Appleton Gospel Church

Songs of Greatness is a sermon series on the greatness of God from the Psalms. The Earth is Full of His Unfailing Love — Why should we worship the Lord? Why should we go through all the work of getting ready, gathering together, and singing songs of praise? Because God is good! And when we needed salvation, the earth was full of his unfailing love. Recorded on Aug 1, 2021, on Psalm 33, by Pastor David Parks.

Sermon Transcript

For the next year, in our preaching ministry, we’re focusing on The Greatness of God. And I’ve said, after all the turmoil of the last year and a half, it was obvious to me that way too many Christians have way too small of a view of who God is. So we’ve started this annual theme with a sermon series from the Psalms in the Bible called, Songs of Greatness. Now, the Psalms are a collection of songs/poems that the people of God have used in the worship of God for 1000’s of years. And the psalms cover the whole range of human experience, but some of the psalms are all about the greatness of God. Today, we’ll consider Psalm 33, which is a massive call to worship. And why should we worship the Lord? Because when we needed salvation, the earth was full of his unfailing love. I love the message of this psalm. If you have a Bible/app, please open it to Ps 33. Because it’s a little longer, we’re going to unpack this psalm in three parts: 1. The Call to Worship, 2. The Reasons for Worship, 3. The Life of Worship. So first, The Call to Worship. v. 1.

Psalm 33:1-3, “Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him. 2 Praise the Lord with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre. 3 Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.”

This is the call to worship. I envision a leader calling out to the people of God, gathered to worship the Lord, who is calling them, “Sing joyfully, call loudly, rejoice, shout for joy!!” This is a call to stand up and make some noise to the Lord. This isn’t some sleepy call to contemplative prayer alone where no one can see you. This isn’t a time to be bashful about what to do with your hands or to worry about what others might think of you. This is a call to make a joy-infused, sweat-producing ruckus. And it’s not just a good thing or an optional thing. The psalmist says it’s the right thing to do. It is fitting for the upright to praise him like this. Like how? v. 2. says with instruments. With your voice and with any instrument at your disposal. In their day it was with the harp and the ten-stringed lyre, which was a little like a guitar. Other psalms refer to drums and cymbals and flutes. Today we would say with guitars and keys and drums and bass. Sing to him, what? a new song. Traditions are powerful. Traditions can be a really good thing, provided they reinforce and pass down from one generation to the next, things/ideas which are good/right/true. But having traditions for the sake of being traditional is not at all a Biblical idea. Sing to the Lord a new song. A new song requires a break with tradition. A new song requires hard work from both a songwriter/composer to creatively compose a new song, and work from the musicians/congregation to learn to play/sing a new song. You can’t be on autopilot and sing a new song.

But in this call to worship, this call to sing a new song, we are called to play skillfully AND shout for joy, and I love this. Good worship will include both the handwork and dedication, the hundreds of hours of practice required, to hone the skills of playing and singing. But also good/Biblical worship will connect to the heart in an emotional expression, a shout for joy. Worship is not just a professional performance, but it’s also not only an emotional experience. Now,

Songs of Greatness is a sermon series on the greatness of God from the Psalms. Ascribe to the Lord — There are many things in this world that are big and scary, things that are threatening and out of our control. But God is far bigger and more powerful than any threat we could imagine. This is the root of all strength and peace. Recorded on July 25, 2021, on Psalm 29, by Pastor David Parks.

Sermon Transcript

For the next year, in our preaching ministry, we’re focusing on The Greatness of God. And I’ve said, after all the turmoil of the last year+, it was obvious to me that way too many Christians have way too small of a view of who God is. So we’ve started this annual theme with a sermon series from the Psalms in the Bible called, Songs of Greatness. The Psalms are a collection of songs/poems that the people of God have used in the worship of God for 1000’s of years. And the psalms cover the whole range of human experience, but some of the psalms are all about the greatness of God. Today, we’ll consider Psalm 29, which speaks very directly to this situation of ours today. This need to gain/recover a better theology, a better/truer understanding of who God is. Why? Because of the storm, because of the times of turmoil/chaos/destruction. Because of the times that bring widespread anger/anxiety, stress/depression. We lived through a mighty storm this past year or so. But storms aren’t new, nothing is new under the sun. Can the greatness of God help us in the midst of the story?? If you have a Bible/app, please open it to Ps 29. We’re going to unpack this psalm in three parts: 1. The Glory, 2. The Voice, 3. The King. But first, let’s read through this together.

Psalm 29, “Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. 2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his[a] holiness. 3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the Lord thunders over the mighty waters. 4 The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is majestic. 5  The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars; the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon. 6 He makes Lebanon leap like a calf, Sirion[b] like a young wild ox. 7 The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightning. 8 The voice of the Lord shakes the desert; the Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh. 9 The voice of the Lord twists the oaks[c] and strips the forests bare. And in his temple all cry, “Glory!” 10 The Lord sits enthroned over the flood; the Lord is enthroned as King forever. 11 The Lord gives strength to his people; the Lord blesses his people with peace.” 

Psalm 29, traditionally, is one of the psalms of David, that is King David, the most powerful/influential king of the ancient people of Israel. David lived about 3,000 years ago or about 1,000 years before the time of Jesus. And David was a mighty warrior and a prolific poet, having written about half of the psalms in the Bible. Psalm 29 is divided/ordered in a particular way, did you notice? Psalm 29 has three main sections marked by repetition. The first section (vv. 1-2) has the phrase “ascribe to the Lord” over and over. And then, the second section (vv. 3-9) has the phrase “The voice of the Lord.” Finally, the third section/stanza (vv. 10-11) simply has “The Lord, the Lord, the Lord” over and over. So with that, let’s jump back to v. 1.

Psalm 29:1-2, “Ascribe to the Lord, you heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.” So first, The Glory: David starts with this call, really it’s an invitation to worship: to ascribe to the Lord, the glory due his name. What does that mean?

Songs of Greatness is a sermon series on the greatness of God from the Psalms. The Heavens Declare the Glory of God — How do we know what God is like? God's glory is revealed by what he has done, from creation to new creation. Recorded on July 18, 2021, on Psalm 19, by Pastor David Parks.

Sermon Transcript

For the next year, we’re focusing on The Greatness of God. After all the turmoil of the last year, it’s my conviction that many of the problems we face in the world and in the evangelical church today would be solved if we had a far bigger view of God. Way too many Christians have way too small of a vision of who God is. And for the rest of the summer, we’re in a sermon series from the Psalms in the Bible called Songs of Greatness. The Psalms are a collection of songs/poems that the people of God have used in the worship of God for 1000’s of years. And through this series, I hope to help you have a bigger, truer perspective, and a more compelling vision of God. Today, we’ll consider how the works of God declare/proclaim the glory of God. In other words, what God does clearly reveals his greatness. If you have a Bible/app, please open it to Ps 19. We’re going to unpack this psalm in three parts: 1. Creation, 2. The Bible, 3. The Gospel. So first, creation…

Psalm 19:1-6, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 2 Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. 3 They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. 4 Yet their voice[b] goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun. 5 It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. 6 It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is deprived of its warmth.” 

Creation Declares the Glory of God. The psalmist, that is, King David, starts this first section of his song focusing on what? The works of God in creation, nature, in the physical world around us. And he says the heavens/skies declare/proclaim what? the glory of God. And what is the glory of God? The glory of God is the sum total of all the characteristics of God, what you get if you added up all of his love, justice, holiness, power, wisdom, and so on. It’s everything about who God is. The glory of God is beautiful to his people but is terrible to his enemies. David observes, as surely as we observe anytime we stop and really meditate on the created world around us, that even though the planets and stars have no voice, their message goes out into all the earth. In vv. 4-6, David poetically uses the sun as a case study: the sun is consistent, helpful, and life-giving. David imagines it enjoys the strength/task that God has given it. Many ancient peoples worshiped the sun. Ancient Israelites appreciated the sun, as we ought to today, but they were never to worship it. The sun was just one aspect of God’s creation. There was only one God, the maker of the heavens and the earth, including the sun in all of its glory/power.

And King David is right. When I consider the big things that God has made, the planets and the stars, the vastness of space in our galaxy, much less in the whole visible universe, I’m blown away. As I said last week, we are so very tiny in the scope of all of that. But I’m also blown away when I consider the small things that God has made, the atoms and particles and quarks of the quantum world. And this is one of the reasons that Christians should love science and scientific discoveries. They give us countless observations and insights into the glory of God in creation. Let me give you one example from a book called The Body, by Bill Bryson.

Songs of Greatness is a sermon series on the greatness of God from the Psalms. How Majestic is Your Name — God's work in creation and salvation shows an incomprehensible level of care for human beings. Why does God care so much about us? In the scope of the whole universe, we are tiny. But because of God's great love, we are infinitely valuable. Recorded on July 11, 2021, on Psalm 8, by Pastor David Parks.

Sermon Transcript

So last week, we started a new annual theme for our preaching ministry over the next year focused on The Greatness of God. It’s my conviction that many of the problems we face in the evangelical church today would be solved if we had a far bigger view of God. Way too many Christians have way too small of a vision of who God is in their day-to-day lives. And to kick off this annual theme, we started a new sermon series last week from the Psalms called, Songs of Greatness. The Psalms are a collection of songs/poems that the people of God have used to worship God for 1000’s of years. Throughout this series, I hope to help you have a bigger, truer perspective, and a more compelling vision of who God is. The Lord has done great things, and he is worthy of our praise. Today, we’re considering Psalm 8 and we’re confronted by a question of the psalmist. And this is a question that, I think, any thinking person would ask after considering the basic claims of the Christian faith. And here’s the question: Why does God care so much about us? Why does God, the maker of the whole universe, care, why is he so involved in the lives of human beings? Maybe you are new to the Christian faith and you’re just checking things out today. Maybe you don’t know that God cares, or maybe you’ve always assumed that God doesn’t care about you. But the great message of the gospel is that God cares about human beings, God is working to save human beings because God wants a personal relationship with human beings. But again, why does God care so much about us? And this is a very important question because it reveals to us an indication of who we are, our identity/value, but it also reveals the majesty of God, as well. If you have a Bible/app, please open it to Ps 8.

Psalm 8, “Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens. 2 Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger. 3 When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, 4 what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?[c] 5 You have made them[d] a little lower than the angels[e] and crowned them[f] with glory and honor. 6 You made them rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their[g] feet: 7 all flocks and herds, and the animals of the wild, 8 the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas. 9 Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” 

Now, this Psalm is said to be a Psalm of David, that is, King David who lived about 3,000 years ago. David was the most powerful/influential king of the ancient people of Israel. But David was also a prolific songwriter, having written almost half the Psalms in the bible. Let’s back up to v. 1. and work through this text together.

Psalm 8:1-2, “Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory in the heavens. Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.” Now, right away, you might’ve noticed that this psalm begins and ends with the same line, “Lord (that is, Yahweh),

Songs of Greatness is a sermon series on the greatness of God from the Psalms in the Bible. Blessed is the One — Human beings want a flourishing life, a life of blessing. And God wants us to flourish, too. However, we do not follow God's way of blessing. But in Jesus, we find the King who was promised of old, who offers a whole Kingdom of blessing by repentance and faith. Recorded on July 4, 2021, on Psalm 1-2, by Pastor David Parks.

Sermon Transcript

So today we get to start a new annual theme for our preaching ministry focused on The Greatness of God. It’s my conviction that many of the problems we face in the evangelical church today would be solved if we had a far bigger view of God. Way too many Christians have way too small of a vision of God in their day-to-day lives. But God is not small, we just need a change in our vision of him. So to kick-off this annual theme, we’re going to start a new sermon series today from the Psalms called, Songs of Greatness. The Psalms are a collection of songs/poems that the people of God have used to worship God for 1000’s of years. We’re not going to go through all 150 psalms in this series, but we’re going to start with Ps 1-2 today and end with Ps 150 by the end. Throughout this series, I hope to help you have a bigger, truer perspective, and a more compelling vision of who God is; and he is great. So if you have a Bible/app, please open it to Ps 1. I’m going to read and unpack Psalm 1 first, and then we’ll move on to Psalm 2. So first, Psalm 1:

Psalm 1:1-6, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. 4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. 5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; 6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.” 

Both the start of Psalm 1 and the end of Psalm 2 contain statements of blessing. Blessed is the man, and, I know we haven’t gotten there yet, but Psalm 2 ends with the statement, “Blessed are all who take refuge in him.” And this is a literary device in the Bible known as an inclusio. Think of an inclusio as like little brackets which unite a section together, typically under a common theme. So to understand the meaning of these Ps, we must start with the observation that our text is bracketed with a theme of blessing. Well, what is a blessing? Many people say a blessing before eating a meal together. I often close our services with a benediction, which means blessing. But a blessing is simply something good in your life: provision, protection, guidance, health, prosperity, kids, corn on the cob, all blessings. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father…” wrote James, the brother of Jesus. And so we rightly attribute every good thing in our lives as a blessing from God. So here, at the start of the worship hymnal of the Bible, a reason for our praise is the theme of a life of blessing. And the imagery for this kind of life is really vivid: like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season. That means their life consistently, and at the right times, is productive, fruitful, bears much fruit. Its leaf doesn’t wither. In all that he does, he prospers. Now this statement, like much of the wisdom literature in the Bible is not a guarantee for how life will work. Instead, it’s more of a guideline for how life typically works.

Jesus in the Old Testament is a sermon series on finding Jesus in the whole Bible. The Tabernacle — The story of the Tabernacle shows that God wants to dwell with us. But how can sinful human beings stand in the presence of a holy God? Jesus allows us to fully experience the presence of God. Recorded on June 27, 2021, on Psalm 84, by Pastor David Parks. (Sorry, but a technical glitch cut off the end of the recording).

Sermon Transcript

So for the past year, we’ve been focusing on the Person and Work of Jesus. Almost a year ago, we looked at the relationships of Jesus and then we unpacked the salvation of Jesus. At Christmas, we looked at the dual nature of Jesus as fully God and fully man. And in 20212, we looked at the teachings/miracles of Jesus, and finally, for the last few weeks, we’ve been working through our final sermon series under this annual theme called Jesus in the Old Testament. And in this series, we’ve said that certain people/places/things in the OT, prefigure/foreshadow the person/work of Jesus. Not only is God clearly at work in the OT, but he does so in such a way that’s like a big sign pointing forward to the coming of Christ. And that’s what this series is all about: finding Jesus in the OT. If you missed any of the messages of this series, you can always go back to watch on YouTube or listen to the audio podcast. But today, we’re going to land the plane of this annual theme by considering one of the threads that run throughout the Bible, that of the tabernacle. And the story of the tabernacle is amazing, because, in it, we see God’s heart of love, that God wants to dwell with us, his people. But only in Jesus, are we able to fully experience the presence of God. If you have a Bible/app, please open it to Ps 84.

Psalm 84:1-12, “For the director of music. According to gittith. Of the Sons of Korah. A psalm. 1 How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty! 2 My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. 3 Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young — a place near your altar, Lord Almighty, my King and my God. 4 Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. 5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. 6 As they pass through the Valley of Baka, they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. 7 They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion. 8 Hear my prayer, Lord God Almighty; listen to me, God of Jacob. 9 Look on our shield, O God; look with favor on your anointed one. 10 Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. 11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. 12 Lord Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you.”

So starting next week, we’ll start a new annual theme, focused on the greatness of God. And we’ll start this theme with a sermon series from the Psalms called Songs of Greatness. So last week and this week, I’m getting a little jump-start on this series in working from the Psalms. The Psalms are the worship music of the Bible And have been used by God’s people for worship for thousands of years. Let’s start back at the beginning and work through this together. v.1.

Psalm 84:1-4, “How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Even the sparrow has found a home,

Jesus in the Old Testament is a sermon series on finding Jesus in the whole Bible. The Shepherd of Israel — The ancient king, David, saw God as his shepherd: One who leads us along the right paths. One who feeds and restores us. One who walks with us through the darkest valley. Jesus is the good shepherd — the true and ultimate shepherd of Israel. Recorded on June 20, 2021, on Psalm 23, by Pastor David Parks.

Sermon Transcript

So all year, meaning, from July 1st 2020, smack in the middle of Covid, until now, we’ve been focusing on the Person and Work of Jesus. And I have to say, with everything going on in the world over the past year, it hasn’t always been easy to keep our eyes focused on Jesus. But the Lord was gracious to us. He helped us and carried us (and maybe dragged us at times) through it all. And for the last few weeks, we’ve been working through our last sermon series on the person/work of Jesus called Jesus in the Old Testament. And in this series, we’ve said that the three-in-one nature of God — this peculiar teaching that God is a perfect, loving community of Father, Son, and Spirit — that would become clearer by the time of the NT in the Bible, but even in the OT, we see certain people/places/things that prefigure/foreshadow the person/work of Jesus. Not only is God clearly at work in the OT, but he does so in such a way that’s like a big sign pointing forward to the coming of Christ. And that’s what this series is all about: finding Jesus in the OT. If you missed any of the messages of this series (or any series), you can always go back to watch on YouTube or listen to the audio podcast. But today, I get to preach on one of the most famous passages in the Bible, that is, Psalm 23. And in Psalm 23, King David says that the Lord is our shepherd, which gives us great insight into the person/work of Jesus. If you have a Bible/app, please open it to Ps 23.

Psalm 23, “1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, 3 he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake. 4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. 6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”

Psalm 23 was written by David, who was the most famous/powerful king of ancient Israel. David lived about 1000 years before the birth of Jesus, or about 3000 years ago. David was a mighty warrior but he was also a prolific songwriter, responsible for almost half the psalms or songs in the Bible. Let’s jump back to v. 1 and work through this together.

Psalm 23:1, “The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.” For David, the vocation of a shepherd was one that he understood well. Even though he was the king, when God called him to be the future king, when Samuel anointed him as a young man to be the next king of ancient Israel, David was a shepherd himself, watching the flocks of his father, Jesse. David knew what a good shepherd did and he likely knew what an incompetent/lazy shepherd did. For David, he saw the Lord, Yahweh God, and his person/work, through the lens of a shepherd. The Lord is my shepherd; I am a sheep in his flock. And if that’s the case — if the Lord is my shepherd, then what? I lack nothing; I shall not want. What good thing will I be denied? The Lord is a good shepherd; the sheep of his pasture flourish because of his work. And truthfully, the psalm could end here. Because the rest of Ps 23 simply unpacks what it means for the Lord to be David’s shepherd. If we simply meditated on this verse,

Jesus in the Old Testament is a sermon series on finding Jesus in the whole Bible. The Kingdom of God — How would God fulfill his promise to King David: to establish from his house, a king, but not just any king, a king who would reign forever! Who would this king be who would be called God's son? Jesus is the King of the Kingdom of God. Recorded on June 13, 2021, on 2 Samuel 7:1-17, by Joe Makeever.

Jesus in the Old Testament is a sermon series on finding Jesus in the whole Bible. Melchizedek — Who is this mysterious character who is described as a priest of God Most High during the time of Abraham, and the king of righteousness and peace? Who is this one who offers gifts of bread and wine, a blessing, and an invitation to worship? Recorded on May 30, 2021, on Genesis 14:13-20, by Pastor David Parks.

Sermon Transcript

So all year, we’ve been focusing on the Person and Work of Jesus. And last week, we started our final sermon series under this annual theme called Jesus in the Old Testament. The three-in-one nature of God, this peculiar teaching that God is a perfect, loving community of Father, Son, and Spirit, became clearer by the time of the NT in the Bible, but even in the OT, we see certain images and characters who prefigure/foreshadow the person/work of Jesus. And that’s what this series is all about: finding Jesus in the OT. Well, last week we considered the mysterious character of the Angel of the Lord. If you missed that message, you can always go back on watch on YouTube or listen to the audio podcast. Today, we’re visiting another mysterious character in the OT named Melchizedek. Now, Melchizedek is fascinating: an ancient priest who was known as the king of righteousness and the king of peace, who comes from Jerusalem to bless God’s people with bread and wine. Does that remind you of anyone else in the Bible? Does this sound familiar? If you have a Bible/app, please open it to Ge 14:13.

Genesis 14:13-20, “13 A man who had escaped came and reported this to Abram the Hebrew. Now Abram was living near the great trees of Mamre the Amorite, a brother of Eshkol and Aner, all of whom were allied with Abram. 14 When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he called out the 318 trained men born in his household and went in pursuit as far as Dan. 15 During the night Abram divided his men to attack them and he routed them, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus. 16 He recovered all the goods and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people. 17 After Abram returned from defeating Kedorlaomer and the kings allied with him, the king of Sodom came out to meet him in the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley). 18 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, 19 and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. 20 And praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything.”

Ok! So we jumped right into the middle of something. What did the man escape from and why did Abram and his band of 300 Navy Seals go rampaging after them? Well, the first half of chapter 14 describes alliances of kings going to war against each other. And one group, including the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah and their allies, fight another group lead by the king, Kedorlaomer. The alliance is soundly defeated and scattered. Kedorlaomer seized all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, including their people and their food/possessions as their brave kings ran and hid. Lot, Abram’s relative, was caught up in all of that and was captured by Kedorlaomer. When Abram heard what had happened, he marshaled his troops, which, by the way, shows how wealthy and powerful he had become by this point in time, and pursued the armies who had captured Lot. They defeated the armies of the kings that for sure would’ve been far larger by a sneak attack at night, turned it into a route. Then they recovered all the goods and people and c...

Jesus in the Old Testament is a sermon series on finding Jesus in the whole Bible. The Angel of the Lord — Who is this mysterious character that seems to speak on behalf of God one minute, and then be God the next? Who is the true messenger who mediates between God and his people? Recorded on May 23, 2021, on Exodus 3:1-12, by Pastor David Parks.

Sermon Transcript

So all year, we’ve been focusing on the Person and Work of Jesus. And today, we’re starting our last sermon series under this annual theme called Jesus in the Old Testament. Christians believe that the man, Jesus of Nazareth, existed before he was born. Not in The Great Before, as a pre-made personality like in the movie, Soul. But as God the Son, existing from eternity past. So when Jesus was born as a human being, we talk of him being sent into the world, of one who was God being made flesh. Now, the three-in-one nature of God the Father, Son, and Spirit became clearer by the time of the NT, but even in the OT, we see certain images and characters who prefigure/reflect/foreshadow the person/work of Jesus. In fact, after the resurrection, Jesus himself taught that the whole Bible was about him. I preached on this back in March. And that’s what this series is all about: finding Jesus in the OT. Well, the first of these prefigurations that we’ll consider is the mysterious character of the Angel of the Lord. Who is the Angel of the Lord? That is a great question. If you have a Bible/app, please open it to Ex 3:1.

Exodus 3:1-12, “Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.” 4 When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.” 5 “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6 Then he said, “I am the God of your father,[a] the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God. 7 The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” 11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” 12 And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you[b] will worship God on this mountain.”

So Moses was an Israelite born when his people were slaves in Egypt. Over the hundreds of years that the people of Israel were in Egypt, the favor of the Egyptians/Pharaoh turned against them and in Moses’ day, they were being harshly oppressed and abused. In the providence of God, Moses, however, was raised in Pharaoh’s household with all the wealth and prosperity that would bring. So if there was anyone who had the education and the political relationships to lead God’s people out of captivity in Egypt,