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Introduction
We have been spending our Summer in the Psalms, and we have a few more weeks left of Summer. Yes, it is August, and after Family Camp it always feels like Summer is basically over, but we will continue to enjoy the Psalms. I read a few verses of our Psalm for today at the beginning of our worship this morning.
1 Sing joyfully to the Lord, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him.
2 Praise the Lord with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.
3 Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.
4 For the word of the Lord is right and true; he is faithful in all he does.
5 The Lord loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love.
6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth.
7 He gathers the waters of the sea into jars; he puts the deep into storehouses.
8 Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him.
9 For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.
10 The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.
11 But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he chose for his inheritance.
13 From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind;
14 from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth—
15 he who forms the hearts of all, who considers everything they do.
16 No king is saved by the size of his army; no warrior escapes by his great strength.
17 A horse is a vain hope for deliverance; despite all its great strength it cannot save.
18 But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
19 to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.
20 We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.
21 In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name.
22 May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, even as we put our hope in you.
At times, this Psalm has been used as a way to engender and build patriotism - to say “God Bless America,” but the USA, as much as we love it is not the chosen people of God. In fact, today, I believe that the chosen people of God are not a physical country with political borders. The Kingdom of God is present wherever the people of God are gathered, no matter where on earth they may be. God is our king, and we worship only Him this morning, because only He is worthy of worship.
I. The role of a king: Kings come to power in different ways, and in our day, not many true kings that have all the political power and clout exist like they once did. The power and the title is often handed down through bloodlines. Even today there is talk about how the succession will work when Queen Elizabeth passes, even though the monarch in England doesn’t really have the power that they once did.
II. The nature of a kingdom: The place where the king rules, the king provides and protects his people and his kingdom, the King is the defender and ruler over his people.
Body
I. Basic Background
A. This psalm moves from past, into the present and looks finally to the future. And through it all - no matter what has happened or what may yet happen, God - our king, is always on the throne. Every generation has reason for praising God for all that He does.
B. Situation: The author of this psalm is unknown, although there is some speculation that it may be David. As you know, King David wrote many of the Psalms. The situation of the writing is ambiguous, but clearly this is a song that was used in worship as the people of God gathered.
II. Song of Praise
A. Giving praise to God is one of my favorite things to do. We can do that in many different ways. Just yesterday morning, I went out on our deck with a cup of coffee and watched the beautiful sunrise, and all of the struggles and problems of this life seemed so small in comparison to the God who created that sunrise - and I just sat there in awe and praise of our God. We can praise God through prayer and contemplation, we can praise Him with the words of our mouths and the actions of our lives. One of the church’s favorite ways to praise Him, though, is through singing. Praise brings the presence of heaven down to earth. David says in Psalm 22:3
3 Yet you are holy, enthroned on the praises of Israel.
One way to translate that is to say He inhabits or dwells in the praises of His people. When we praise Him, the glory of God comes down and fills this place.
B. New experiences are reason for praise: God gives us new experiences in life, He is the reason that we live and that we have an abundance of life, every new experience that we have blends in to the tapestry of life, these are gifts from God.
III. Perfection of God
A. The nature of God: The very nature of God is reason for praise, God is fully perfect and holy - and He is wholly other than humanity, and yet, He desires to have an intimate relationship with us. We can be friends of God - and when I think about that, it just blows my mind. The whole nature of God is perfect, only God is perfect and He sets the standard for the whole universe, God is faithful to all of His people
B. God is perfect in love: God loves His people fully and completely. He loves unconditionally, and He loves even when His love is not returned. And the love of God that we receive is the love of God that we, His people are to extend to those around us. We are here to love like Jesus!
IV. God is creator and Ruler
A. God is the creator of the universe: Nothing makes us feel more small than considering the massiveness of the universe that God has created. These last several months, we have been blessed to experience some of the incredible pictures that have been shared from the Webb telescope. These pictures tell the story of a creation that is greater than we could have imagined just a few years ago. And yet, He is not just a distant and uninvolved creator, He is with us - present and closer than any human can be.
B. God is the ruler: God sits on the throne of heaven and He is the great King, yet, He is enthroned on our praises. He is a ruler full of compassion, love, and mercy for His kingdom.
V. God and humanity
A. God works in and God works through His people. He uses us to help change the world. He chose the people of Israel as His chosen nation, but followers of Christ today are His chosen people. When the Psalmist speaks of a nation, Christ followers from around the world are that chosen nation no matter where we may find ourselves living physically.
B. God sees the activity of the earth - He is not so aloof that He does not involve Himself in life - He is active and guides His people in all they should do. He is our strength and our shield, our provider and our comfort.
VI. God loves His people
A. When Israel was dependent on God, they found a support and help in times of trouble. When they placed their full trust and reliance on Him, they found Him to be sufficient for every need. It was when they took things into their own hands and did them on their own that they found they were weak and insufficient.
B. God is the great King over all the earth - He loves even when people are unlovely and even when people turn their backs on Him. His grace and mercy were and are always sufficient to meet the needs of His people when they rely on Him.
VII. Hope in God’s Love
A. The people will trust in God: There is a statement of faith and trust in God. He, and He alone will protect and provide for the people. When the people of God put their trust in God, we find that He is all we need.
B. The people rejoice in God: The people call out that God is their King and that He will provide for them, It is this aspect of who God is that causes us to rejoice, trust in God brings joy, He will watch over His people and care for their needs
Application
I. Songs of Praise
A. We have reason to praise God: He has acted on our behalf, He will continue to give us protection and He will continue to provide, we are to praise His presence and His power, He is the great King and the mighty ruler. One of the praise songs we sang at Family Camp says it this way:
You are the only King forever
Almighty God we lift You higher
You are the only King forever
Forevermore, You are victorious
B. New experiences bring reason for praise: Each new day is a reason for praise, every sunrise and sunset is an act of grace, God is at work 24 hours a day - seven days a week, He never stops and He is always leading us in new ways.
II. Perfection of God
A. The nature of God: God is totally pure and without fault, He sets the standard that we must live, God is the source of holiness and sacredness, nothing is beyond Him.
B. God loves perfectly: God loves His people completely and fully, it is this fact that separates Christian faith from every other religion of the world, God acts out of love to send His one and only Son to live among us and give His life on Calvary in order to save us from our sins.
III. God is Creator and Ruler
A. God is the creator: He is the grand designer of everything, the whole universe is sourced in His hand, He has made everything, His greatest creation was humanity and each one of us are a masterpiece of the creator.
B. God is the Great Ruler: He is over all of creation, He is the great master, His creation stands as a testament of His power and His grace, He is the protector and provider of the universe.
IV. God is the Ruler of Humanity
A. The Divine inheritance: We are the people of God and we are to be a blessing for the whole world, He has made us to be a blessing to one another and to the world.
B. God sees human activity: God watches over each of us, he grants us protection and He provides in times of need, He is the great King who watches out for us.
V. God’s Love for His People
A. Dependence on God: We cannot make it on our own. We are dependent on God for everything. I know that goes against the pull yourself up by your bootstraps mentality of America. But He is the one that provides for our every need. He is the source of all that is beautiful and good in this life.
B. God is the Great King: God watches out for us, He is there for His people, He stands behind His promises and He leads us into His will for our future.
VI. We find Hope in God’s Love
A. Trust in God: When our faith and trust are placed in God, He will not fail us, His power and position are on our side, He lives up to His end of the bargain and His love endures forever
B. Rejoice in God: He is the source of all joy, our joy can not be complete without God, His joy is the only one that lasts through trials and troubles, Joy found in God is complete and full, He is the true source of joy.