The LORD's Day September 16, 2007

The LORD On High

Psalm 148.1-6

This is one of the Hallelujah Psalms, those psalms beginning and ending with the words, “Praise the LORD” which in Hebrew is “Hallelujah.”

The first part of this Psalm takes us from earth to heaven. We need to look to the skies. We need to remember that our citizenship is in heaven. We need to let the LORD take us in spirit to the place of His dwelling. Our hearts should be set on heaven. Paul writes to the Colossian Church, “Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, Who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. (Colossians 3.1-4)

This world is full of trouble. Jesus told us we would have trouble in this world. Oswald Chambers wrote, “We say we do not expect God to take us to heaven on flowery beds of ease, and yet we act as if we do ” We really do expect life to get to a place of bliss here on earth. We want heaven here on earth. A friend told me recently of his desire in his youth to live in a near perfect place. He thought he had found it at one point. Then reality came in. The truth is there is no paradise here on earth- that is why Jesus said to the dying thief, “Today, you will be with me in Paradise.” It isn’t here in this world. It is in the world to come.

It is futile trying to find it. Some of the most disillusioned people I know are the ones who think and act like what Oswald Chambers wrote about: those who expect to go to heaven on beds of ease. Heaven is where the LORD dwells and where one day He will bring all those who are faithful to Him. Right now we live in a world that is full of sin.

This Psalm lifts us to heaven, where the LORD is. While we can’t go until the LORD brings us there we must keep these things in mind.

1. We need continual contact with Heaven.

The Psalms help us do this. This particular psalm is naturally divided into two distinct sections. The first is verses one through six. This section speaks of the LORD in heaven. He is in on high. High above the earth and the heavens is the God’s Throne. We need to be in continual contact with what is happening there.

*Prayer is the avenue. Too often we think of prayer in the area of asking God for things and that is certainly part of it. But a great deal of prayer and this psalm is an example is praise. Giving God glory is being in tune with what goes on around His throne day and night. Look closely at Isaiah 6 and Revelation 4-5 and let the LORD use that to get your heart in tune with Him.

*Prayer is praising God. We need to do that. Every human being on earth today worships something or someone. Some worship sports heroes or music or movie celebrities. Other worship nature. Many people worship themselves.

God’s people worship Him. In our prayers, lets praise Him more than we are doing. Let’s give Him glory and honor. Let’s exalt Him and nothing or noone else

*Prayer is petition and we need to do that. Presenting our requests to God with thanksgiving is the only way we can have the peace of God guarding our heart and our soul in Christ Jesus.

*Prayer is also as we have just mentioned, thanksgiving. We need to thank the LORD for all the wonderful answers to prayer. Every day we have much to thank God for. Look for things to thank God for in struggles- they are there!

*Prayer, keeping in contact with heaven, is also intercession. That part of prayer where we bring the needs of others to the LORD. We stand in the gap for them. We lift them up to the throne of God. We bring them to LORD feeling some of what they are going through.

We are called to pray without ceasing. This is a continual attitude of prayer. This is quiet praying in our spirit. Keep seeking for this if you have not come to that place in your spiritual walk with Jesus.

2. Heaven is our Home. II Corinthians 5.8
We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
Hebrews 11.15 they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

Our citizenship is there. But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ...” Philippians 3.20
I was born in Queens, in 1956. I am a citizen of the United States of America by birth. I was born here. In 1963 I asked Jesus to come into my heart and I became a child of God and a citizen of heaven. Now I am really a stranger on this earth. I know I don’t belong here. I have many friends and family who are already there in heaven. That is where I belong and where you belong if you have received Jesus Christ as your Savior.


Our names are written down there. Luke 10.20
do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.

3. Heaven is High.

Position- Above the earth and all the cosmos. It is in eternity and out of our space time continuum.

It is a Holy Place. There is no sin there. There is no evil there. Revelation 21.1Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.
4He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.

The results of sin (death and destruction) will be done away with in heaven We need to think of this for this is our comfort. We need to comfort each other with these words from our hearts to other hearts. This is our comfort.

One day Jesus will bring all who have believed on Him and remained faithful there.


4. Heaven is Near.

While heaven is, as far as its position, high and away. Heaven is near in the sense of time. Now our salvation (final) is nearer then when we first believed. Romans 13.11 And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.

Romans 16.20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.
This is a promise for the end of life and the end of time. There will be no more temptation in heaven.


5. Our Life’s riches are there.

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth... We live in time of wealth management today. We can store up treasures on earth by spending or saving. Spending money on things that do not bring glory to God is laying up treasure on earth. Stashing money away that we will never use is storing up treasure on earth. Don’t do that rather...

Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven... Giving to the work of the LORD is storing up treasure in heaven. Giving to missions is a way of storing up treasure in heaven. The little boxes in the foyer- all that money goes to buildings around the world. I was in some of those churches a few years back in the Carribean. Little simple buildings now bulging with people each night of the week. Good investments Souls Any giving that is used to bring souls to Jesus is a way of storing up treasures in heaven.


6. God Rules From There
Our God is in heaven; He does whatever pleases Him. Psalm 115.3

We spoke about this a few weeks ago. He is in control. This morning God reigns from heaven, from His Throne He rules on the earth. I know it seems sometimes He is not but He is. His will is being done. Obviously not everything that happens is His perfect will right now. But He overrules and brings good out of difficult things.
Heaven is God’s throne and earth is His footstool.

The LORD is on high. He reigns in majesty. I love the way He works. He does all things well. He is the King. He does whatever pleases Him. That is a good thing. It is good He doesn’t do whatever pleases us. Our understanding has limits. His understanding has no limits Our does. If we were to do what we pleased in this world we would mess everything up. How wise it is to submit ourselves to the will of God. His will is the best. We may not feel that but we can believe it and trust in Him and we will see if not on this earth in this life then definitely in heaven when we join Him there in eternity.


7. What He has said will stand firm in the Heavens. Psalm 119.89
Your word, O LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens.

God keeps His Word. He cannot lie His Word is truth.

When we look into the heavens and we think of this verse we see that not only here on the earth which God made but out there is the expanse which He also made His Word stands firm. We hold His Word in a written form in our hands. It is the Bible. It goes beyond that. It is written in the heavens.

God’s throne is in heaven. Above the clouds and planets. Way out in outer space is the throne of God. The Jews referred to this as the third heaven. This is where the LORD rules from. Revelation 4-5

It not only stands firm on earth, it stand firm in the heavens Looking to the heavens reminds of us of this promise. God’s Word stand firm there. It stand firm on earth. Heaven and earth will pass away but Jesus’ words will never pass away.

The LORD is on High. We are here on earth. We are to set on our hearts and minds on things above where Christ is seated.

So take these promises you have been living by and continue in His Word-
continue to live by them
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The LORD’s Day
September 16, 2007

We Worship In Singing
We Worship In Prayer
We Worship In Hearing the Word of God
The LORD On High Psalm 148.1-6
Dedication of Dylan Brian Hrubes

*Tithes and Offerings can be placed in the box at the rear of the sanctuary*
Please join us for coffee and bagels downstairs if you are visiting today.

This Week
Bible Reading Proverbs 1

Monday Men’s Prayer Meeting 6:30am in the church basement
Wednesday Bible Study -7:30pm at the parsonage
Thursday Bible Study 10:30am in the church basement
Next Lord’s Day
Morning Prayer- 10am in the church basement
Morning Worship- 10:30am(Sunday School for Children)
Spanish Service- 4pm


In Your Prayers For All of God’s People


Remember the men serving in the armed forces: Bradley, Julia Bujold’s grandson with Special Forces in Afghanistan, home on leave right now, Ken Brown, Pastor’s friend’s son on his third tour of Iraq- He will be there until next month. Please pray for the whole family. Billy Knapp, Jr. in Iraq with the Marines (neighbor of the church and Pastor- Billy’s sister graduated from Good Shepherd). He is due home at Thanksgiving. Matthew Klaus, brother of Good Shepherd parent in Iraq as a firefighter for Haliburton. Pastor’s nephews’ and niece’s cousin Kim’s husband, Jay, in Iraq. Pray for them and the others away from their families. Praise God for keeping David Louis, Jake Morgan and Tom Hindelang safe during their times in Iraq. Please pray for Johnathan Kruzner (friend’s son of Rudy Migliore) who lost his leg from a roadside bomb in Iraq this week. Christine Frankland, Katharina’s daughter undergoing chemotherapy beginning tomorrow. Remember Robert, her husband and Jonathan, her son as well as Katharina. Kathy, Ziggy and Margot’s daughter-in-law, under the doctor’s care for fibromyalgia. Thank God for answers to prayer for her. Pray for Eloise Brooks in Sunrise Manor undergoing rehab and hopefully coming home soon. Remember Jean Louis as both he and Eloise are on dialysis. Grace Martin, Edie Raevis’ daughter, recovering from surgery on her back. Edie’s daughter’s mother-in-law, Millie Espisito has a severe infection and is in grave condition. She alos suffered a stroke this week. Reginald Mooney, friend of Terri and John Garry, with a tumor in his kidney. Please remember Pastor’s friend Kim Richardson’s daughter, Kelly , the latest MRI showed improvement. Please remember this whole family in prayer.. Jeannie Rocarro recovering from surgery. Pastor Jerry Bonfiglio’s family who has been through so much grief this summer... Leah May’s cousin, Joan, respiratory problems,coming home. Lucy Mancini under Orthopedic Specialist’s care and physical therapy for pain and injuries resulting from the accident. Mary Butler, Pastor’s family’s former neighbor from Bellmore and dear family friend, recovering from surgery removing a tumor in the colon as well as removal of gall bladder and appendix. Stephen Huges, brother of a Good Shepherd Nursery School Mom, their parents home in Hewlett was destroyed in a fire. Judy Mucci is in the hospital. The cancer has spread to her spinal fluid. She has been placed in Hospice and has been given two to six months to live. Please remember her and Dr. And Mrs. Mucci this week in your prayers as well as Judy’s daughter Tatum. Alice Gordon’s brother, Everette, in Illinois, two blood infections along with another serious medical condition. Mary Von Fricken was diagnosed with congestive heart fauilure. Good Shepherd Nursery School -let’s remember the staff and students in prayer as well as the children of our fellowship in this first month of school.