I still can't believe the new 100 meter record is 9.58. That's just crazy. If I raced Usain Bolt, even at my top running condition when I was running college track, he would not only beat me, he would have time to jog back to the start and beat me again!
See below to see the race yourself (or for a higher quality view of it see the Universal Sports video feed)
Monday, August 17, 2009
Friday, August 14, 2009
"You Are Mighty Lord" Psalm 8 (Sermon Recap)
Psalm 8 is a praise psalm that directs us to praise God because he is mighty (see Ps 8:1, mighty is the sense behind the word "majesty").
The Lord is mighty in three ways:
1. God is mighty over his enemies (Ps 8:2)
Children and infants are some of the weakest and smallest creatures in the world. Yet somehow from their lips comes praise that is strength enough to silence the enemies of God. This should be no surprise to us - it is the Lord's pattern to use weakness and helplessness to do some of his mightiest acts (cf 1 Cor 1:27).
2. God is mighty over creation (Ps 8:3-4)
All creation testifies to God's might. In fact, compared to God even the heavens are like play doh, easily shaped into being by his fingers. (cf Isa 40:26, Rom 1:20)
3. God is mighty over mankind (Ps 8:4-8)
Creation is insignificant compared to God, and man is insignificant compared to creation. This makes man vastly insignificant compared to God. When we consider the greatness of the universe it is really only human pride that should make us think that God should notice tiny specks like us.
And yet God, of his own will, has seen fit to notice man, moreover, to give man glory and honor far above even the greatest planet or star by making us in his image. He remembers us and has specially commissioned us to rule over and steward this world.
These truths imply that our rule should model how God rules. God rules with care and wisdom and does not abuse his rule. God is praised then when we also rule over the world and all its creatures with the same care and wisdom.
These truths also impact how we view other human beings. If man has been made "a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned...with glory and honor" (Ps 8:5) by God himself, then we must not act within the world in such a way that demeans and degrades other people. God is praised then when we take conscious steps to also be mindful of others and care for others, especially the weakest "others" in our world, just like God does. How are we being and acting mindfully of others in other parts of the world, of others down the street from us, of others in our church and in our family?
And so, in summary, God wants us to live lives that praise him and acknowledge his worth and his might. This is especially done through how we treat our world and other people in our world. Man however has consistently failed to do this. We care more for ourselves than for others. We are more given to take from others for our benefit. We seek to establish ourselves as mini gods.
Of course, the world regularly defies man's attempts to be god. Through things like war, natural disasters, and diseases we are reminded that while we have dominion over the world we don't have complete control over the world. Rather than being humans crowned with the Lord's glory and honor, we are sinners crowned with shame and dishonor.
The only correction to this is Jesus Christ. Jesus fulfilled the role that human beings were supposed to fill within this world. He was the one human being who was perfectly glorious and honorable, the one human being who died and then conquered death by rising again so that we human beings could again claim the full glory and honor for which we were created. This happens when we believe in Jesus, a process that basically involves us adopting the name of Jesus for ourselves and becoming a new human being in him. In Jesus all things are brought under our feet (cf 1 Cor 15:27). In Jesus many people can brought to glory as sons and daughters of the Lord God (cf Heb 2:6-10).
It is from this Jesus based footing that we can truly speak of the Lord being OUR Lord (Ps 8:1, 9) and we can truly act as his heirs in this world. We can now truly praise him and live praiseworthy lives.
What are your thoughts and observations about Psalm 8?
The Lord is mighty in three ways:
1. God is mighty over his enemies (Ps 8:2)
Children and infants are some of the weakest and smallest creatures in the world. Yet somehow from their lips comes praise that is strength enough to silence the enemies of God. This should be no surprise to us - it is the Lord's pattern to use weakness and helplessness to do some of his mightiest acts (cf 1 Cor 1:27).
2. God is mighty over creation (Ps 8:3-4)
All creation testifies to God's might. In fact, compared to God even the heavens are like play doh, easily shaped into being by his fingers. (cf Isa 40:26, Rom 1:20)
3. God is mighty over mankind (Ps 8:4-8)
Creation is insignificant compared to God, and man is insignificant compared to creation. This makes man vastly insignificant compared to God. When we consider the greatness of the universe it is really only human pride that should make us think that God should notice tiny specks like us.
And yet God, of his own will, has seen fit to notice man, moreover, to give man glory and honor far above even the greatest planet or star by making us in his image. He remembers us and has specially commissioned us to rule over and steward this world.
These truths imply that our rule should model how God rules. God rules with care and wisdom and does not abuse his rule. God is praised then when we also rule over the world and all its creatures with the same care and wisdom.
These truths also impact how we view other human beings. If man has been made "a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned...with glory and honor" (Ps 8:5) by God himself, then we must not act within the world in such a way that demeans and degrades other people. God is praised then when we take conscious steps to also be mindful of others and care for others, especially the weakest "others" in our world, just like God does. How are we being and acting mindfully of others in other parts of the world, of others down the street from us, of others in our church and in our family?
And so, in summary, God wants us to live lives that praise him and acknowledge his worth and his might. This is especially done through how we treat our world and other people in our world. Man however has consistently failed to do this. We care more for ourselves than for others. We are more given to take from others for our benefit. We seek to establish ourselves as mini gods.
Of course, the world regularly defies man's attempts to be god. Through things like war, natural disasters, and diseases we are reminded that while we have dominion over the world we don't have complete control over the world. Rather than being humans crowned with the Lord's glory and honor, we are sinners crowned with shame and dishonor.
The only correction to this is Jesus Christ. Jesus fulfilled the role that human beings were supposed to fill within this world. He was the one human being who was perfectly glorious and honorable, the one human being who died and then conquered death by rising again so that we human beings could again claim the full glory and honor for which we were created. This happens when we believe in Jesus, a process that basically involves us adopting the name of Jesus for ourselves and becoming a new human being in him. In Jesus all things are brought under our feet (cf 1 Cor 15:27). In Jesus many people can brought to glory as sons and daughters of the Lord God (cf Heb 2:6-10).
It is from this Jesus based footing that we can truly speak of the Lord being OUR Lord (Ps 8:1, 9) and we can truly act as his heirs in this world. We can now truly praise him and live praiseworthy lives.
What are your thoughts and observations about Psalm 8?
"The Lord's Reign" Psalm 2
While Psalm 1 showed us how worship of God means commitment to the Lord's teaching, Psalm 2 shows us that worship of God means commitment to the Lord's king. "Kingship" is an example of biblical typology - this is when a certain "type," usually a person or place or concept or event - get picked up and repeated throughout the Bible, often gaining added layers of meaning and significance as you move through redemptive history towards Jesus Christ. Indeed, Jesus Christ is the focal point for most of the Old Testament types.
This dynamic is at play in Psalm 2. At one level the psalm is talking about an Israelite king who comes from the line of Israel's most famous king, King David. Back in 2 Sam 7, God had made promises to David that falls along the lines of what we see here, namely that God would be committed to David and that he would establish his throne forever. Psalm 2 picks up on this promise and affirms that God will be committed to the Davidic king. However, there is a deeper layer of meaning to discern concerning who this Davidic king is and what he represents.
At the outset of the psalm there is a strong affirmation of God's power (Ps 2:1-6). The nations plot to defy God and his king, but this is utter madness. The Lord will establish his king and his reign and no one can oppose him. The Davidic king himself is in a special relationship with God. He has the status of God's Son (Ps 2:7). He then is to rule on behalf of God, as his representative in the world. And in being God's Son he is given the whole world as his inheritance (Ps 2:8-9). Quickly we realize here that this is an uncommon king and an uncommon reign. Up to now we have expected that God's promise pertained only to the nations surrounding Israel. However, this promise concerns a worldwide rule over a worldwide kingdom. There is a sense of power and authority with this king and his reign. He will make sure that the world will finally, once and for all, come under the Lord's undisputed rule.
The only right response to the Lord and his king then is submission (Ps 2:10-12). Submission means a true fear and reverence of the Lord. God is not Big Bird or Barney. God is someone who lays claim to all the world, and to go against him means being completely crushed. God is the best in the world when comes to demolishing opposition. So serve the Lord with fear!
Submission though also means delighting in and enjoying God. As v.11 makes clear, we are invited to rejoice! Joy comes when we have fearfully submitted to God and then realized that this Lord we serve is not an evil dictator but rather a good and just ruler who makes space in his kingdom for anyone who wants to take refuge and find security.
We have a choice then - know the Lord's anger by rejecting his rule or know the Lord's blessing by submitting to him with respect and joy. Sadly the natural human tendency is to resist. This is where the Lord's king comes into play. For the Davidic king who fulfills the hope and potential of Psalm 2 is Jesus. He is the one true and full Son of God, the anointed one who accomplishes what was long ago promised by God (cf Acts 4:24-27, Rev 19:15-16). Submitting to the Lord really means submitting to King Jesus. One day Jesus will forever and definitively establish the rule of the Lord on the earth. How we will experience that rule then will depend on how we accept his King now. To live for yourself now is to experience the death of yourself, a death that will last forever under the Lord's punishment. But to die to yourself now, to submit to Jesus as the Lord's Son and King and thus to submit to the Lord's rule, is to come even now under divine blessing, with the promise of seeing it fully realized then.
What are your thoughts as you read through Psalm 2?
This dynamic is at play in Psalm 2. At one level the psalm is talking about an Israelite king who comes from the line of Israel's most famous king, King David. Back in 2 Sam 7, God had made promises to David that falls along the lines of what we see here, namely that God would be committed to David and that he would establish his throne forever. Psalm 2 picks up on this promise and affirms that God will be committed to the Davidic king. However, there is a deeper layer of meaning to discern concerning who this Davidic king is and what he represents.
At the outset of the psalm there is a strong affirmation of God's power (Ps 2:1-6). The nations plot to defy God and his king, but this is utter madness. The Lord will establish his king and his reign and no one can oppose him. The Davidic king himself is in a special relationship with God. He has the status of God's Son (Ps 2:7). He then is to rule on behalf of God, as his representative in the world. And in being God's Son he is given the whole world as his inheritance (Ps 2:8-9). Quickly we realize here that this is an uncommon king and an uncommon reign. Up to now we have expected that God's promise pertained only to the nations surrounding Israel. However, this promise concerns a worldwide rule over a worldwide kingdom. There is a sense of power and authority with this king and his reign. He will make sure that the world will finally, once and for all, come under the Lord's undisputed rule.
The only right response to the Lord and his king then is submission (Ps 2:10-12). Submission means a true fear and reverence of the Lord. God is not Big Bird or Barney. God is someone who lays claim to all the world, and to go against him means being completely crushed. God is the best in the world when comes to demolishing opposition. So serve the Lord with fear!
Submission though also means delighting in and enjoying God. As v.11 makes clear, we are invited to rejoice! Joy comes when we have fearfully submitted to God and then realized that this Lord we serve is not an evil dictator but rather a good and just ruler who makes space in his kingdom for anyone who wants to take refuge and find security.
We have a choice then - know the Lord's anger by rejecting his rule or know the Lord's blessing by submitting to him with respect and joy. Sadly the natural human tendency is to resist. This is where the Lord's king comes into play. For the Davidic king who fulfills the hope and potential of Psalm 2 is Jesus. He is the one true and full Son of God, the anointed one who accomplishes what was long ago promised by God (cf Acts 4:24-27, Rev 19:15-16). Submitting to the Lord really means submitting to King Jesus. One day Jesus will forever and definitively establish the rule of the Lord on the earth. How we will experience that rule then will depend on how we accept his King now. To live for yourself now is to experience the death of yourself, a death that will last forever under the Lord's punishment. But to die to yourself now, to submit to Jesus as the Lord's Son and King and thus to submit to the Lord's rule, is to come even now under divine blessing, with the promise of seeing it fully realized then.
What are your thoughts as you read through Psalm 2?
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