where you stand with me for the reading of God's word. A little different than in your bulletin, our New Testament reading will come from Matthew's gospel chapter three. Matthew's gospel chapter three, starting with verse 13, and then our Old Testament reading from Psalm 29. So to Matthew's gospel, chapter three, verse 13. This is the account of the baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ and the voice of Jehovah, the voice of the Father from heaven upon his son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Matthew three, 13. Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. And John tried to prevent him, saying, I need to be baptized by you. And are you coming to me? But Jesus answered and said to him, permitted to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he allowed him. When he had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water and behold, the heavens were open to him and he saw the spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven saying, this is my beloved son and whom I am well pleased. And now Psalm 29, the Psalm of David. Give unto the Lord, O you mighty ones, give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name. Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness. The voice of the Lord is over the waters. The God of glory thunders. The Lord is over many waters. The voice of the Lord is powerful. The voice of the Lord is full of majesty. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars. Yes, the Lord splinters the cedars of Lebanon. He makes them also skip like a calf. Lebanon and Syrian like a young wild ox. The voice of the Lord divides the flames of fire. The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness. The Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh. The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth and strips the forests bare. And in his temple, everyone says, glory. The Lord sat enthroned at the flood, and the Lord sits as king forever. The Lord will give strength to his people. The Lord will bless his people with peace. The grass withers and the flower fades, but the word of our God endures forever. Amen. Please be seated. We turn in the scriptures for the preaching of the word this morning to Psalm 29. Last Lord's Day we considered Psalm 92, a song for the Sabbath day, a song that teaches us much about worship and the privilege and the goodness of worship. on the Lord's day in particular. And today we turn to another Psalm that likewise instructs us in our grand duty of worship. But it does so much differently than Psalm 92. This is a Psalm of the majestic glory of God. Children, do you like thunderstorms? What happens in your heart and in the depth of your soul during thunderstorms? We've had thunderstorms, haven't we, in recent weeks, even this past week. Several storms that came through with that loud, booming thunder, the pelting rain, sometimes driving sideways, the lightning flashing in the sky. And there's something about storms, isn't there, that sometimes strikes fear in our hearts. Sometimes children can easily make you afraid. Maybe it does for you like it sometimes does for my own children. Makes them come running into my room at night looking for refuge and comforting word. Maybe, children and all of us, maybe these storms fill us with awe, awe at the power, not merely of nature, but the power of nature's God and the booming thunder, the glory of the universe that he's made. Perhaps it even, it might fill you with delight, delight at the, even the beauty and the raw power of the thunder, the lightning, the hail. Perhaps some of you are like me and you like to get to the edge of the window or the edge of the patio and enjoy the storm as close up as possible. But here in Psalm 29, we're called to worship the God of the storms, the one who, as verse 10 tells us, sat on his throne during the storm of storms, the universal cataclysmic event known as the flood. the God of the flood, of that grand storm of storms, and the God of every storm, of every tornado, of every tsunami, of every hurricane since. And we're called to worship today a God who thunders in the storm, but yet also who, in our Savior Jesus, speaks peace to his people. So we're going to study Psalm 29, delighting in both the majestic power of God on display, but also the delight of peace that God gives to his people. The same voice that thunders in the storm speaks peace to his people. This psalm breaks down for our study very simply into three sections. A calling for universal worship of Jehovah in the opening verses. And then the basis of that call, why worship the one living and true God? Why worship Jehovah? The particular reason that David gives us in this psalm is the majestic voice of the Lord in the storm. We're going to consider the power of God on display in nature. And then lastly, the unshakable confidence of the people of God. If you will, we'll look at the calm after the storm, the assurance of peace for the people of God, even in the midst of the storm. So first, this call for universal worship, a call to all the mighty ones of the earth, a call to all people everywhere, to angels, to the very cosmos itself. Give unto the Lord. Oh you mighty ones give unto the Lord the glory due to his name three times in these opening verses a Call to give or ascribe glory to the Lord a call to the end of verse two to worship the Lord and the beauty of holiness again, this is a universal call to worship a call that we often hear in that we use here at Covenant at the very beginning of our worship service a call to Everyone to all people everywhere to sing praise to God to give glory to him This is a familiar theme, isn't it in the Psalter? I think of Psalm 148 as well a call to all the mighty ones of earth even the rulers of the earth to gather and and the worship of God's name. Think of Psalm 148, verse 11. Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all judges of the earth, both young men and maidens, old men and children. Also, you might think of Psalm 103, a call to Through the angels, the mighty ones, those who excel in strength, who do his word, heeding the voice of his word. Bless the Lord, all you his hosts, you ministers of his who do his pleasure. Bless the Lord, all his works and all places of his dominion. And bless the Lord, oh my soul. A call to all people, everywhere, at all times, without distinction, to give glory to God. A universal call to sing praise to Jehovah. a call that has brought us here this morning on the Lord's Day to give glory to God. But what does it mean? What does it truly mean to give glory to God? What does it mean to ascribe Glory and strength to him. We know from his word that he is majestic in holiness. He's fearful in praises doing wonders He's the infinite God of the universe the one who indeed sat enthroned at the time of the flood that storm of storms as we as we'll note a little later on the God of of every storm earthquake tornado a god of infinite power and glory. How then are you and I to give glory to Him? The idea here in the psalm is not that we add something to God, and not that we add to any of His perfection, of His intrinsic worth. but we simply recognize, we ascribe to Him that which already belongs to Him. That we magnify His name, proclaim, and display that glory for all the earth to see. That even, and think of this, in our worship, as we sing God's praise, as we declare among the nations that He reigns, we tell to everyone, in all places, we display the glory of God. for all the earth to see. Give glory to God, the glory that is so due to his name. Perhaps an illustration that can help us get a hold of what it means to give this glory to God is that our lives are, we give weight to the priorities in our lives. If you're married, hopefully you've You hold that covenant of marriage in very high esteem. It's something that you give weight to, or you give a due sense of proportion to, of your priorities, your time, your money, your energy put into that marriage. Same with a family. You pour into your family, you give to your family a portion of that, big portion of that time, energy, money that God has given to you. If you're employed, you give your employer a due proportion of what is due to them, your time, your talents, your energies throughout the week. Teachers know what it is to weigh things in their due proportion, don't they? If you're a teacher, you weigh the final exam and the refresher quiz at the beginning of the semester much differently, or at least you should. There's a due proportion of all of these things. But as we come into the temple of God, we give to him the glory due to him. And He is not one bound by time, bound by space, bound by any of the limitations of those other things that I've already mentioned. He's the God of infinite worth, infinite splendor, and even infinite beauty. And we're called to worship Him. Is not this the problem with our worship so often? That our views of God are far too low. We're far too distracted by those competing priorities. We give to things that ultimately don't matter, not the things I've already mentioned, that they certainly do matter in their own way, but we're so often distracted. We get things out of proportion. We fail to give God the glory due to his name, to indeed worship him in the beauty of his holiness, ascribing him that splendor, majesty, glory so due to him. What helps us? What can wake us up to a due sense of the proportion of God's glory, of His beauty, of His majesty? We go very easily then to really the heart and soul of this psalm, of this call to worship, the basis for this call to worship God's name. And that is the voice of the Lord in the storm. In order really to shake us, to show us the glory of God, His majesty and His power, even in nature, the psalmist points us to the voice of the Lord in the thunderstorm. The voice of the Lord, verse 3, the voice of the Lord is over the waters. The God of glory thunders the Lord is over many waters and you have in these Next verses verses 3 through 9 this phrase the voice of the Lord the voice of Jehovah repeated seven times To call us again to as it were shake us out of our dullness and apathy Spiritual sloth and to give God the glory to to his majestic name The particular image here is the image of the storm, the image of God seated on his throne at the flood while the oceans rage and tornadoes appear and the thunder booms and the lightning flashes, God sits on his throne and he calls for our worship, even using this picture from nature to demonstrate his power. And you see here how the Word of God and the works of God in nature are so closely connected, a close connection between what God has revealed of himself and all that he's made. The heavens, remember the words of Psalm 19, the heavens declare the glory of God, the firmament shows his handiwork. And just as that psalm calls us to rejoice in the glory of God at the sunrise, and a psalm like Psalm 8 calls us to rejoice and delight in the glory of God in even the night sky, the majesty of all that God has created, even as we look up and see the stars and their places. Psalm 29 calls you and me, and even you children, to think on the works of God in the thunderstorm. That is, the lightning crashes and the thunder roars, we think of the power of Jehovah. Verse 3 certainly should bring many things to our minds of the truth of God's Word, that the voice of the Lord is over the waters. Is there something here of the voice of God in nature, the same voice that created the waters above and the waters below on the second day of creation back in the opening of the book of Genesis. Something of God's creative handiwork, even from the beginning, when the voice of God spoke and separated the waters above, or the atmosphere from the waters beneath, and the oceans, the rivers, and the lakes. There's something here as well. There is of God's glory at the flood as God sat on his on his throne poured rain from heaven to destroy the wicked the fountains of the of the deep broken up and all the earth covered with that universal There's something here as well. God's power displayed even at the exodus. God's voice over the waters. Think of the words of Exodus chapter 15, verse 8. And with the blast of your nostrils, the waters were gathered together. The floods stood upright like a heap. The depths congealed in the heart of the sea. This is the song of Moses and of the children of Israel, as they've been delivered through the waters, as the voice of Jehovah has spoken in time and history, delivering His people from their enemies, washing away the enemies of God, and bringing the people of God through on dry land. Indeed, verse 10 of this song of Moses declares that you blew with your wind, the sea covered them, they sank like lead in the mighty waters. And this voice of God, this blowing of the wind, using of natural forces to bring glory to Him, it moves the people of Israel to worship, to confess, who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises? doing wonders. Our God is the God of the thunderstorm, the one whose voice is over the waters, who uses these natural forces to bring glory to himself. The scriptures are full of references to God's power displayed in nature. There's an unembarrassed supernatural view of the works of God in nature, that all of it, the oceans, the seas, the continents themselves, the atmosphere, the winds, the air currents, all of it bears testimony to God's powerful voice in history. You might remember the words of Job, Job 37, reflecting on the same truth. At this, also my heart trembles and leaps from its place. Hear attentively the thunder of his voice, of Jehovah's voice, the rumbling that comes from his mouth. He sends it forth under the whole heaven, his lightning to the ends of the earth. After the voice roars, he thunders with his majestic voice, and he does not restrain them when his voice is heard. God thunders marvelously with his voice. Indeed, all of this, the oceans, the rivers, the lakes, the storms, the tornadoes, the thunderstorms, all of them made by God, sent by God, and in them his voice thunders. And you have here in Psalm 29, Perhaps the best picture, the best way to describe this is as a storm tracks across a radar screen. Perhaps when you hear the booms of thunder in the distance, your inclination is to pull up a website with that radar, that weather radar, to track the progress of the storm. your phone or your your computer and there's something here in Psalm 29 of the tracking of a thunderstorm a thunderstorm that begins over the sea the voice verses 3 & 4 the voice of the Lord over the waters the God of glory thunders the Lord is over many waters the voice of the Lord is powerful the voice of the Lord is full of majesty it's the the voice of the Lord that instrument by which this storm rises from the seas and And then verses 5 through 7 makes landfall, appears before our very eyes and starts to make an impact over the nation of Palestine. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars. Yes, the Lord splinters the cedars of Lebanon. power of God unleashed as this storm progresses from the sea and then the image here is is of the cedars of Lebanon a place in the northern part of Palestine as the storm makes landfall and continues through the nation the voice of the Lord breaks the cedars and even splinters the cedars of Lebanon. The picture here is of the raw, majestic power of God in nature as trees are uprooted like twigs. You've seen this, haven't you? As you've driven down the road after a tornado and seen trees just laid over, flattened by the power of the storm. Those cedars of Lebanon, those mighty, majestic cedars that outlasted empires, Centuries, even millennia, flattened by the raw power of Jehovah, unleashed in nature. The voice of the Lord splinters the cedars of Lebanon. And not only the trees, the cedars of Lebanon, but the very mountains themselves shake at the voice of the Lord. Moved, made, in verse six, to skip like a calf. Lebanon and Syrian, like a young wild ox. These mountains, Lebanon, another Syrian also known as Mount Hermon in the northern part of Palestine. These mountains, long established, seemingly immovable, yet made at the voice of Jehovah to skip like young calves at the majesty and the power of God. Verse 7 likely is a reference to the lightning that accompanies such a storm, the booming thunder, the majesty of the lightning striking. all declaring the glory of God. And the storm continues through the whole of Palestine to the wilderness of Kadesh in the south as we track it from starting over the sea to the northern part of the country and then tracking down across the entirety of the nation all the way to the south, the wilderness of Kadesh in the very south of the country. All of it declaring the majesty and the glory of God, the wilderness shaking Verse 9, every aspect of nature impacted by the glory and the majesty of God's voice in nature. It's the voice of the Lord that makes the deer give birth and that strips the forests bare. the voice of the Lord that even would cause the natural phenomenon of deer giving birth. Job picks up, in fact, back to Job, he picks up on the same idea of the majesty of God in nature, even as as creatures, even as the deer bear their young. Out of the whirlwind, one of the questions that God gives to Job, Job 39, do you know the time when the wild mountain goats bear young? Or can you mark when the deer gives birth? Can you number the months that they fulfill? Or do you know the time when they bear young? It's the voice of the Lord, in fact, that makes the deer that brings those little ones to life. It strips the forest where the animals impacted by the majesty of God and the inanimate objects, forests and mountains, the cedars of Lebanon, all reflecting the raw power of God's majesty in nature. And what's the What's really the goal here? Why all of these wonderful references to the majesty and the power of God in nature? The end of verse nine. Everyone in this temple says glory. The goal of God's works, even in nature, as we read them here in the word, is that a people might gather to give glory to God, the glory of which he is so worthy. That we might reflect that we might stop and wonder in amazement at the glory of God revealed even in nature. So children, and all of you, when you think of the thunderstorm and hear the booming thunder and the lightning and the glory of God even in the event that so often can seem so frightening, think of the glory of God. Think not only of the raw force of nature, but on the glory of the God of nature. C.H. Spurgeon said that the loud-pealing thunder is like a church bell calling all the sons of earth to their devotions, and that this psalm progresses to the march and the note of thunderbolts as it declares the glory of God, the point of God's glory. revealed in nature and here in his word as that you and I might be moved to worship that we might be worshipers of him singing his praise delighting in his glory and in his grace indeed it would be a sad thing wouldn't it it'd be a tragic thing for the trees, the mountains, the oceans, the rivers, the deer as they give birth, all of it to be moved and affected by the glory of God and nature and for you to sit unmoved and unaffected and dull. It would be a great tragedy indeed. John Calvin said that what a monstrous thing it is that while all the irrational parts of creation tremble before God. Again, reference to the cedars of Lebanon here, the mountains moving like a calf, the wilderness shaken. What a monstrous thing it would be that men alone who are endued with sense and reason are not moved. that we would sit hardened or that we would commit that wicked sin of ascribing the glory of God in nature revealed and the glory of the heavens above and here in the majesty of the thunderstorm that we would ascribe that to the mere blind forces of nature and fail to give worship to the God of nature. It would be a high-handed sin against God. Calvin again, it is a diabolical science which fixes our contemplations on the works of nature and turns them away from God. The contemplation of God's glory revealed in the thunderstorm is to move you and me to sing his praise, to bow before him, to see the majesty and the glory of his work. and to give Him praise, that our hearts would be moved to worship. And indeed, for the child of God, this is how we ought to think, how we ought to think about God's glory revealed in all of creation, every square inch of the cosmos, declaring His glory, proclaiming His praise, that you and I would be worshipers of Him. But there's more, isn't there? Because it's the voice of the Lord indeed that moves, that is behind all these glorious phenomena of nature. But it's also the voice of the Lord that speaks to us in His Son, Jesus Christ. And it is the voice of the Lord and the person and the work of Christ alone that can duly move us. to cry glory to God. Indeed, apart from Christ, and apart from the grace of His Holy Spirit working within us, we would sit. You could sit through a thunderstorm, and you could sit through the voice of the Lord, even in Psalm 29 here in preaching this morning, unmoved and unaffected, not hearing the voice of the Lord, let alone in nature, hear from the proclamation of His Word. And you need the voice of our Lord Jesus Christ as He speaks clearly in His Word. Do you remember what? The writer to the Hebrews says at the very opening of his letter that God, who in various ways, various times, spoke to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds. This one this son through whom he has spoken is the brightness of his glory the express image of his person The one who indeed upholds all things by the word of his power The one our Lord Jesus Christ through whom God has spoken who purged our sins and sat down at the right hand of the majesty on high It is the glory of God in our Lord Jesus Christ that moves us to cry glory to God in his temple. Even in this New Testament temple of the church of our Lord Jesus Christ, gathered under the voice of his word, the majestic power of his holiness revealed both in nature and in preeminently in the Word, the Word made flesh, our Lord Jesus Christ. So a question for you. Are you giving attention, are you giving your attention to the voice of the Lord? The voice revealed in the thunderstorm and the voice of our Lord Jesus Christ as he speaks in scripture. Not looking for an extra biblical experience of dreams and visions and other things. Hebrews 1 is clear that those are past. You hear the clear preaching of Jesus Christ here in the full light and glory of the new covenant. Are you moved by this revelation of Christ to cry glory, to sing God's praise, to delight in His glory revealed in the thunderstorm, and also the glory of His Son, Jesus, the one who upholds all things by the word of His power, the one who indeed His voice echoed across the oceans, the waters, the seas of earth, and creation, and the exodus, and whose voice yet is proclaimed in the preaching of the word today. Have you heard His voice? Believing the gospel, bowing to Him, and crying glory to Him, even in His temple today. The glory of God revealed in the thunderstorm. The voice of the Lord that moves us. It is the voice of the Lord that moves us to cry glory to Him. But there's even more in the psalm before us, more of the glory of God. One of the delightful things about a thunderstorm, the storms that we experience as spring turns into summer here in South Carolina, is that calm after the storm, after the rain subsides and the thunder stops booming, the lightning stops splashing, there's a Sometimes a quiet mist and the clouds subside and you get a side of the sun again, that calm after the storm. And as it were, there's a calm after the storm here in Psalm 29, verse 10, really the heart of the entire Psalm. The Lord sat and groaned at the flood. The Lord sits as King forever. The Lord sat enthroned on the day of that great storm, the storm of storms in the old covenant, the flood of Noah's day, the Lord sits on his throne. Undaunted, unflinching, sovereign, even over nature there, that as the world was swept up in the destruction of the wicked, God sat undaunted on his throne. The Lord sits as king forever. Through every storm, every earthquake, tsunami, and natural event, and The spiritual unrest of our own day, God sits on His throne. The calm above the storm, if you will. Jehovah in undiminished glory, power, and sovereignty. And it is His voice that not only is spoken in the majesty and the power of the thunderstorm, but it's His voice that speaks peace to His people. and this calm after the storm subsides. Verse 11, the Lord will give strength to his people. The Lord will bless his people with peace. You think about the events that I've already pointed us to and the whole of God's revelation, thinking about the flood of Noah's day, and then thinking about the Exodus as well. Think about the calm after the storm. As the children of Israel have been brought through on dry land, the voice of the Lord sweeping the waters over the Egyptian army, drowning them, destroying them. The Lord's triumph over the wicked armies of Pharaoh. It's the same voice that has delivered His people, bringing salvation to them from all their enemies. It was the voice of the Lord as well that swept away the wicked in Noah's day, and then preserved Noah and his household safe. giving them peace, preserving them in life. The voice of the Lord that is so full of majesty and power, even in the destruction of the wicked at the flood, and so often in the storms ever since, it's the same voice that tenderly speaks peace in our Lord Jesus Christ to us, in the calm after the storm. Think about The God-man, our Savior Christ. That day as he, the incarnate word of God, if you will, the incarnate voice of the Lord, asleep one day on the boat, as the storm arises and his disciples begin to panic, Lord, don't you care that we're perishing? that the storm will overwhelm us and drown us. But our Savior, again, sitting as king, the God-man of the mystery and the glory of the incarnation, he, undaunted, unworried, simply rises and commands the winds and the waves, peace, be still. And there was a great call, rebuking the storm. And his disciples are moved to worship. What man is this that even the winds and the waves obey him? The one who speaks peace, salvation, and blessing to his people. The same voice that orders all of creation, the voice that echoes in nature, thunders in the storm, and the thunder and the lightning, tornadoes, tsunamis, hurricanes, and all the rest. It's the same voice in our Lord Jesus Christ that speaks gospel peace to us. What an assurance of God's grace in our Lord Jesus Christ. We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Perhaps some of you, as you think of even the thundering of God, the thundering of His voice, certainly in nature, but also in His holy law, your conscience is awakened. There's a thundering of God even at Mount Sinai that we read of in the book of Hebrews as God speaks in history, revealing His holy law. And perhaps you've been tormented with a reminder of your sin and your need of grace. Your conscience has been pricked and you've been convicted under the mighty voice of God. You need to run to the Lord of the storm, our Lord Jesus Christ, finding peace with God in him. It's in him alone, our Lord Jesus Christ, the blood shed on the cross of Calvary that we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, Ephesians 2 declares to us that he himself is our peace in his own body, making peace between God and rebellious sinners. And it's he alone that could speak by his spirit to his disciples. Peace, my peace I leave with you, not as the world gives, I give you my peace. Let not your hearts be troubled, and let not your hearts be afraid. The one who speaks gospel peace to troubled consciences. The voice, the tender voice of our Lord Jesus Christ. Do you know that peace? Do you trust Him? Even as children, you hear the power of God in the thunderstorm, you see the glory of God in nature, and so often your hearts can be full of worry and even fear. I call on you to hear the voice of our Lord Jesus Christ speak peace and gospel blessing in His Word. Echoing that benediction of Aaron long ago, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you. Words that we'll hear in just a moment. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Peace not only in a thunderstorm, but peace with God. The assurance of your sins forgiven, the hope of life everlasting, that you indeed will We'll hear the voice of God on that great day, split the clouds from heaven in the return of our Lord Jesus Christ, and have that sure, lasting peace with Him forever. The Lord indeed will give strength to His people. The Lord will bless His people with peace. You see, these last words of the psalm are really like, in the words of one commentator, a common rainbow over the entire psalm, and in the midst of the storm, the force of God's majesty and glory in nature, he speaks peace to his people. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, goodwill toward men. It is this blessed gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. As his voice is proclaimed, not only in nature, but in his blessed gospel, it is this message that moves us to give all glory to God and assures us of his abiding peace. May you know that peace, the peace of sins forgiven through our Lord Jesus Christ. May God bless his word to our hearts. Let us pray. Blessed God, we give you thanks for the voice of the Lord, that you indeed sit on your throne, that you sat enthroned at the flood, that you sit as king forever, that you have spoken both in nature and in your words, that ultimately you've spoken in Jesus Christ, the word made flesh. The one who reveals the brightness of the Father's glory, the one who is himself the express image of your person. Oh God, we ask for the grace of your spirit to hear your voice, both revealed in the thunder of nature. but also to hear your voice in the word, that we indeed would know the peace of sins forgiven, that we would receive strength from you, the forgiveness of our sins, and the joy of communion with you, try you God, by your word and spirit. We ask for those who are yet outside of Christ that you would call them to saving faith, that you would grant them repentance, that you would not allow them to be dull and hard of hearing. To your voice in nature and in your word, grant them saving faith. Lord, we pray that in all things we would give you the glory due to your name. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.