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Sunday School     3-26-06                Psalm 145(1-13)

 

Psalm 145:1 David’s Psalm of praise. I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever.

 

Extol

The word translated “extol” literally means to be lifted up.  The connotation is that David will lift up, exalt, or magnify God.  Our job is to remove ourselves from the view of the unsaved as much as possible and to lift up the name and image of Jesus Christ.  If people look at us, they will be disappointed.  If we point them to Jesus, he will satisfy their longing souls.  The way we do this is to remind folks of what God has done for us and give Him the credit for the positive things in our life.  People often forget the image they are putting forth and complain about their circumstances.  When we murmur the unsaved can rightfully say “what good did it do for that person to be a Christian.”  We need to remember to put our best foot forward and brag on God, even in the tough times.  We need to live the words of that great southern gospel song, “Lord, you’re the best thing that ever happened to me.”

 

My King

God is indeed our King.  It is His right to possess the throne as He is worthy and powerful.  He is also good to His subjects.  He rules through the power of love, not through force.  The Christian is not in bondage, but has been set free to worship our God.  He frees us from Satan and we voluntarily yield the throne of our hearts to Him.  Being Kind gives God the right to direct our lives.  Psalms 27:33 says the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.  He orders those steps for our own good and at our request.  We choose to follow and prosper or to disregard and put ourselves in peril.

 

145:2 Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever.

 

Every Day and Forever and ever

David will praise Him every day.  That means he will praise Him on good days and bad days; on prosperous days and days of want; on sunny days and cloudy days; on blessed days and challenging days; on easy days and difficult days.  We cannot let our love for God be determined by what is going on around us.  Sometimes we look around and forget to look up!  We also need to praise Him forever and ever.  I am in this race to win.  I am determined to go all the way to the end of this life or until He raptures my soul from this sin-cursed world.  We all need the same attitude.  No matter what happens tomorrow; He’s still God!

 

145:3 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.

 

Unsearchable

The word means beyond searching, investigation, or inquiry.  No matter how smart a man may be, we will never be able to know fully how great God is.  His power and authority are beyond the understanding of human beings.  The created can never fully comprehend the creator.  If that was possible then we would be equal to Him.  We are not!

 

 

145:4 One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts. 145:5 I will speak of the glorious honour of thy majesty, and of thy wondrous works.

 

 

Passed down

How wonderful it is to sit down with a senior citizen and listen to the stories of how God brought them through the tough times of the Great Depression or the anxiety of World War II.  Korean and Vietnam War veterans often tell stories of God’s preservation of their lives.  Women can relate raising babies when their seemed not to be enough food or medicine.  Folks who have been healed of life threatening diseases brag on God for extending their lives.  Marriages have been saved by God saving the spouse when all seemed lost.  Oh, how great God has been to us all.  We should not bury these tales, but relay them to our children and grandchildren so they can have faith in God also.  Some who have already gone to heaven still are winning souls by the relaying of their stories by their descendants to unsaved folks today.  What a thrill it is to know God is faithful and will remain so!

 

145:6 And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts: and I will declare thy greatness.

 

The terror of God

The word translated “terror” means to inspire reverence, godly fear, or awe.  God does not bring judgment upon people for His amusement.  He gets no sadistic pleasure in watching people go through misery.  There are three main reasons of why disasters happen.  One is as a judgment for sin of a society.  God brought the judgment of destruction upon Jerusalem because of their sin. (Jeremiah 5:21-25)  Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not: 5:22 Fear ye not me? saith the LORD: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it: and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it?  5:23 But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone.  5:24 Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the LORD our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season: he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest.  5:25 Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you.) The second thing is to cause people who are turning from God to be made aware of their condition and repent. (Amos 4:6-13 And I also have given you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and want of bread in all your places: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord.7 And also I have withholden the rain from you, when there were yet three months to the harvest: and I caused it to rain upon one city, and caused it not to rain upon another city: one piece was rained upon, and the piece whereupon it rained not withered.

8 So two or three cities wandered unto one city, to drink water; but they were not satisfied: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord. 9 I have smitten you with blasting and mildew: when your gardens and your vineyards and your fig trees and your olive trees increased, the palmerworm devoured them: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord. 10 I have sent among you the pestilence after the manner of Egypt: your young men have I slain with the sword, and have taken away your horses; and I have made the stink of your camps to come up unto your nostrils: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord. 11 I have overthrown some of you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and ye were as a firebrand plucked out of the burning: yet have ye not returned unto me, saith the Lord. 12  Therefore thus will I do unto thee, O Israel: and because I will do this unto thee, prepare to meet thy God, O Israel. 13 For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The Lord, The God of hosts, is his name.)  The third is sometimes things happen because we live in a sin-cursed world. (Matthew 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.) The Scripture teaches us that the Godly and ungodly suffer alike because the creation has been cursed by sin.  God is magnificent and merciful, but His wrath is certainly terrible.  We need to seek His face and not turn our backs to Him. 

 

145:7 They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.

 

Singing of His righteousness

I think the most powerful songs ever written have been inspired by man’s relationship to God.  Many songs written about worldly matters affect our emotions and lift our spirits, but no worldly song could speak to the soul of man like Amazing Grace, Love lifted me, I’m redeemed, or Sweet hour of prayer.  This is just my opinion, you don’t have to believe it, but I think these songs will be sung on the streets of Glory.  I truly believe the saints in heaven will lift their voice and sing Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me, I once was lost but now I’m found, was blind but now I see.

 

145:8 The LORD is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. 145:9 The LORD is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works.

 

Attributes of God  The Lord is:

• Gracious= kind, charming, courteous, polite and caring toward inferiors.
• Compassionate= “com” means together: pati means to suffer; thus the word literally means to suffer with someone.  The connotation is to be merciful and loving.  I often say compassion is love in action.
• Slow to anger= God is longsuffering towards us.  He realizes we are but dust and has mercy when we fail.
• Great mercy= I have often heard God called the God of a second chance, but He gives way more than two chances.  He bears my faults and infirmities with patience and love.  Great is His mercy; past human understanding!
• Good to all= Luke 6:32-36  For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. 6:33 And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same.   6:34 And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.  6:35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.  6:36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
• His tender mercies are over all His works.  Sometimes it is hard to see, but God does things for our good.  The Scripture assures us all things happen for the good of those who love and serve Him.  I am unqualified to determine how some things are for our good, but I know they are because His word tells me they are.

 

145:10 All thy works shall praise thee, O LORD; and thy saints shall bless thee.

145:11 They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power;

145:12 To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom. 145:13 Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.

 

What a beautiful testimony!

This is what a testimony truly is: to tell folks of how God has done great things for us.  The saints are commissioned and ordained to praise Him.  The Book of Psalms implores “everything that hath breath” to praise Him.  When we venture out into the world let us “speak of the Glory of His kingdom.”  Let us talk of His power which is unlimited and aimed for our benefit.  Let us tell the sons of men, or human beings, about His mighty acts.  Can you think of a mighty act God has done for you?  How about when He saved your lost soul from a Devil’s Hell!  Truly His kingdom is everlasting and will endure throughout all generations.  Actually it will last past that.  Heaven is an eternal place.  We are going to a world where we’ll never die; actually, we will never grow old!  How glorious it is to think God has prepared a place for the saints to live throughout the ages to come in perfect harmony and perfect satisfaction.  My spirit longs for that land!  I want all of you to meet me there.  Make the arrangements now!  Give your hearts to Christ and trust your soul to His care.  He will make a way where there seems to be no way.

 

 

New Living Translation Psalm 145 (to be used as a commentary only)

A psalm of praise of David.

1 I will praise you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. 2  I will bless you every day, and I will praise you forever. 3 Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! His greatness is beyond discovery! 4 Let each generation tell its children

of your mighty acts. 5 I will meditate on your majestic, glorious splendor

and your wonderful miracles. 6 Your awe-inspiring deeds will be on every tongue;

I will proclaim your greatness. 7 Everyone will share the story of your wonderful goodness; they will sing with joy of your righteousness. 8 The Lord is kind and merciful,

slow to get angry, full of unfailing love.  9 The Lord is good to everyone. He showers compassion on all his creation. 10 All of your works will thank you, Lord, and your faithful followers will bless you. 11 They will talk together about the glory of your kingdom; they will celebrate examples of your power. 12 They will tell about your mighty deeds and about the majesty and glory of your reign. 13 For your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom. You rule generation after generation. The Lord is faithful in all he says; he is gracious in all he does.

 

 

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PASTOR RICK BARCUS