Praise Our God

[0:00] Well, good morning, church. Turn with me in your Bibles to Psalm 147.

[0:12] If you're looking in one of the Pew Bibles, it's page 492. Next week we'll be starting a series in the Gospel of Luke, the last six chapters of Luke 19 to 24.

[0:30] And as we did with the series in Genesis this fall, we have those Scripture journals. So they have the full text of the Gospel of Luke on one half of the page and then a blank page on the other side for you to write notes and reflections and questions.

[0:43] So if those are helpful for you to take sermon notes or to be reading on your own and reflecting through the Gospel of Luke as we go through that in the next sermon series, there are several on the back table.

[0:55] If you can put $3 on the offering plate to cover the cost of those, that'd be great. But if that would be helpful for you, feel free to take one of those today and use it over the next few months as we journey through Luke's Gospel.

[1:11] But this morning, to begin this year, I thought we'd look at a psalm. Let me read to us Psalm 147. Praise the Lord, for it is good to sing praises to our God, for it is pleasant and a song of praise is fitting.

[1:34] The Lord builds up Jerusalem. He gathers the outcasts of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. He determines the number of the stars.

[1:47] He gives to all of them their names. Great is our Lord and abundant in power. His understanding is beyond measure. The Lord lifts up the humble.

[2:00] He casts the wicked to the ground. Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving. Make melody to our God on the lyre. He covers the heavens with clouds. He prepares rain for the earth.

[2:12] He makes grass grow on the hills. He gives to the beasts their food and to the young ravens that cry. His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man.

[2:25] But the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love. Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem. Praise your God, O Zion, for he strengthens the bars of your gates.

[2:39] He blesses your children within you. He makes peace in your borders. He fills you with the finest of the wheat. He sends out his command to the earth. His word runs swiftly.

[2:51] He gives snow like wool. He scatters frost like ashes. He hurls down his crystals of ice like crumbs. Who can stand before his cold?

[3:03] He sends out his word and melts them. He makes his wind blow and the waters flow. He declares his word to Jacob.

[3:14] His statutes and rules to Israel. He has not dealt thus with any other nation. They do not know his rules. Praise the Lord.

[3:24] Well, last week we looked at Psalm 90 to close out the past year and decade. And this morning we're looking at Psalm 147 to begin a new year and a new decade.

[3:36] As I said last Sunday, the occasion of a new year is an appropriate time to take stock of where we've been and where we're headed. Sometimes we can get so caught up in the daily tasks of life that we can lose sight of our spiritual priorities and purpose and perspective.

[3:52] But these Psalms can help us to refocus on the character of God. Our ever-present, ever-faithful, and everlasting God as we begin this new year.

[4:03] Now the Psalms are a book of songs and prayers. And they're meant to accompany us through all the seasons of life. The Psalms are written to help us approach God in all kinds of different situations that we might face.

[4:18] So there are Psalms of lament, expressing anguish, crying out to God in the midst of distress. There are Psalms of confession and repentance, turning to God with our sin and failure.

[4:29] There are Psalms of trust and confidence, resting quietly in God's presence and God's promises. There are Psalms of remembrance and reflection, looking back on the history of God's people and considering the lessons that can be learned from God's work in history.

[4:46] There are Psalms of thanksgiving, of gratitude for God's provisions and God's mercies. And finally there are Psalms like this one of praise. Now the last five Psalms, 146, 147, 148, 149, and 150, are all Psalms of praise.

[5:02] They all begin and end with praise the Lord. The Hebrew word is hallelujah, praise Yahweh, right?

[5:14] That's where we get hallelujah. It means praise the Lord. So Psalm 146, if you look at that, it's an individual praising God. Begins, I will praise the Lord, O my soul, I will praise the Lord as long as I live.

[5:28] Psalm 147, we see the church or God's people gather together praising Him. It is good to sing praises to our God. That's what we're looking at this morning. In Psalm 148, we see all creation, the heavens and the earth and all the creatures giving praise to God.

[5:44] So these concluding Psalms of praise are meant to point us toward our final destiny. The book of Psalms helps us to journey through all the seasons of life, and the end of Psalms points us to where we're headed in the end.

[5:59] Where we as individual believers and as the church gather together and along with all creation will give praise and glory to God.

[6:10] Now, in the different seasons of life, our prayers might not always begin with praise like these Psalms do. But the point is, if we keep praying to the God of the Bible long enough and walking with Him, our prayers will end in praise.

[6:30] Through all the ups and downs of life, we can know that our prayers will certainly end in joyful praise. So, as we begin a new year and a new decade, I thought it would be appropriate for us to look at this Psalm of praise.

[6:41] Right? We're not yet at the end of our journey, but we can look forward and we can sing in anticipation of it. And as we begin this new year in an uncertain and ever-changing world, this Psalm points us to the one thing that we can absolutely and always depend on, which is the character of God.

[7:01] Now, Psalm 147 has three sections. Each section begins with an invitation to praise the Lord. Verse 1, verse 7, and verse 12 all invite us to praise the Lord.

[7:16] And then each section gives us a reason. Why should we praise the Lord? Well, each section gives us a reason. And each section will focus on one aspect of God's character.

[7:27] And it'll show us God's character expressed toward his creation and then toward his people. So, in each section we'll see an aspect of God's character expressed toward his creation and expressed toward us as his people.

[7:39] And that gives a reason to praise him. So, as one writer put it, this Psalm links the wonders of God's creation with the glories of his grace. So, let's look at each section in turn this morning.

[7:52] First section, verses 1 to 6. Praise God who sees both the big picture and the small details. That's verses 1 to 6.

[8:03] Now, how does that look in, how does, how is that characteristic of God expressed toward his creation? Well, look at verse 4. He determines the number of the stars and he gives to all of them their names.

[8:18] According to scientists at UC Santa Barbara, assuming an average of 100 billion stars per galaxy would mean that there are about 1 billion trillion stars in the observable universe.

[8:33] Now, scientists will also say that's only an estimate. We can't be sure how far the boundaries of the universe actually extend or whether there are other universes that we have no access to and can't even observe.

[8:44] But the point is the number of stars is unimaginably large. We couldn't even count that high if we spent our entire lives just counting. If you spent 30 years just counting, doing nothing else, you could get to a billion.

[9:00] But this is a billion trillion. That means you have like, I think you have, does that mean you have to do a trillion more times? Anyway, right, I can't even do the math, right?

[9:13] Like, you wouldn't even be a tiny fraction of the way there if you spent your entire life counting. Even if we spent all of human history counting. The entire human race couldn't count up to that number.

[9:27] Now, of course, the scientists or the psalmist lived before modern astronomical tools were invented and before these sort of calculations of modern scientists.

[9:38] But in the ancient world, the stars would have been far more visible at night, right? No electric lights to obscure them. Not much else you could do outdoors after it gets dark.

[9:51] And so, in the ancient world, regular people, not just trained scientists, would likely have spent a lot more time looking up into the night sky and contemplating the vastness of the universe.

[10:08] Right? More than we do. And so, the psalmist looks at the sky and he says, God is the Lord of the vastness. He determines the number of the stars.

[10:21] Too many for us to count. He sees the whole picture that is far too big for us to even begin to get our heads around.

[10:34] And at the same time, he says, God notices even the small details. He sees each individual star.

[10:44] He gives to all of the stars their names. God sees not only this hugeness, but he even sees the close-up.

[10:55] And so, in verse 5, the psalmist reflects, Great is our Lord and abundant in power. His understanding is beyond measure. God sees the whole picture.

[11:06] And he sees the individual details of his creation. But this section also shows us how God sees both the whole picture and the individual details of our lives.

[11:21] Notice the variety of verbs in verses 2 and 3 and 6 that talk about how God deals with his people. The Lord builds up Jerusalem.

[11:34] He gathers the outcasts. He heals the brokenhearted. He binds up or bandages up their wounds. The Lord lifts up the humble or the afflicted.

[11:45] And he casts the wicked to the ground. You see, what this section is telling us is that God has a detailed awareness of our condition and our needs.

[11:58] God doesn't just see us from a distance. Remember that song 30 years ago? They had us sing it in elementary school. That was where I was then. Right?

[12:09] From a distance, the world seems blue and green and all nice. No, God sees more than that. God sees our condition and our needs up close.

[12:19] And he deals with us in the way that is appropriate to our condition and our needs. He doesn't just deal with us in a general or mechanical way. He engages us personally with detailed care.

[12:32] Now, the prophet Isaiah used similar words and phrases toward the end of his book, where God was promising that after the exile to Babylon, the people, the city of Jerusalem would be rebuilt and the outcast would be gathered and God's servant would bind up the brokenhearted.

[12:52] So, some people think that maybe this psalm was written after the people returned home from exile. And they looked and saw that God's promises that he had given beforehand through Isaiah were now being fulfilled.

[13:07] Right? The city was being rebuilt under Ezra and Nehemiah. And the outcasts, people who had been exiled and removed from their homes, were now finding a home.

[13:20] And people and the brokenhearted were being bound up. So, perhaps this psalm was written and the people who were singing it or who wrote it were looking around at each other and could look at each other and say, look at what God has done for us.

[13:38] You know, take a moment to just look around at some of the people who are seated next to you. Right? Especially if you've been coming here for a little while and you know some of those people by name.

[13:51] Right? Take a moment to think about, you know, I know the pews all face forward. And that's helpful because, you know, whatever, maybe it helps you pay attention. But we're also here together. Right?

[14:02] So, a long time ago, Trinity used to meet in this other building. We used to rent another building that was a semicircle. And so, you'd both be looking at the front, but you'd also be looking at each other. And sort of seeing each other sing and pray and worship God together.

[14:18] Right? But as you look at each other, think about, you know, can you look at each other and praise God for what he has done? You know, as I look out.

[14:30] Right? As I, you know, see you. Right? Some of you were outcasts. You had been rejected. You were feeling alone. You had been mistreated.

[14:40] And God in his mercy has gathered you in. Gathered you into his flock. And you found a spiritual home among the people of God. Some of you have been brokenhearted.

[14:53] Grieving or vulnerable. Hurt. And the Lord has comforted you. And brought you under his wings. And brought some healing to your wounds.

[15:06] Some of you have been proud. Harboring secret sins and not living in the truth. And God has exposed you and brought you down. And yet, in his mercy, he has led you in the path of repentance.

[15:20] And he's showing you the way to hope. Twenty years ago, this church was literally about to close. This church had 20 or 30 people. Hadn't had a pastor for five years.

[15:32] A whole bunch of messy things had happened. And God's people prayed. And God mercifully provided. Then, and in his mercy, he has built us up. He's built us up to who we are today.

[15:45] So we can look around the room. We can, you know, we can praise God. Especially as we get to know each other. And hear the stories of God's grace. In each other's lives. How God has met us where we are.

[15:57] How God has dealt with us according to our particular needs. How God has walked with us through hard times. And we can look around at each other. And we can come to church. And we can say, praise God.

[16:08] Because I can see what he's already doing. And what he's already done. But you know, some, but we can also proclaim these words. The Lord builds up Jerusalem.

[16:21] Builds up his people. He gathers the outcasts. Heals the brokenhearted. We can also proclaim those words. In faith. When we don't yet see what we hope for. What I mean by that is.

[16:32] We can declare. God is a God who heals the brokenhearted. Even when. We're longing to experience.

[16:43] A deeper healing and restoration. That we haven't yet experienced. We can declare. Excuse me. We can declare. That our God. Gathers in the outcasts.

[16:56] Even as we pray. For those who are still far away. From the good shepherd. Alright. We can. We can. Praise God. And say. These are true things about God.

[17:08] Even if. I'm longing to experience them. Even if I'm longing for someone else. To experience them. And to be able to look. For them to say.

[17:18] Praise God. Because he's done this. But we can also say. Praise God. Because he's the kind of God. Who has done this. And who can do this. And who will do this. We haven't yet seen.

[17:30] The end of the story. And we sing this song of praise. In anticipation. Of the day when we will. But as we begin this new year. We praise. The God who's more than equal.

[17:41] To our problems. And our needs. Right. Nothing is too big. For the one who determines. The number of the stars. And as we begin this new year.

[17:52] We rejoice. That we are not too small. For God to notice. If he knows the stars by name. Surely he knows. You by name.

[18:03] As well. So praise God. Who sees both the big picture. And the small details. That's the first point. But the second section. Gives us another reason.

[18:14] To praise God. Praise God. Who delights to provide. For those who depend. On him. This is verses 7. To 11. Now. Again. We see this characteristic.

[18:25] Expressed toward God's creation. And toward his people. Verse 8 through 9. We see God provides food. For his creatures. Who depend on him. He's not just concerned.

[18:35] About the stars in the heavens. He cares for the beasts. And the birds. On earth. Earth. And so he orders his creation. So that his creatures. Will be adequately nourished. He covers the heavens with clouds.

[18:47] Prepares rain for the earth. Makes grass grow. On the hills. Now. Verse 9. mentions beasts. Which is just a general term for animals. And as well as ravens.

[19:00] Now. Many animals eat grass. Right. Sheep. Cows. They all eat the grass on the hills. Ravens don't. Right. Ravens are scavengers.

[19:11] And they eat rodents. Eggs. Garbage. And carcasses of dead animals. Right. In the Old Testament. Ravens were considered unclean. And it was forbidden to eat them.

[19:24] But the. Interestingly. The psalmist. Sees God's hand of provision. Not just. For the sheep and cows. Sort of grazing quietly on the hills. But also for. Squawking ravens.

[19:36] Circling the garbage dump. Right. It may not look pretty to us. But God feeds them too. Now stepping back from those details. Verses 8 and 9.

[19:47] Give us a picture of a God who is diligent. Productive. And generous. To provide. For all of his earthly creatures. So you might say.

[20:02] How does this characteristic of God apply. To his relationship with his people. Right. And we might. Be inclined to think. That. God delights in us.

[20:14] If we are. Diligent. Productive. And generous. Like he is. But verse 10 says. That is not the conclusion. That we should draw.

[20:25] God's delight is not in. The strength. Or prowess. Of a horse. Nor in the legs of a man. That. Could be a reference. To military might. Cavalry.

[20:36] And foot soldiers. Right. Or it could be a more general image. Of strength. Agility. And beauty. But regardless. Here is the point. God delights.

[20:48] Not in. How productive we are. Not in our prowess. Not in our performance. Not in our physical fitness. Or our outward appearance. Those are not the primary things.

[21:00] That bring God joy and delight. Verse 11 says. God delights above all. In people who fear him. That just means people who recognize God for who he really is.

[21:14] Who stand in awe of him. And. Not just people who recognize for him for who he is. But who trust him. Who personally put their hope in his unfailing love.

[21:27] In other words. We could simply say. God delights in us. As we depend on him. As we trust. That just as he provides. For the cows.

[21:38] And the sheep. And the ravens. He will provide for us. And you know. This same principle is taught throughout the Bible. In a variety of different ways.

[21:50] So in the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus said. If your heavenly father. Clothes. The birds of the air. And the grass of the field.

[22:01] Won't he look after you as well. Aren't you more valuable than they. God delights in us. As we depend on him. As we entrust our past.

[22:13] And present. And future. Into his hands. The apostle Paul taught the same principle. In his own words. He put it this way. We are justified purely by grace.

[22:24] Through faith. In God's son. Jesus Christ. Apart from any works. Of our own. Now what does that mean? God delights in us. As we depend.

[22:34] Completely. On Jesus. You know. Our status before God. Our place in God's family. Is not determined. By what we can bring to the table.

[22:46] Our moral efforts. Or our religious performance. Or our family connections. Or our financial position. Or our athletic achievements. Or our artistic flair. Or our physical attractiveness.

[22:58] Or anything else. The only way that sinful. Flawed. And unworthy people like us. Can have a right status before God.

[23:10] Is through the person and work. Of God's son. Jesus. Jesus. Jesus is the eternal son. Of God the father. And Jesus lived a life of total trust.

[23:22] And perfect obedience. To God. So when we who are sinful. And flawed. And unworthy. When we entrust ourselves to Jesus. He promises to become our brother.

[23:37] And so through him. God becomes our heavenly father. Jesus says. Everything that is ours. Will become his. And everything that is his.

[23:48] Will be ours. If we simply. Entrust ourselves. And give ourselves to him. Now it's certainly true. That as we fear God.

[23:59] As we put our hope in his steadfast love. That God's spirit works within us. So that we become people. Who are increasingly. Diligent. Productive. And generous. But the psalmist is telling us. Don't put the cart before the horse.

[24:11] If you've entrusted yourself to Jesus. God delights in you. As his child. Not because of your achievements. Not because of your performance. Not because of all those other things.

[24:23] Think about it this way. Why does a parent. Delight. In a newborn baby. Not because of the baby's productivity. Babies produce one thing.

[24:36] When they produce. Mom or dad needs to clean up the mess. Not because of the baby's moral performance.

[24:49] Not because of the baby's physical ability or strength. Not even because of the baby's future potential. Because that's unknown. There's so many unknowns as a parent.

[25:03] Right? But a good parent does not withhold love and approval. Until the child grows up. And independently proves himself or herself. No. A good parent delights in their child.

[25:16] And lavishes love upon them. And completely. And without reservation. From day one. Now that love. Will take different forms over time.

[25:29] Including direction. And correction. And even discipline. But that love is steadfast. And enduring. Because you see. A parent's love for a child.

[25:41] Is only a small picture. Of God's love for his children. You see. God takes pleasure in us. He lavishes love upon us.

[25:52] From day one. When we first turn to Jesus. And say. Lord. Take me. I'm yours. I'm a mess. And I need you. To do what I can't do for myself. God delights in us.

[26:06] From the moment that we begin to depend. And rest. On him. And you know. That's not just true at the beginning of the Christian life. That's true all the way.

[26:17] To the end. Of the Christian life. Some of you. Have been following Jesus for a long time. And maybe you've been. Maybe you've worked very hard. To be diligent.

[26:29] And productive. And generous. With the resources God has given you. And in doing the work of God's kingdom. Maybe you've been doing that work for decades. But rejoice in this glorious truth.

[26:42] Your heavenly father. Still delights in you. Not because of all the work you've accomplished for him. But because you're with him. Because you belong to him.

[26:54] Because you're his child. And he's adopted you into his family. Through his son Jesus. And so you can rest in that truth. And you can be energized by that truth.

[27:06] To do the work God's given you to do. But remember. From beginning to end. God delights in us. As we depend on him. So praise God who sees the big picture.

[27:20] And the small details. And praise God who delights to provide. For those who depend on him. Finally. The last section. Verses 12 to 20. Praise God.

[27:32] Who rules. And transforms us. By his word. And now again. We see this characteristic of God. Expressed toward his creation. Verses 15 to 18.

[27:44] And toward his people. In the other verses in this section. So verses 15 to 18. The psalmist paints a picture. Of God. Ordering the seasons. Bringing snow and frost.

[27:56] And ice and cold in winter. And then. Causing the ice to melt. And the rivers to flow. In the spring. Now the psalmist sees a lot of things. In the seasons.

[28:07] He sees God's beauty. When the earth is covered. With a blanket of snow. Like wool. He also sees God's overwhelming. And even terrifying majesty.

[28:18] Who can stand before his cold. Sometimes the weather can be. A dangerous thing. A fearsome thing. But he also sees God's mercy.

[28:29] When the ice melts. And the wind blows. And the waters flow. And things begin to grow again. And above all. He sees God's sovereignty. Ruling and shaping.

[28:40] And transforming his creation. Through his word. But God's word not only commands. The inanimate creation.

[28:51] God's word also communicates. To his people. Whom he loves. Verse 19. We see God's word. The same word. The same word. That orders the seasons. Ruling.

[29:03] And transforming. His people. He declares his word. To Jacob. His rules. And statutes. To Israel. The same God.

[29:15] Who numbers the stars. In the heavens. And feeds the beasts. And birds. And orders the seasons. Of the year. Has spoken. To us. And the psalmist says.

[29:26] What an amazing privilege. God has given us his word. Truth. From his very own mouth. His statutes. That's a word that means. Something that's engraved.

[29:37] In the rock. Pointing to the permanence. Of God's word. His judgments. His authoritative. And wise decisions. Now verse 20 says.

[29:49] He hasn't done that. For any other nation. Now that might initially. Strike us. As an arrogant statement. But in the context. Of the Old Testament. Verse 20.

[30:00] Is not an arrogant boast. But it's rather. An expression of amazement. And gratitude. Who in the world. Are we. That the God. Of the universe.

[30:11] Would speak to us. What a privilege. And what a responsibility. Right. In the Old Testament. The people of Israel. Were called to be a light.

[30:22] To the other nations. Reflecting God's. Distinct character. So that. The other nations. Of the world. Might see. And know. The one true God. Now.

[30:32] As a Christian church. We too. Are called. To be distinct. Right. We're not a political nation. Right. The Christian church. Is in all. Nations of the world.

[30:43] Throughout all nations. Of the world. But the Christian church. Is supposed to be. Distinctly. Shaped. And visibly. Transformed. By the word. Of God. Just as God's word. Has visible effect.

[30:54] Upon his creation. Verses 15 through 18. God's word. Is to have a visible. And transforming. Effect. Upon us. And. And what is God's word?

[31:05] Well. It's the written word of God. In the scriptures. That ultimately point us. To the living word of God. Jesus Christ. So in the scriptures. And in the person of Jesus.

[31:16] We can see. The beauty. And the power. And the mercy. And the sovereignty of God. So as we begin this new year.

[31:28] This psalm invites us. To be a people. Who are ruled. And transformed. By the word of God. Now what might that look like. For us practically.

[31:39] You know. Maybe you're just beginning. To explore Christianity. Well. This is a great place. That you've come to. And beginning next week. We're starting a sermon series.

[31:51] In the gospel of Luke. The gospel of Luke. Is one of the biographies. Of Jesus. That tells about his teachings. And his life. And why he died. And how he rose again.

[32:03] So we'll be looking directly. At who Jesus was. And why he came to earth. And what it means. To believe. And follow him. So let me encourage you. Come back. And keep listening.

[32:14] And read along with us. And ask your questions. If you have questions. Talk to. Come and talk to a friend. If you were invited by a friend. You can come and talk to me. Or one of the other pastors.

[32:26] And if it's helpful to you. If you don't have a bible to read. Just take one of the bibles. That's in the pew. And take it home with you. It's our gift to you. Or you can take one of the journal.

[32:38] The scripture journals. From the back table. That have the text of the gospel of Luke. The gospel of Luke. Is a great book to begin with. We'll be looking at the end of it. But you can read through the whole thing.

[32:49] And it'll. It's the account of Jesus life. And so you'll see what the bible teaches. About who Jesus is. And there's plenty of space. In that scripture journal.

[33:00] To write down your questions. And thoughts and reflections. Maybe discuss them with a friend. So let me encourage you. You know whatever. Those are a few different options.

[33:12] But to take a next step. To get to know this Jesus better. And get to know the God of the bible better. Now maybe you are a Christian. But maybe the bible isn't really a regular part of your life.

[33:27] Apart from hearing it at church on Sundays. Well let me encourage you. To take a step. To dig deeper into the bible. In this coming year. Again there are lots of different ways you can do this.

[33:40] You can. If you like plans. And structure is helpful to you. You can read through the entire bible. If you read about three to four chapters a day. You can read through it in one year.

[33:52] So that's a great thing to do. It's worthwhile. If you've. If you're very. If you're unfamiliar with the bible. Start by reading the new testament. If you read just one chapter every day of the year.

[34:04] You can read through the entire new testament in the year. That's another great plan to follow. You can also listen online. Right. If you have trouble reading.

[34:15] You know. Or you're just not the reader kind of person. Guess what. You can go on your phone. And go to biblegateway.com. And press audio bible. And listen to the bible for free.

[34:26] You can listen to it all day. No. You don't even have to download the app. Like. Well. No. You might need the app. But anyway. It's free. It's a free app. No. No.

[34:36] Anyway. Okay. So. There's all kinds of ways. That you can be engaging with the bible. Join a small group bible study. Right. That's part of what we do. When we gather together during the week.

[34:48] They're listed on the back of the bulletin. You can visit one. You know. If you have questions. Call the number. Or email the person. And. Or. You know. Talk. Again.

[34:58] Talk to me. If you're not sure what would be helpful to you. But. Dig deeper into God's word. Let it shape and transform you.

[35:10] Right. Read it. Meditate on it. Study it. Write in a journal about it. Pray in response to it. Take a step in this year to dig deeper into the bible.

[35:21] Finally. Maybe you've been a Christian for a long time. And you spent a lot of time. In the bible. Right. You've heard hundreds. Maybe even thousands of sermons. Maybe you've read through the bible.

[35:32] 20. 50 times. Let me challenge you. One of the best ways. To grow deeper. In your knowledge of God's word. Is to share it.

[35:42] With somebody else. Right. Almost every sermon that I prepare. I find that I learn something new. In the process of studying. And preparing. And praying.

[35:53] And thinking about how to teach it to others. One of the. One great way to do this. Is to volunteer to teach in children's ministry. Because if you have to teach the bible to five year olds.

[36:06] That will be a great exercise. Like seriously. It will really help you. Think about. What is this actually saying? And how do I communicate this.

[36:17] In a way. That makes sense. Right. And that's simple. And not just spouting a bunch of words. That I've heard somebody else say before. Right. So. Volunteer to sign up for children's ministry.

[36:28] We can use you. And if you don't want to teach. You can be an assistant. And watch somebody else do it. And you can learn from them. But. You know.

[36:39] Maybe. Maybe. Maybe. Maybe. Maybe. Find. Another Christian. Or somebody who is. Who's newer to the faith. And just. Say. Hey. Would you. You know. I'd be happy to meet together.

[36:49] And pray with you. And maybe we could read through. Luke together. As we go through that in the sermon series. You know. Do whatever. Whatever. Whatever is helpful. But find a way to share.

[37:01] You know. If you have been blessed with knowledge of the bible. Find a way to share it. Somehow or other. God's word has wonderful and transforming effects.

[37:12] You know. I didn't look at verses 13 and 14. Yet. And those verses. But those verses really talk about. Some of the blessings. When God's word is living and abiding in us.

[37:24] So. So those words describe protection. From hostile enemies. Spiritual enemies. They talk about blessing. For little ones and children. And talk about peace among God's people.

[37:35] And fullness of joy. And satisfaction. We don't want all those things. And the point of those verses. Is those things come. As we. Immerse ourselves.

[37:47] And are shaped. By. The authoritative word of God. Right. Those are some of the good effects. Of the word of God. In our own lives individually. And.

[37:57] As a congregation together. Father. So may God's word abide within us. And among us richly. In this new year. So again. The psalm gives us three reasons.

[38:07] To praise God. As we begin this new year. Praise God. Because he sees the big picture. And the small details. Praise God. Because he delights. To provide. For those who depend on him.

[38:19] And praise God. Who rules. And transforms us. By his word. Let's pray. Lord. We thank you.

[38:35] For this psalm. This song to sing. As we look forward. To the day. When we will stand. In your presence forever. And where we will.

[38:46] Have all eternity. To praise. And delight. In you. Lord. Help us to. Start doing that now. Lord. As we. Come to.

[38:58] The Lord's Supper. May this be a table. Of thanksgiving. And praise. To you. In Jesus name. We pray. Amen. Amen.