January 26, 2025
You can find the order of worship and songs here.
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Have you ever pointed your telescope into the sky and considered the vastness of space? Have you ever stood on the top of a mountain or on the precipice of Grand Canyon? Have you ever stood on the beach watching the ebb and flow of the tides? Have you ever looked into a microscope to see the strange world unfolding before you? Not only things great and big, but also small and delicate have something to say about their Creator. To be sure, they each have different voice just as a choir is composed of different voices. But each singing its own part they together declare God's glory.
There is a seamless transition from general revelation (Psalm 19:1–6) to special revelation (Psalm 19:7–14). As the created world is full of wonder, so the Word of God is full of beauty, because they both come from the same God. And if you are impressed with God's works of creation and providence, if your heart thrills and sings with wonder at the glory of God revealed in the universe, then you should be even more thrilled at God's special revelation. Because the Word of God reveals to us what Nature cannot. It reveals God's good will and kind intention toward his covenant people.
We live in a world of hype. And if this world teaches us anything, it teaches us to be cynical. And, perhaps wisely, we do not believe everything we hear. So some people might hear David's exuberant praise of God's word here and might think this is an exaggeration, a hype. Even if you are not entirely cynical, you might still be thinking how odd it is, because you certainly do not feel nearly as much excitement when you think about the Bible. Even if you know that Bible is pretty important, you could hardly say with David you prefer it even to much fine gold, or that it is sweeter than honey from the honeycomb. But the glory of God's special revelation is indeed that it is more precious than gold and sweeter than honey. Because God's word reveals to us what Nature alone can never communicate to us. The glory of God revealed in his creation is enough to remove all claims of ignorance and innocence from us. But the glory of God revealed in his Word removes all guilt and shame from us.
But how does God's word remove guilt and shame from us? David's reflections about God's speech in creation and Scripture ends with a humble and earnest prayer. Psalm 19:14 "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer." David recognized his urgent need for a redeemer. Psalm 19, in other words, is leading our gaze to Jesus who makes us "blameless and innocent of transgression (19:13)." For how can we see God's glory in nature and not feel utterly small before him? And how can we understand God's word and not feel utterly shattered? We need a redeemer. And, by God's grace, we have Jesus.
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Growth Resources
This year: Please see the full list of 2025 books as well as Bible reading plans on our church webpage.
This month: We are reading “The Unfolding Mystery” by Edmund Clowney.
This week: We are reflecting upon Shorter Catechism Q. & A. 4.
Everyday: Noted pastor and theologian Sinclair Ferguson posts a short reflection every day, each around 5 minutes long. "Things Unseen" cover various aspects of the Christian life, worship, and theological topics in a very accessible and edifying way. We encourage you to incorporate this into your daily life. Please see this page for more information. There you will find links to various podcast platforms as well as YouTube page.
Upcoming Events and Notices
January 26 (Lord's Day): Please join us for Sunday School lesson from “Essential Truths of the Christian Faith” Ch. 44 “Knowledge of Self and Knowledge of God.”
January 26 (Lord's Day): Fallbrook Food Pantry is in need of empty egg cartons. Please see Peggy if you are able to help.
January 29 (Wednesday 7 PM): The Zoom study of the Pentateuch will resume. Meeting ID: 885 5287 2349 / Passcode: 711992
February 2 (Lord’s Day): Please join us for Sunday School to reflect upon Edmund Clowney’s “The Unfolding Mystery.”
Thank you for your continued support of Grace Fallbrook (PCA). Your loving support makes the proclamation of the gospel and the building up of the saints possible. Please visit gracefallbrook.church/give and click on "Give Online Now." You will be directed to the PCA Foundation where you can give towards Grace Fallbrook (PCA).