Psalm 11

Like 2019, we’re spending the Summer in the Psalms for 2021. This time we’ll be going through them sequentially which will give us a unique perspective into the ‘Poetry’ genre of the Scriptures.

Psalm 11 is a short Psalm. But what it lacks in length it makes up in intensity. Psalm 11, amongst other things, confronts us with the judgment of God. It forces us to reconcile what the Scriptures actually say VS. what we’ve either been taught/told they say -OR- what we want them to say. When we explore the Bible carefully, we see that the judgement of God is actually good news for humanity and all of creation. Joshua Ryan Butler says it this way in his book The Skeletons in God’s Closet: Joshua Ryan Butler in his book, The Skeletons in God’s Closet, writes, “Like a chorus in unison, these three holy war passages (Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19), Topheth in Gehenna (Jeremiah 7), Beast in book of Daniel (Daniel 7) all sing the same tune: God will judge empire. This is the hope of the world. The lake of fire is about the end of empire, not the torture of individuals. If God’s kingdom is to come, our empire must go. If God is to rule on earth as in heaven, then our attempt to rule the earth without him must be put away. God stands against Babylon because God stands for his world. It is for this reason that the lake of fire is an image of hope. Its significance is that Babylon shall never rise again. The exile will be over; the great city and all that she represents will be replaced by Jesus’ kingdom. Sin’s destructive power will no longer be allowed to terrorize the earth. And when Babylon falls, she ain’t gettin’ back up. This is the hope of the world.”

*** With all the changes we had to make w/the new mask mandate and shifting our worship space and equipment around, our Sermon audio did not record. We’re uploading Daniel’s sermon notes below, but just remember that these are homiletic notes and not a manuscript. As always, reach out w/any questions. ***