
Taller buildings, but
shorter tempers.
Wider freeways, but
narrower viewpoints.
We spent more, but have less.
We buy more, but enjoy it less.
We have bigger houses and smaller families;
More conveniences, but less time.
We have more
degrees, but less
common sense;
More knowledge,
but less judgment.
More experts, but
less solutions.
More medicine, but
less wellness.
We have multiplied our
possessions, but reduced our
values.
We talk too much, love too
seldom and hate too often.
We’ve learned how to make a
living but not a life;
We’ve added years to life, not life
to years.
We’ve been all the way to the moon and
back, but have trouble crossing the street
to meet the new neighbor.
Anthrax Scare
We have conquered outer space,
but not inner space;
We’ve cleaned up the air,
but polluted the soul;
We’ve split the atom, but not our prejudice.
We have higher incomes, but lower morals.
We have
become long
on quantity, but
short of
quality.
These are the
times of tall
men, and short
character.
Steep profits, and shallow relationships.
There are times of world peace, but
domestic warfare;
Mad Cow Disease
More leisure, but less fun.
More kinds of food, but less nutrition.
These are days of two incomes,
but more divorce.
Of fancier houses,
but broken homes.
Psalm 8 Gratitude comes from a recognition
that we are special
v 5 crowned him with glory and honor’ How do we
cultivate
gratitude? We are crowned as king with
glory
The psalm takes a radically different approach to the Near Eastern paradigm of the time that
kingship is reserved for a selected group. Here, God has made everyone a king.
Psalm 8 Gratitude comes from a recognition
that we are special
v 5 ‘You made him ruler over the works of your hands’ How do we
cultivate
gratitude? We are ruler over God’s other
creation. Gen 1
We are stewards: We have
management responsibilities
God takes the risk. We have paradise lost in Gen 2,3.
Conclusion:
Pursue Excellence, Give Glory to God
v 9 O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth.
Thank you for giving to the LORD