2. Psalm 148:1-14 (New Living Translation) Praise the Lord from the heavens! Praise him from the skies! [2] Praise him, all his angels! Praise him, all the armies of heaven! [3] Praise him, sun and moon! Praise him, all you twinkling stars! [4] Praise him, skies above! Praise him, vapors high above the clouds!
3. Psalm 148:1-14 (continued) [5] Let every created thing give praise to the Lord, for he issued his command, and they came into being. [6] He established them forever and forever. His orders will never be revoked. [7] Praise the Lord from the earth, you creatures of the ocean depths,
4. Psalm 148:1-14 (continued) [8] fire and hail, snow and storm, wind and weather that obey him, [9] mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, [10] wild animals and all livestock, reptiles and birds, [11] kings of the earth and all people, rulers and judges of the earth, [12] young men and maidens, old men and children.
5. Psalm 148:1-14 (continued) [13] Let them all praise the name of the Lord. For his name is very great; his glory towers over the earth and heaven! [14] He has made his people strong,
6. TAKE HOME • Dash back over the hills of history and you'll find him there, before anything else existed: God! • Not a speck of dust nor the thought of humanity filled the vast empty spaces until God said so. • I may feel that I am the center of it all, and may communicate this to those around me. But make no doubt about it: It's all about God
7. Lord I bow before you today because you are God. And I rejoice because of the kind of God you are, full of love and mercy, as well as power. I submit to your purpose for my life. Decision
10. STARTING POINT: GOD You'll understand a philosophy or theology by its starting point: God (creator) or Humans (created)? God is not my solution, my answer, good medicine. It's only about me after I get the "God Story" straight.
11. GOD, THE CREATOR In The Beginning. God created! Genesis 1:1 And what a creation it is! Oceans, plenty. Mountain Ranges, bunches. Rivers, endless. Colors, myriads. People, oh, what an array!
12. Psalm 8:1-9 (New Living Translation) O Lord, our Lord, the majesty of your name fills the earth! Your glory is higher than the heavens. [2] You have taught children and nursing infants to give you praise. They silence your enemies who were seeking revenge.
13. Psalm 8:1-9 (continued) [3] When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers— the moon and the stars you have set in place— [4] what are mortals that you should think of us, mere humans that you should care for us? [5] For you made us only a little lower than God, and you crowned us with glory and honor.
14. Psalm 8:1-9 (continued) [6] You put us in charge of everything you made, giving us authority over all things— [7] the sheep and the cattle and all the wild animals, [8] the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea, and everything that swims the ocean currents. [9] O Lord, our Lord, the majesty of your name fills the earth!
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17. Psalm 36:5-6 (The Message Bible) God's love is meteoric, his loyalty astronomic, [6] His purpose titanic, his verdicts oceanic. Yet in his largeness nothing gets lost; Not a man, not a mouse, slips through the cracks.
25. Psalm 33:6-7 (NLT) The Lord merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born. [7] He gave the sea its boundaries and locked the oceans in vast reservoirs. John 16:14 (NLT) He will bring me glory by revealing to you whatever he receives from me.
26. Psalm 18:6 (Message Bible) A hostile world! I call to God, I cry to God to help me. From his palace he hears my call; my cry brings me right into his presence— a private audience!
27. Luke 18:1-8 (Message Bible) Jesus told them a story showing that it was necessary for them to pray consistently and never quit. [2] He said, "There was once a judge in some city who never gave God a thought and cared nothing for people. [3] A widow in that city kept after him: 'My rights are being violated. Protect me!'
28. Luke 18:1-8 (continued) [4] "He never gave her the time of day. But after this went on and on he said to himself, 'I care nothing what God thinks, even less what people think. [5] But because this widow won't quit badgering me, I'd better do something and see that she gets justice—otherwise I'm going to end up beaten black and blue by her pounding.' "
29. Luke 18:1-8 (continued) [6] Then the Master said, "Do you hear what that judge, corrupt as he is, is saying? [7] So what makes you think God won't step in and work justice for his chosen people, who continue to cry out for help? Won't he stick up for them? [8] I assure you, he will. He will not drag his feet. But how much of that kind of persistent faith will the Son of Man find on the earth when he returns?"
34. TAKE HOME • Dash back over the hills of history and you'll find him there, before anything else existed: God! • Not a speck of dust nor the thought of humanity filled the vast empty spaces until God said so. • I may feel that I am the center of it all, and may communicate this to those around me. But make no doubt about it: It's all about God
35. Lord I bow before you today because you are God. And I rejoice because of the kind of God you are, full of love and mercy, as well as power. I submit to your purpose for my life. Decision