For those of you, as Sean mentioned, I lead Sovereign Grace Music.
It's a ministry of Sovereign Grace Churches, our denomination.
! We seek to produce Christ-exalting songs and training for the church, capital C, from our local churches.
And I've been a part of Sovereign Grace for almost 45 years now.
And I'm doing what I do for about 25.
And I bring you greetings from our sister church in Louisville, Kentucky.
Sovereign Grace Church of Louisville.
Even though we live in another part of the country, a very different part of the country,
we share a common aim in life, and that is to make much of Jesus.
His eternal word, His atoning work, and just to worship Him, to see as many people as possible worshiping Him.
And we're sharing in that common aim.
And that worship is actually what I want to talk to you about this morning.
We're going to be reading from Psalm 145, looking at Psalm 145.
So I ask you to turn there in whatever device or book you have.
And I asked Sean if I could give a little introduction to the psalm before we read it.
Because I want to put it in context.
Anyone who's been to my house for dinner knows that my wife Julie is an amazing cook.
She didn't start out as an amazing cook.
But she is now an amazing cook.
And we always have had a number of people living with us.
After all our children moved out, we've had other people come and live with us.
And whenever we sit down at one of Julie's amazing meals, eventually someone will say something like,
This tastes so good.
That chicken, it's so moist.
I love the sauce you put in this.
What spices are in here?
Or what every cook wants to hear.
Is there enough for seconds?
That's the kind of cook she is.
And wouldn't it be odd if at the end of the meal, no one had said anything about her cooking.
If we talked about our day, talked about the weather, talked about our plans for the night.
But never said anything about how delicious the meal was.
That would be odd.
It's because we tend to praise the things we enjoy.
If we really like something, it's hard to stay quiet about it.
Think of someone who's discovered a new band or seen a new movie or read a new book, found a new author.
They just can't stop talking about it.
Why is that?
Why do we have to let other people know what we love so much?
Why do we praise what we enjoy?
British author C.S. Lewis gives an insightful answer to that question.
He says, I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses, but completes the enjoyment.
It is its appointed consummation.
It's not out of compliment that lovers keep on telling one another how beautiful they are.
The delight is incomplete until it is expressed.
I'll be married 50 years next August to the most wonderful woman I've ever known.
And I never tire of telling her why I love her so much.
Because the greater the delight, the more intense, the more expressive, the more enduring the praise.
So what if you found something that surpassed all of the delights?
What if you found something that exceeded all your expectations?
That overwhelmed you with its sheer beauty?
Humbled you with its grandeur?
And compelled your unrestrained, unending praise?
Then you might write Psalm 145.
It's an expression of praise so comprehensive and passionate it can take your breath away.
And I hope it does.
C.S. Lewis went on to say,
The Scotch Catechism says that man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.
But we shall then know that these are the same thing.
Fully to enjoy is to glorify.
In commanding us to glorify him, God is inviting us to enjoy him.
So in Psalm 145, God is inviting us to enjoy him.
How?
How do we enjoy God?
By giving him praise.
We have 150 psalms in the Bible.
And in the first 144, the psalmist explored not only the topic of praising God,
but things like opposition, enemies, loss, discouragement, unfulfilled hopes,
enemies, devastation, and sin.
I mentioned enemies twice because there's a lot of that.
They're songs of confession, songs of doubt, songs of lament.
They give us words to say as we wait for God to deliver us.
We don't know what to do.
But Psalm 145 is an overflow of praise.
It is the only one of David's 73 psalms,
and the only one of 150 psalms,
that is entitled a psalm of praise.
I didn't believe that when I first saw it.
Some commentator said that.
I said, no, no, no.
So I looked through all the psalms.
It's the only one that's called a psalm of praise.
It's this rushing torrent of celebration and confidence and joy
that serves as a hinge between the first 144 psalms
and the last five psalms,
which are called the hallelujah psalms,
because they all begin with hallelujah.
It's as though God is saying,
if you trust me,
if you know me,
this is where your life is headed.
That's good news.
Psalm 145 is the song of one who sees God as he really is,
and that view is staggering.
And what we're going to see is that those who know that God is a king like no other
won't rest until he receives praise like no other.
That's what the psalmist is telling us.
They know that their enjoyment of God must reach its consummation
in specific, engaged, joy-filled, universal praise.
So we're going to read it, and I'm going to ask you to stand,
because this is God's word to us.
It's not like I'd ask you to stand for my entire message,
because it's me speaking.
Hopefully it's the Lord speaking through me,
but this is God's word.
Psalm 145, a song of praise of David.
And by the way, if you're feeling a little lethargic this morning,
I hope by the end of this you are not,
because it's coming.
I will extol you, my God and King,
and bless your name forever and ever.
Every day I will bless you
and praise your name forever and ever.
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
and his greatness is unsearchable.
One generation shall commend your works to another
and shall declare your mighty acts
on the glorious splendor of your majesty
and on your wondrous works.
I will meditate.
They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds,
and I will declare your greatness.
They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness
and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.
The Lord is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
The Lord is good to all,
and his mercy is over all that he has made.
All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
and all your saints shall bless you.
They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom
and tell of your power
to make known to the children of man
your mighty deeds
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures throughout all generations.
The Lord is faithful in all his words
and kind in all his works.
The Lord upholds all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.
The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food in due season.
You open your hand,
you satisfy the desire of every living thing.
The Lord is righteous in all his ways
and kind in all his works.
The Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
He fulfills the desire of those who fear him.
He also hears their cry and saves them.
The Lord preserves all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.
My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord
and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.
Father, would you open our ears and our hearts
and our eyes to see things about you
and about your son by the power of your spirit
that we have not seen before
to the degree that you want to show them to us now.
May our joy in you be consummated
in the praise of our king.
We ask this in Jesus' name.
Amen.
Let's take our seats.
David begins,
I will extol you, my God and king.
My God, the king.
We're going to look at four ways
that David extols God as king in this psalm.
And I've titled this message,
Praise Fit for a King.
If you title your messages like I often do,
that's the title.
Praise Fit for a King.
So we're going to look at four ways
that God extols,
that David extols God as king.
And then we're going to take some time
at the end
to look at what kind of response
is fitting for that kind of king.
So two parts.
First, David extols God as the great king.
Verses three through six.
Psalm opens up with this note
of joyful celebration,
summed up in Psalm three.
Great is the Lord
and greatly to be praised
and his greatness is unsearchable.
It's unsearchable,
not in the sense that
we shouldn't try to understand it,
but in the sense that
we'll never, ever reach the end of it.
Some people would have us believe
that it's humble to say
that we really can't know God.
He's too big.
He's too mysterious.
He's just beyond our comprehension.
Well, yes,
but
God has revealed himself to us
in Scripture,
the written word of God,
and in Jesus Christ,
the living word of God,
so we can know
true things about him,
but what the psalmist is saying is
we'll never reach the end
of how much we know about God.
It's unsearchable.
That's how great he is.
Just look at the words
David piles up
to describe
God's great reign.
I will praise you
for your mighty acts
in verse 4.
Verse 5,
the glorious splendor
of your majesty,
your wondrous works,
your awesome deeds,
your greatness,
your abundant goodness,
your righteousness.
Why does he take time
to use so many words?
Why does he just say,
Lord is great,
greatness is unsearchable.
Woo!
Well, because
we,
well,
as a commentator,
William Plumer says,
unless we have great thoughts
of God,
our thoughts of sin
will be low,
our sense of obligation
feeble,
and our praise is dull.
We won't think our sin
is that bad.
We won't have a right perspective
on why God put us
on this earth
to begin with.
And the worship of God
will just feel boring.
You know,
I've heard people say
sometimes,
like,
is heaven is like,
we're just gonna sing to him?
I don't think that's what
the new heavens
and the new earth is,
but that sure shouldn't be
your attitude
if you know who God is.
If you know that
when he calls us to praise him,
he's calling us
to the highest joy
we could ever conceive of.
So we want to be really clear
about how great God is.
Even apart from
what he does for us,
even though we'll see
that's crucial as well.
But praise fit for a king
begins with how great he is
apart from anything
he does for us.
God was great
before he created
the universe,
and he will be great
forever.
So he's the great king,
and we exalt him
as the great king.
Second,
David extols God
as the good king.
Verses 7 through 10.
I love this.
Verse 7.
They shall pour forth
the fame of your
abundant goodness
and shall sing aloud
of your righteousness.
The Lord is gracious
and merciful,
slow to anger
and abounding
in steadfast love.
If you know your Bible,
you'll know those words
in verse 8.
The Lord is gracious
and merciful,
slow to anger
and abounding
in steadfast love.
Those are the words
that God proclaimed
to Moses
after Israel
had prostituted themselves
and worshiped
a golden calf
in Exodus 32.
Those words come
from Exodus 34.
At that moment,
after God had delivered
Israel from Egypt,
right through the Red Sea,
Pharaoh's army lay dead
in the Red Sea,
never coming out of there,
they're delivered,
they sing a song
of deliverance.
He calls them
to Mount Sinai.
What do they do?
They worship
a golden calf.
So don't you think
it would be appropriate
at that moment
for God to just say,
I'm going to wipe you out.
In fact,
he told Moses,
he said,
you know what,
let me do that
and we'll just start over.
And Moses says,
oh no God,
these are your people.
What would it be
if the nation said
he brought them out
but couldn't deliver them?
And God was just
showing Moses his heart
which was to do just that.
But he doesn't wipe them out.
He says,
I am merciful.
I'm gracious.
I'm slow to anger.
I'm abounding
in steadfast love.
God doesn't want
to just be known
as the great king.
He doesn't want us
to know that he's
really great
and transcendent
and out there
and amazing
and high
and lifted up.
He wants us to know
he's the good
and merciful king.
And David goes on
to expand
what that means.
Verse 9,
the Lord is good
to all
and his mercy
is over all
that he has made.
You know,
in this psalm,
it's almost 20 times
that David uses
the word all
or every.
He wants us to get
this isn't just about
an individual
or a fleeting moment.
This is all.
The Lord is good
to all.
His mercy
is over all
that he has made.
Verse 8 speaks
of God's goodness
to his people
but this verse
speaks of God's goodness
to everyone.
He's saying
God is so good
because we can
see his goodness
everywhere.
All over the world
God's providing
sights and sounds
that astound
and delight
and propel us
to amazement
and wonder.
Think of the Grand Canyon.
You think of
Mount Everest.
You think of
the Hawaiian sunsets.
You think of
just what happens
this time
every year
in Boston
to the trees.
Do you realize
that God
didn't have to
make the trees
become beautiful
in autumn?
They could have
just like been green
and just turned brown.
But they don't.
Why?
Because God's so good.
See his goodness
everywhere.
Rivers and oceans
teem with creatures
that are
fascinatingly beautiful
and some people
think they're good
to eat.
I don't personally
think that
but some people
do.
Fruits and vegetables
and grains
grow in abundance.
We just took a trip
by God's grace
and mercy
to Italy
with five of our
children.
It was amazing.
The golden fields
of wheat,
the orchards,
the olive groves
and grapevines
and it's just
amazing.
God's given us
these amazing
tastes and smells
and colors
and textures
to enjoy.
He is so good.
But you know
what shows us
the most
that he's good?
Is that he doesn't
destroy us
every time we sin.
That's how we know
he's good.
One of the most
overlooked
signs,
testimonies
to God's goodness
is his patience.
Amazing patience
with sinful people.
He bears with us.
He blesses us.
He sustains us
and we don't
deserve any of it.
It's all
his goodness
and mercy.
In 2009,
an Air France
plane was flying
from Rio de Janeiro
to Paris
when a thunderstorm
caused it
to plummet
into the Atlantic Ocean.
All 228 passengers
and crew
were killed.
People were
incensed.
Social media
blew up.
Where was God?
Well,
no one
noticed
when 100,000
flights
a day
take off
with no problem
and make it
to their destination.
filled
with people
who ignore,
minimize,
and despise
the God
who keeps
that plane
in the air.
That's patience.
That's goodness.
And if we
continue to ignore,
mock,
and sin
against God,
why doesn't
that happen
to all of us?
Because God's
good to all
and his mercy
is over
all he has made.
So verse 10
is a response.
It says,
all God's work
give thanks to him
and his saints
bless him.
So when God's works
give thanks to him,
they don't use words.
They just do
what they were
intended to do.
Stars shine,
oceans roar,
birds sing.
That's what they do.
They're giving glory
to God.
They're giving thanks.
But the saints,
God's people,
we have better reasons
to praise God,
to bless God,
to thank him.
We've been redeemed
through the blood
of the Lamb,
through the death
and resurrection
of Jesus Christ.
We are no longer
under judgment.
We're objects
of his affection.
Our hearts
have been changed
so that we really
do love to be with him.
We really do love
to know him.
And at one time,
we only wanted
to praise ourselves.
Now we want to praise him.
That's a miracle.
He watches over
our every breath,
every breath,
the breath you just took.
He gave that to you.
There's no reason
why we shouldn't
just die.
But God's good.
And his saints
bless him.
There's no one like him.
And those who know
that God is a king
like no other
will not rest
until he receives
praise like no other.
Number three.
He's the great king,
he's the good king,
and he's the powerful king.
verses 11 through 13.
They shall speak
of the glory
of your kingdom
and tell of your power
to make known
to the children of man
your mighty deeds
and the glorious splendor
of your kingdom.
Your kingdom's
an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion
endures throughout
all generations.
The Lord is faithful
in all his words
and kind in all his works.
God's kingdom
is marked by power.
His reign
has no term limits.
He's not nervous
about anyone
voting him out
or taking over
his throne.
Think of the great
rulers of history.
They all have
the great attached
to them.
Cyrus the great,
Alexander the great,
Julius Caesar,
well, they just
called him great,
Constantine the great,
Charlemagne the great,
Catherine the great.
Turns out they
weren't so great
after all.
They're all dead.
Whether through election,
appointment,
or death,
other people
are sitting
on their thrones,
but they don't even
exist anymore
at those thrones.
No one else
will ever sit
on God's throne.
God has always
ruled.
He always will rule.
He controls the stars.
He controls the atoms.
He rules presidents
and peasants.
He can move mountains.
He can move hearts.
There is nothing
our God cannot do.
He rules over tsunamis
and earthquakes
and floods and fires.
So those who know him
and love him
speak of the glory
of his kingdom
and tell of his power.
He's a powerful king.
And after praising God
for his rule
and his dominion
and his kingship
and his power,
one might expect
David to go on
and tell us more
about that.
How great is he?
How big?
How mighty?
How powerful?
But to show us
how great God
really is,
David shows us
that God
has also revealed
himself as,
number four,
the gracious king.
verses 14 through 20.
He's the great king,
the good king,
the powerful king,
and he's the gracious king.
Grace speaks of
undeserved,
unmerited favor.
We see it in verse 14.
The Lord upholds
all who are falling
and raises up
all who are bowed down.
That isn't a promise
that no one
will ever fall
or that no one
will ever be
bowed down.
It's saying that
if someone recovers
from a fall
or is kept
through trials
or is raised up
from humbling circumstances,
the Lord
is the one
who's done it.
We can't claim
credit for that.
God is intimately
involved
in sustaining
and restoring
everything he's made.
The next verse,
the eyes of all
look to you,
verse 15,
the eyes of all
look to you
and you give them
their food
in due season.
You open your hand.
You satisfy the desire
of every living thing.
Those verses
remind us
that everything
in creation
is absolutely
dependent on God
for their existence.
As Acts 17, 28 says,
in him
we live
and move
and have our being.
God is
lavish
in his generosity,
open-handed
in his blessings
and free
in his giving.
It's amazing
how we don't see him
that way so often.
Sean mentioned
Julie and I
raised six kids
by God's grace
and even with one kid,
I have a fresh
appreciation for this
as a grandparent.
Even with one kid,
life can be overwhelming.
The amount of time
and energy
and effort
and sweat
and wisdom
and money
and thought
it takes just to provide
for one child
is just overwhelming
sometimes.
And I remember
as we had
maybe three or four children,
just money
felt just really tight
all the time.
And when we'd eat out,
we had certain rules.
Just water here.
Okay,
we're splitting
the big fry.
Okay,
no,
don't get that.
One time
we were eating out
with Julie's dad
and his wife
and I leaned over
to the kids
and said,
just get whatever
you want.
And my 10-year-old son,
Jordan,
he looked right at me
and said,
you're not paying
for this,
are you?
Try not to take
that personally.
Governments
spend
countless hours,
organize
countless
committees,
make countless
laws to make sure
that people
are provided for.
It's happening
right now
in our government.
Often with
little success.
God doesn't
labor.
He doesn't
worry.
He doesn't
break into
sweat,
doesn't
strive.
It's what the
psalm says.
He opens
his hand.
He satisfies
the desire
of every
living thing.
That's grace.
He goes on
to say,
the Lord
is righteous
in all
his ways
and kind
in all
his works.
Duh.
Yeah,
we're seeing
that.
But God
shows a
unique grace
to his
people.
Is God
kind to
all?
Is he
good to
all?
Yes.
That's what
the psalmist
says.
That's what
God's word
says.
But J.I.
Packer
goes on to
explain,
God is
good to
all in
some ways
and to
some
in all
ways.
He's
good to
all in
some ways
and to
some
in
all
ways.
And the
some
that he
refers to
are those
who know
his
steadfast
love.
Those who
know his
grace.
Those who
know his
grace and
have received
his grace.
And these
are the
promises God
makes to
his own.
And notice
how the
psalmist
starts to
put qualifiers
on these
actions.
Verse 18.
The Lord
is near
to all
who call
on him.
To all
who call
on him
in truth.
Not just
all who
call on him,
it's to all
who call
on him
in truth.
Those who
know him
as he
really is.
God
doesn't
promise to
be near
us when
we feel
like he
should be
giving us
what we
want
anywhere,
anytime.
No,
those who
call on
the Lord
in truth
are those
who really
know him
through his
word,
who humble
themselves to
believe him
and trust
him and
follow him.
And for
Christians,
to call on
the Lord
in truth
means to
call on
him by
him who
is the
truth,
Jesus
Christ.
We bring
all our
requests in
the arms
of Jesus
Christ and
he actually
carries us
there.
Verse 19.
He fulfills
the desire
of those
who fear
him.
He also
hears their
cry and
saves them.
Now back
in verse
16, we
just looked
at it,
we're told
the Lord
satisfies the
desire of
every living
thing, but
here God
fulfills the
desire of
those who
fear him.
Those who
fear him
are the
ones who
want God
to be
glorified.
Those who
fear him
are the
ones who
want to
walk in
God's
ways.
Those who
fear him
are the
ones who
want others
to know
God's
forgiveness.
They want
to see the
name of
Jesus lifted
up.
So God
hears their
cry and
he saves
them.
And he
often saves
them from
their situation
but ultimately
he saves them
from his
wrath and
from their
sins.
That's the
kind of
saving we
want.
Not just
to be saved
out of our
current
circumstance
but to
save from
his just
condemnation.
And verse
20 contains
one more
promise.
The Lord
preserves
all who
love him
but all
the wicked
he will
destroy.
Did you
notice that's
the first
mention of
evil in
the psalm?
The first
time anything
is out of
sync.
It's as
though the
psalmist
wanted to
keep us
focused on
God
himself
but finally
has to
say something
about the
fact that
not everyone
believes in
this God.
Not everyone
loves this
God.
Not everyone
wants to
follow this
God or
even
acknowledges
the existence
of this
God.
God
has
enemies.
But we
don't need
to be
afraid of
him.
We don't
need to be
afraid of
him.
There's a
verse in
Psalm 112
that has
ministered
grace to
my soul
repeatedly
when I
am in a
situation
where I'm
fearing what's
going to
happen.
Fearing what
my enemies
might do
to me.
Psalm
112
verse 7
says he
is not
afraid.
Speaking of
the man who
fears the
Lord or
woman who
fears the
Lord,
he's not
afraid of
bad news.
What?
His heart
is firm
trusting in
the Lord.
His heart
is steady.
He will
not be
afraid until
he looks
in triumph
on his
adversaries.
You know
when we're
going to
look in
triumph on
our
adversaries?
It may
be in
this life
at different
times,
but you
know when
it's really
going to
be?
When all
the wicked
he will
destroy.
God
protects us
from our
enemies.
He ensures,
he will
ensure that
the kingdom
of heaven
is made
up exclusively
of those
who love
the king,
those who
treasure the
king,
those who
prize the
king,
those who
want to
obey the
king.
In Luke
21,
Jesus is
talking to
the disciples
about how
they will
encounter
situations
where some
of them will
be put to
death.
And then a
verse later
he says,
but no one
will be able
to harm a
hair of your
head.
And I'm
thinking,
Jesus,
if they
put me
to death
that sounds
like they're
harming every
hair of my
head.
But Jesus
knows there
is a life
that others
can't take
from us.
And that's
what he
promises.
But that
promise of
protection for
us is also
a warning.
Those who
refuse the
mercy and
grace of
God that
we've been
talking about
will receive
exactly what
they deserve.
And that is
the righteous
punishment for
their sin and
rebellion.
They will be
destroyed.
You can't
fight the
king and
win.
But there's
always hope.
We can turn
to Jesus
Christ and
find refuge in
this good,
great,
powerful,
and gracious
king.
Which brings
us to the
final question.
What is the
fitting response
to this
king?
God is
so great
and so
good and
so powerful
and so
gracious.
What kind
of praise
is fit for
a king?
This one
gives you
four ways,
four characteristics
of the way
we should
respond.
First,
it's
personal.
David is
the king,
but he
recognizes an
infinitely
greater king.
And he
starts out,
I will
extol you,
my God
and king.
He doesn't
want to watch
everybody else
around him
praise God
for him.
This is what he
says in the
beginning of the
psalm.
I will exalt,
I will bless,
I will praise,
I will meditate,
I will sing.
David is not
going to stand
in the midst
of a crowd
and watch
other people,
as his arms
are folded,
watch other
people praise
God and
love me.
He says,
I'm not
going to do
that.
I can't do
that.
It's personal.
This is what
God means to
me.
This is how
God has
revealed himself
to me.
He's not
going to be
swallowed up
in the crowd
no matter
how big
the crowd
is.
It's
personal.
Second,
and this
will be
obvious,
it's
passionate.
It's
passionate
praise.
Verse
two,
every day
I will
bless you.
Every day
I will
bless you.
Not just
occasionally
or when I
feel like
it.
Every day
I will
bless you.
Certainly
on the
good days.
But also
on the
bad days.
The hard
days.
The turbulent
days.
The confusing
days.
The painful
days.
The sad
days.
The disappointing
days.
The discouraging
days.
The I'm
not sure
I can
go on
anymore
days.
Every day.
I will
bless you.
God.
Because
his praise
aligns with
what is
true about
God.
God is
always
worthy.
So
David says,
I'm going
to always
praise you.
And I'm
going to
do it
with all
my heart.
Not
going to
be half
hearted.
Not
going to
be lazy.
Not
going to
be quiet.
It's
every day
and it's
exuberant.
It's
just in
the Bible
guys.
Verse
seven.
They
shall
pour
forth
the
fame
of
your
abundant
over
the
top.
This
is how
God
calls us
to
praise
him.
Now I
know what
some of
you are
thinking.
I grew
up
Presbyterian.
I'm an
introvert.
What would
my friends
think?
It's just
not my
style.
I'm kind
of new
here.
You just
don't know
me very
well.
It
wouldn't be
cool.
our
response
to God,
our
praise of
God,
praise fit
for
King,
is not
determined
by our
personality
or our
preferences
or our
background
or our
circumstances
but by
God's
greatness.
We just
don't see
how great
he is.
David
doesn't
want to
keep his
personal
and passionate
praise to
himself.
It's not
only personal
and passionate,
it's passed
on.
It's a
third
characteristic
of a
fitting
response.
One
generation
shall commend
your works
to another
and shall
declare
your mighty
acts.
David's
describing the
godly desire
to pass on
what is
true and
praiseworthy
about God
to future
generations.
Our
children,
as we were
just hearing
about.
Our
grandchildren,
our
great
grandchildren.
And notice
we're not
just passing
on our
practices
or our
preferences
or our
traditions
as time
proven as
they may
be.
We're
pressing on
praise for
God's
works so
that every
generation
might have an
understanding
that God is
always great,
always good,
always powerful,
always gracious,
not just to you
all,
but to us.
That's who he
is.
And those
who know
God is a
king like
no other
will not
rest until
he receives
praise like
no other
from every
generation.
Every
generation.
Finally,
our response
is eternal.
David begins
and ends the
psalm with
eternity in
view.
It starts
off,
I will
extol you,
my God
and king,
and bless
your name
forever and
ever.
That's what I'm
going to do.
Look how he
ends.
My mouth
will speak
the praise
of the Lord
and let all
flesh bless
his holy
name
forever and
ever.
God's praise
can't be
contained to
a meeting
or a
calendar year
or a
century
or time
itself.
We will
never,
ever reach
the end
of it.
No one
in the new
heavens and
the new
earth is
going to
look at
their watch
and say,
aren't we
about done
yet?
Isn't
that,
like haven't
we covered
everything?
They won't
be able to
do that
because we'll
see him
as he
really is.
So at the
end,
David prays,
let all
flesh bless
his holy
name forever
and ever.
And we
know that
prayer will
be answered
because God
has pulled
back the
curtain of
heaven and
showed us
what's
happening and
what will
always be
happening.
Jesus
Christ has
opened the
scroll as
we sang about
earlier.
He's ensured
that through
his redeeming
work,
God will
have a
people who
will bless
his name
forever and
ever.
Revelation 5,
13 and 14,
I heard every
creature in
heaven and
on earth and
under the
earth and
in the sea
and all
that is in
them saying
to him who
sits on the
throne and
to the
lamb,
be blessing
and honor
and glory
and might
forever and
ever.
And for
those of us
here who
have experienced
God's life
transforming grace
through Christ,
we sit here
confident that
we will be
among that
multitude.
But it's
here we
realize this
is a psalm
that none of
us in
integrity could
really pray
by ourselves.
do I
bless God's
name every
day?
Do you?
Do we
consistently
meditate on
his wondrous
works?
Do our
mouths
consistently
speak the
praise of
the Lord
at every
moment?
Do we
always come
to God
with praise
that is
personal and
passionate?
I mean,
I don't know
you, but I'm
pretty sure the
answer is no.
But there's
one who did.
praise.
I don't know
because praise
fit for a
king must be
given by the
king himself.
We may never
praise the
king as we
ought, but we
have a king who
has done that
for us.
And we can be
assured that he
is working those
desires in us.
God gave us
this psalm to
raise us above
our circumstances,
above the
temptations we're
fighting, the
trials we're
facing, the
suffering we
may be
enduring, to
see our great
God as ruling
over all
things and
graciously working
all things for
our good in
Christ.
And so we
respond in
ways that
defy our
circumstances and
astound and
confound the
people around us
who don't know
God.
that's what
he's called us
to, brothers
and sisters.
Praise fit for
a king because
God is a king
like no other.
And with all the
joys he gives us
in this life, we
know that our
greatest joy lies
in the future when
we join our
voices with those
around the throne.
But we don't
want to wait until
that day because
God is great and
good and God is
powerful and
gracious and we
will bless his
name every day
all to the
praise of his
glorious grace.
Father, we thank
you that your
grace has come to
us in Jesus
Christ.
We thank you that
you have given
us a reason to
praise you.
You've given us
countless reasons
to praise you.
for our good and
and it's for our
good and our joy
and our health and
our benefit.
It's all for your
glory.
We thank you that
Jesus has done this
for us.
It's in his name we
pray.
Amen.