WEBVTT 00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:01.300 Well, good morning, church. 00:00:04.500 --> 00:00:10.240 Turn with me in your Bible, if you have one, to Psalm 150, or we will have the text up 00:00:10.240 --> 00:00:11.380 on the screens as well. 00:00:12.519 --> 00:00:15.640 Today's the concluding installment in our series in the Psalms. 00:00:15.679 --> 00:00:20.240 As we've said, the Psalms are a collection of songs and prayers written by several different 00:00:20.240 --> 00:00:25.260 people over several hundred years that were gradually collected together into a song book 00:00:25.260 --> 00:00:27.080 or prayer book for the ancient Israelites. 00:00:27.079 --> 00:00:33.359 The Psalms have been sung and prayed and memorized by many generations of Jews and Christians 00:00:33.359 --> 00:00:34.140 throughout history. 00:00:35.060 --> 00:00:39.719 We've entitled this sermon series Songs of Hope in Uncertain Times because that's what 00:00:39.719 --> 00:00:40.599 the Psalms are. 00:00:41.259 --> 00:00:46.379 The Psalms meet us in the midst of a world of turmoil and uncertainty, and they help us to 00:00:46.379 --> 00:00:49.659 approach God and draw near to God through prayer. 00:00:50.539 --> 00:00:53.640 So we've come to the concluding Psalm, the last one, Psalm 150. 00:00:54.280 --> 00:00:56.119 Let me read this for us this morning. 00:00:57.079 --> 00:00:59.219 Praise the Lord. 00:01:00.399 --> 00:01:02.539 Praise God in his sanctuary. 00:01:03.739 --> 00:01:06.200 Praise him in his mighty heavens. 00:01:06.959 --> 00:01:09.120 Praise him for his mighty deeds. 00:01:09.859 --> 00:01:12.519 Praise him according to his excellent greatness. 00:01:13.479 --> 00:01:15.299 Praise him with trumpet sound. 00:01:16.000 --> 00:01:17.859 Praise him with lute and harp. 00:01:18.759 --> 00:01:20.719 Praise him with tambourine and dance. 00:01:20.939 --> 00:01:22.759 Praise him with strings and pipe. 00:01:22.760 --> 00:01:24.980 Praise him with sounding cymbals. 00:01:25.180 --> 00:01:27.719 Praise him with loud clashing cymbals. 00:01:28.420 --> 00:01:32.760 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. 00:01:33.680 --> 00:01:35.500 Praise the Lord. 00:01:36.900 --> 00:01:42.300 I wonder when have you experienced a preview of something glorious? 00:01:42.299 --> 00:01:48.120 I can remember back to the day when I received my college acceptance letter. 00:01:48.859 --> 00:01:50.879 Back in the day, you didn't go to a website. 00:01:51.120 --> 00:01:52.340 You had to wait for it to come in the mail. 00:01:53.280 --> 00:01:54.840 And so I came home from high school. 00:01:54.939 --> 00:01:56.539 It was a late afternoon in mid-December. 00:01:56.540 --> 00:02:02.120 However, my younger sister and brother, somewhat unusually, greeted me eagerly at the door and said, 00:02:02.440 --> 00:02:03.340 you have to open this. 00:02:04.040 --> 00:02:05.400 It's a big, thick envelope. 00:02:06.080 --> 00:02:06.219 Right? 00:02:06.300 --> 00:02:10.400 Back then, if you got a thin envelope, like just a letter, like a one-page letter, it probably 00:02:10.400 --> 00:02:12.500 meant you were rejected or maybe deferred. 00:02:12.780 --> 00:02:17.480 But if you had a thick envelope, it was a bunch of papers that was preparing you for your next 00:02:17.480 --> 00:02:18.060 four years. 00:02:18.060 --> 00:02:20.819 Now, that envelope was not glorious. 00:02:21.280 --> 00:02:21.400 Right? 00:02:21.699 --> 00:02:24.900 It had a bunch of papers, eventually made its way to the recycling bin. 00:02:25.039 --> 00:02:30.780 But what that envelope promised, what it pointed forward to, was a quite significant four years 00:02:30.780 --> 00:02:31.259 of my life. 00:02:31.300 --> 00:02:32.400 It's what brought me here to New Haven. 00:02:33.300 --> 00:02:35.800 And what eventually brought me here to Trinity. 00:02:36.699 --> 00:02:41.460 Or if you're married, maybe you can think back to the day you got engaged. 00:02:42.439 --> 00:02:42.879 Right? 00:02:42.879 --> 00:02:48.039 Now, getting engaged is much more significant than any other day or any other experience 00:02:48.039 --> 00:02:50.159 of receiving a nice piece of jewelry. 00:02:51.219 --> 00:02:51.419 Right? 00:02:51.479 --> 00:02:52.539 You get a nice piece of jewelry. 00:02:52.679 --> 00:02:55.299 Maybe you admire it, look forward to wearing it for a while. 00:02:55.340 --> 00:03:00.539 But you get an engagement ring and you look forward to spending the rest of your life with 00:03:00.539 --> 00:03:01.699 the one who gave it to you. 00:03:02.159 --> 00:03:05.859 Every time you see that ring, you're reminded of the future that it represents. 00:03:07.039 --> 00:03:12.579 Or maybe you've been part of a band or an orchestra or a choir rehearsing together for 00:03:12.579 --> 00:03:14.239 an upcoming performance. 00:03:14.399 --> 00:03:17.780 Now, rehearsals, again, rehearsals in themselves aren't always glorious. 00:03:18.560 --> 00:03:20.799 They can be tedious and repetitive. 00:03:21.500 --> 00:03:23.120 There's a lot of waiting involved. 00:03:23.599 --> 00:03:25.840 Maybe this year you've had to figure out how to rehearse remotely. 00:03:26.079 --> 00:03:29.819 I don't know what that's like, but I suspect that's even more challenging. 00:03:30.259 --> 00:03:37.299 But despite all the challenges, rehearsing along with a group of people increases the anticipation 00:03:37.299 --> 00:03:38.840 for the performance to come. 00:03:38.840 --> 00:03:44.780 Or maybe you've been part of an athletic team, a sports team, practicing together for an upcoming 00:03:44.780 --> 00:03:45.300 tournament. 00:03:45.900 --> 00:03:48.400 The practice, again, practices aren't that glorious in themselves. 00:03:48.560 --> 00:03:49.199 They might be tough. 00:03:49.280 --> 00:03:50.120 They might be exhausting. 00:03:50.240 --> 00:03:52.020 The coach is yelling at everybody all the time. 00:03:52.280 --> 00:03:54.520 You're repeating the same drills over and over. 00:03:54.520 --> 00:04:00.300 But it's all building your anticipation for the next big game. 00:04:00.300 --> 00:04:05.500 Or even just previews on a more mundane level. 00:04:05.620 --> 00:04:09.439 You come home from work or from running errands and you're tired and you're hungry and you walk 00:04:09.439 --> 00:04:15.160 in the door and you're greeted with the smell of a favorite meal cooking on the stove or an apple 00:04:15.160 --> 00:04:16.460 pie baking in the oven. 00:04:16.459 --> 00:04:23.879 Now the smell all by itself doesn't satisfy your hunger, but it's a strong assurance that points you forward 00:04:23.879 --> 00:04:26.219 to that great and good reality to come. 00:04:28.620 --> 00:04:37.599 There are all kinds of things in this world that awaken our anticipation, that are little previews 00:04:37.599 --> 00:04:40.859 of something greater and more glorious to come. 00:04:41.459 --> 00:04:44.419 And that's what this last psalm is meant to be. 00:04:44.420 --> 00:04:52.259 It's meant to be a preview of a glorious eternity of uninterrupted praise. 00:04:53.300 --> 00:04:59.480 It's a conclusion to the psalms and it's the conclusion to which our lives are meant to be directed. 00:05:00.620 --> 00:05:05.120 So I want us to spend some time listening to this preview of eternity. 00:05:05.980 --> 00:05:11.020 Catching a glimpse through it of the great and glorious future that God has promised to bring about 00:05:11.019 --> 00:05:15.120 and in a way rehearsing together for it. 00:05:15.899 --> 00:05:20.839 Because that's what this psalm is inviting us to do is to rehearse together for a glorious eternity. 00:05:21.680 --> 00:05:24.639 In order to do all this, I want to look at this psalm from three vantage points. 00:05:24.740 --> 00:05:26.899 So first I want to look at Psalm 150 in itself. 00:05:28.019 --> 00:05:32.120 Second, I want to zoom out and look at Psalm 150 as the conclusion to the psalms. 00:05:32.120 --> 00:05:35.600 And third, I want to look at Psalm 150 as the conclusion to our lives. 00:05:36.379 --> 00:05:38.180 So first, the psalm in itself. 00:05:38.620 --> 00:05:40.680 Then, psalm as the conclusion to the book of Psalms. 00:05:40.780 --> 00:05:42.340 Then, psalm as the conclusion to our lives. 00:05:42.620 --> 00:05:45.660 So, let's start with looking at the psalm in itself. 00:05:46.680 --> 00:05:48.879 Now, this is not a complicated psalm. 00:05:49.720 --> 00:05:50.959 There's only one verb. 00:05:51.360 --> 00:05:52.980 It's repeated 13 times. 00:05:53.340 --> 00:05:54.519 Praise, right? 00:05:55.560 --> 00:05:56.680 Praise the Lord. 00:05:56.680 --> 00:06:01.500 It's a short, straightforward, loud, and clear psalm. 00:06:02.579 --> 00:06:04.840 Verse 1 tells us where the Lord should be praised. 00:06:05.120 --> 00:06:06.540 And the answer is everywhere. 00:06:07.259 --> 00:06:08.740 On earth and in heaven. 00:06:08.900 --> 00:06:09.660 In his sanctuary. 00:06:09.860 --> 00:06:11.019 That is, in his temple. 00:06:11.960 --> 00:06:15.720 The temple was the particular place that God had promised to meet with his people 00:06:15.720 --> 00:06:18.439 who gathered on earth in the Old Testament. 00:06:18.960 --> 00:06:20.040 But also in heaven. 00:06:20.579 --> 00:06:21.699 In his mighty heavens. 00:06:21.800 --> 00:06:24.040 That's literally in the expanse of his might. 00:06:24.040 --> 00:06:29.720 That word expanse is the word used in Genesis 1 to describe the sky above. 00:06:29.800 --> 00:06:34.040 Sort of the vastness of the universe over which God reigns. 00:06:35.260 --> 00:06:36.260 So, everywhere. 00:06:36.480 --> 00:06:37.600 Everywhere in the whole universe. 00:06:37.760 --> 00:06:39.140 On earth and in heaven. 00:06:39.480 --> 00:06:41.120 God is worthy to be praised. 00:06:42.300 --> 00:06:45.220 Verse 2 tells us why the Lord should be praised. 00:06:45.320 --> 00:06:48.460 And the answer is because of everything he is and everything he's done. 00:06:49.040 --> 00:06:50.280 For his mighty deeds. 00:06:50.500 --> 00:06:51.600 His acts of wonder. 00:06:51.720 --> 00:06:52.660 His displays of power. 00:06:52.759 --> 00:06:53.900 The great things he's done. 00:06:53.899 --> 00:06:58.739 The scriptures are full of accounts of God's mighty deeds. 00:06:58.899 --> 00:07:02.439 That are meant to awaken us to praise him. 00:07:03.579 --> 00:07:07.319 You know, the Israelites would have thought primarily of the exodus. 00:07:07.719 --> 00:07:10.859 As one of those great and mighty deeds of God. 00:07:10.939 --> 00:07:13.759 God rescuing the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt. 00:07:14.179 --> 00:07:16.899 Bring them out so they could worship him freely. 00:07:16.899 --> 00:07:19.939 Or the return from exile of God. 00:07:19.939 --> 00:07:22.299 God graciously bringing his people back home. 00:07:22.379 --> 00:07:26.479 After they had been scattered among the nations because of their sin. 00:07:26.480 --> 00:07:30.020 In the New Testament we see the miracles of Jesus. 00:07:30.220 --> 00:07:32.379 Healing the sick and feeding the hungry. 00:07:32.759 --> 00:07:35.000 Cleansing the lepers and liberating the captives. 00:07:35.100 --> 00:07:35.920 And raising the dead. 00:07:35.920 --> 00:07:38.580 All of these great and mighty works of God. 00:07:38.580 --> 00:07:45.259 But the Bible isn't only a sort of highlight film of God's great and mighty deeds. 00:07:45.340 --> 00:07:48.240 The Bible also introduces us to the character. 00:07:48.400 --> 00:07:50.020 To the person of God himself. 00:07:51.300 --> 00:07:55.639 It says, praise God for his mighty deeds and according to his excellent greatness. 00:07:55.639 --> 00:07:59.319 That is, because of his inherent worth. 00:07:59.419 --> 00:08:01.819 Because of not just what he does for us. 00:08:01.899 --> 00:08:02.560 Which is great. 00:08:02.560 --> 00:08:04.599 But ultimately because of who he is. 00:08:04.759 --> 00:08:06.719 At the core of his very being. 00:08:08.019 --> 00:08:12.959 The scriptures introduce us to the character of a God who is full of steadfast love. 00:08:13.039 --> 00:08:16.839 That is, unwavering commitment to his people. 00:08:17.399 --> 00:08:19.639 Who is full of compassion and mercy. 00:08:19.819 --> 00:08:23.899 That is, he's not only, has not only decided to be committed to us. 00:08:23.899 --> 00:08:26.339 But that he is affectionate toward us. 00:08:26.379 --> 00:08:28.639 He has a deep feeling for us. 00:08:31.839 --> 00:08:33.519 Scriptures talk about God's wisdom. 00:08:33.980 --> 00:08:36.199 That's infinite and inscrutable. 00:08:36.360 --> 00:08:39.039 That is, we can't fathom the depths of it. 00:08:40.199 --> 00:08:41.699 Talks about God's justice. 00:08:41.860 --> 00:08:42.659 Rock solid. 00:08:43.000 --> 00:08:44.179 Like the mighty mountains. 00:08:46.299 --> 00:08:48.179 So, praise the Lord everywhere. 00:08:49.000 --> 00:08:50.659 Praise the Lord because of everything he is. 00:08:50.720 --> 00:08:51.659 And everything he does. 00:08:51.980 --> 00:08:53.480 Verse 3 to 5 go on to tell us. 00:08:53.480 --> 00:08:55.120 How we should praise the Lord. 00:08:55.180 --> 00:08:57.620 And the answer is, with everything we have. 00:08:59.399 --> 00:09:02.139 Verses 3 to 5 mention a whole bunch of instruments. 00:09:03.100 --> 00:09:04.159 Wind instruments. 00:09:04.519 --> 00:09:05.379 Stringed instruments. 00:09:05.720 --> 00:09:06.519 Rhythm instruments. 00:09:07.080 --> 00:09:10.100 Some instruments were used for solemn national occasions. 00:09:10.100 --> 00:09:10.879 Like the trumpet. 00:09:10.879 --> 00:09:15.920 That was used to sort of summon people to a solemn assembly in the Old Testament. 00:09:15.919 --> 00:09:20.240 Or to announce an important occasion. 00:09:20.240 --> 00:09:25.399 There were also instruments for sort of joyful community celebrations. 00:09:25.620 --> 00:09:27.099 Things like the lute and the harp. 00:09:27.219 --> 00:09:28.459 The tambourine and dancing. 00:09:28.579 --> 00:09:31.599 Those are sort of common elements of, you know, a block party. 00:09:31.839 --> 00:09:35.559 Or a sort of a community celebration. 00:09:35.559 --> 00:09:37.539 That was full of joy. 00:09:38.919 --> 00:09:43.500 As well as instruments that were used in more casual everyday life at home. 00:09:43.819 --> 00:09:45.899 The strings and the pipe or the flute. 00:09:46.000 --> 00:09:49.879 Those were instruments back then that were more common for people to have in their homes. 00:09:50.259 --> 00:09:55.219 Somebody would just be sort of strumming along late into the evening around a fire. 00:09:55.220 --> 00:09:57.060 You see, here's the point. 00:09:57.139 --> 00:10:00.160 The psalms are not just meant to be read aloud or recited. 00:10:00.620 --> 00:10:02.680 But sung and put to music. 00:10:03.340 --> 00:10:05.779 In a whole variety of settings. 00:10:06.740 --> 00:10:09.080 Over the centuries, the psalms have been put to music. 00:10:09.200 --> 00:10:12.320 In nearly every culture that has been influenced by the Bible. 00:10:12.720 --> 00:10:15.279 They have put these psalms to music. 00:10:15.420 --> 00:10:17.379 And put the praises of God into music. 00:10:18.320 --> 00:10:20.180 In a whole variety of ways. 00:10:20.179 --> 00:10:28.959 And I think this psalm indicates that the praises of God are meant to be sung in a wide variety of musical styles. 00:10:29.179 --> 00:10:29.279 Right? 00:10:29.439 --> 00:10:30.979 Formal and informal. 00:10:31.679 --> 00:10:33.139 Solemn and joyful. 00:10:33.459 --> 00:10:34.839 Quiet and loud. 00:10:35.179 --> 00:10:36.159 It's not either or. 00:10:36.279 --> 00:10:37.079 It's a both and. 00:10:38.000 --> 00:10:42.219 So we shouldn't become overly attached to only one musical style. 00:10:42.359 --> 00:10:43.759 To the exclusion of all others. 00:10:43.759 --> 00:10:50.159 No, we can celebrate the wide variety of psalms and hymns and spiritual songs that God's people have produced. 00:10:50.500 --> 00:10:52.460 And continue to produce around the world. 00:10:52.720 --> 00:10:54.299 And across the centuries. 00:10:54.519 --> 00:10:57.360 In order to lead God's people to praise. 00:10:58.539 --> 00:11:01.319 So God's worthy to be praised with everything we have. 00:11:01.740 --> 00:11:04.100 And finally, verse 6 tells us who should praise the Lord. 00:11:04.439 --> 00:11:05.799 And the answer is everybody. 00:11:06.799 --> 00:11:07.240 Everybody. 00:11:07.559 --> 00:11:08.080 Everywhere. 00:11:08.580 --> 00:11:09.279 For everything. 00:11:09.659 --> 00:11:10.100 Everybody. 00:11:10.819 --> 00:11:12.080 Praise the Lord. 00:11:12.080 --> 00:11:13.940 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. 00:11:14.020 --> 00:11:18.300 If you're alive and breathing, that means you are included in this summons. 00:11:20.300 --> 00:11:22.259 So that's what the psalm is saying. 00:11:22.840 --> 00:11:23.820 It's pretty simple. 00:11:24.480 --> 00:11:24.720 You don't. 00:11:24.800 --> 00:11:25.800 It's not complicated. 00:11:26.000 --> 00:11:26.480 You don't need. 00:11:28.580 --> 00:11:31.420 Anybody can understand what this psalm is calling us to do. 00:11:32.060 --> 00:11:32.280 Right? 00:11:32.500 --> 00:11:33.020 Everywhere. 00:11:33.420 --> 00:11:33.940 Everyone. 00:11:34.280 --> 00:11:37.560 Praise the Lord for everything that he is and everything he's done. 00:11:38.340 --> 00:11:39.620 So that's what this message. 00:11:39.740 --> 00:11:41.600 That's what this psalm is saying in itself. 00:11:41.600 --> 00:11:43.340 But now I want to step back a little bit. 00:11:43.840 --> 00:11:49.240 And consider Psalm 150 as the conclusion to the book of Psalms. 00:11:49.240 --> 00:11:58.060 Now when we began this series, we pointed out that within the book of Psalms, there are actually five books. 00:11:58.600 --> 00:12:02.539 So if you open your Bible to the beginning of Psalms, it will say book one. 00:12:03.320 --> 00:12:07.799 And then if you go to Psalm 42, there will be a little note that says book two. 00:12:08.519 --> 00:12:12.019 If you go to Psalm 73, it will then say book three. 00:12:12.480 --> 00:12:13.019 And et cetera. 00:12:13.019 --> 00:12:19.699 So there are five collections of Psalms within what we have as the book of Psalms. 00:12:20.259 --> 00:12:28.779 And that's very similar to the first five books of the Bible, which were known and have been known for years as the five books of Moses. 00:12:28.960 --> 00:12:31.600 Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy. 00:12:31.600 --> 00:12:38.600 And now we don't know exactly how or when these sort of five books of Psalms were collected. 00:12:38.740 --> 00:12:41.120 Some people think book one was collected first. 00:12:41.220 --> 00:12:43.019 It has almost all Psalms of David. 00:12:43.600 --> 00:12:47.379 Some of the later books have a more variety of authors. 00:12:47.379 --> 00:12:54.740 We don't really know how or when it all happened, but we can know at least partly why that's the case. 00:12:55.679 --> 00:13:05.120 You see, just as the five books of Moses are sort of a complete collection of God's good instruction associated with the central figure of Moses, 00:13:05.840 --> 00:13:14.659 the five books of the Psalms are given to us as a complete collection of God's good instruction associated with the central figure of David. 00:13:14.659 --> 00:13:18.879 Particularly about how do we approach God in prayer. 00:13:22.279 --> 00:13:27.339 Now, over the last three months, we've looked at a wide variety of Psalms. 00:13:27.439 --> 00:13:32.500 Sort of we've gone through from the beginning to the end and sort of hit several of the highlights. 00:13:32.620 --> 00:13:37.039 So we've looked at Psalms of lament, which are crying out to God in the midst of distress. 00:13:37.459 --> 00:13:44.000 We've looked at Psalms of confession, crying out to God for forgiveness for our sin. 00:13:44.000 --> 00:13:46.539 Psalms of history, reflecting back on the past. 00:13:46.639 --> 00:13:49.139 Psalms of prophecy, looking forward to the future. 00:13:49.519 --> 00:13:53.980 Psalms of wisdom, reflecting on God's law and God's wisdom and God's ways. 00:13:54.379 --> 00:13:57.460 Psalms of trust, resting quietly in God's presence. 00:13:57.600 --> 00:13:58.360 And Psalms of worship. 00:13:59.940 --> 00:14:05.259 And we've seen that these Psalms are written out of all different kinds of life circumstances. 00:14:05.960 --> 00:14:09.919 And they help us to approach God starting from right where we are. 00:14:09.919 --> 00:14:20.399 Now, at first glance, and as we've gone through the Psalms, it can seem like the different kinds of Psalms are just sort of thrown together, all jumbled and all mixed together. 00:14:21.360 --> 00:14:21.740 Right? 00:14:21.799 --> 00:14:23.799 They're not neatly grouped together. 00:14:24.279 --> 00:14:29.000 You can't go to the Psalms and say, well, where are all the Psalms of trust? 00:14:29.500 --> 00:14:31.439 Well, they're sort of everywhere. 00:14:31.939 --> 00:14:32.240 Right? 00:14:32.339 --> 00:14:33.679 Where are all the Psalms of history? 00:14:33.819 --> 00:14:36.299 Well, they're sort of concentrated here, but they're also here. 00:14:36.299 --> 00:14:40.019 And, you know, that's sort of like how we experience life. 00:14:40.099 --> 00:14:40.299 Right? 00:14:40.819 --> 00:14:48.120 Life doesn't, we don't experience life in neatly divided categories that are completely separate from one another. 00:14:48.599 --> 00:14:48.859 Right? 00:14:48.919 --> 00:14:56.359 We don't have one day of lament and then one week of complete praise and one day where we really need to confess our sins. 00:14:56.419 --> 00:14:58.699 You know, all those things are mixed together in our lives. 00:14:58.700 --> 00:15:06.000 And so life is a jumbled mix of beauty and brokenness, joy and sorrow, spiritual triumph and spiritual defeat. 00:15:06.160 --> 00:15:09.800 But the Psalms help us to turn to God in the midst of all that we're experiencing. 00:15:12.000 --> 00:15:22.000 But we haven't, I don't think we've pointed this out yet, but when you look a little closer, there is actually an important progression within the book of Psalms. 00:15:22.000 --> 00:15:25.039 So they're not actually just jumbled and mixed all together. 00:15:25.620 --> 00:15:29.000 There's an important progression if you go from beginning to end. 00:15:30.340 --> 00:15:32.899 So let me give you some data for this. 00:15:33.860 --> 00:15:44.379 The lament Psalms, remember lament Psalms are crying out to God in the midst of distress and need, are concentrated heavily at the beginning of the book. 00:15:44.940 --> 00:15:48.100 So in book one, two-thirds of the Psalms are laments. 00:15:48.419 --> 00:15:50.360 In book two and three, it's at least half. 00:15:50.360 --> 00:15:58.360 But in book four and book five, the lament Psalms take a back seat and the praise Psalms come to the foreground. 00:15:58.879 --> 00:16:01.279 So the proportions get roughly flipped. 00:16:01.820 --> 00:16:09.019 Only a quarter of the Psalms in books four and five are lament Psalms and at least half are praise Psalms. 00:16:10.080 --> 00:16:16.399 Now even more, at the end of each of the five book of Psalms, there is a word of praise. 00:16:16.399 --> 00:16:19.720 So if you have a Bible, go to Psalm 41, 13. 00:16:20.120 --> 00:16:21.379 That's the end of book one. 00:16:22.379 --> 00:16:23.360 That verse says, 00:16:23.759 --> 00:16:27.899 Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. 00:16:28.399 --> 00:16:29.699 Amen and amen. 00:16:31.240 --> 00:16:35.419 And then go to Psalm 72, verse 18, the end of book two. 00:16:35.419 --> 00:16:41.779 Again, praise be to the Lord God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds. 00:16:41.939 --> 00:16:43.659 Praise be to his glorious name forever. 00:16:43.799 --> 00:16:46.399 May the whole earth be filled with his glory. 00:16:46.519 --> 00:16:47.459 Amen and amen. 00:16:48.740 --> 00:16:51.240 Then go to the end of book three, the end of Psalm 89. 00:16:52.240 --> 00:16:53.579 Blessed be the Lord forever. 00:16:53.740 --> 00:16:54.519 Amen and amen. 00:16:55.699 --> 00:16:56.899 Then go to the end of book four. 00:16:57.379 --> 00:16:57.799 Guess what? 00:16:58.059 --> 00:16:58.659 Same thing. 00:16:59.059 --> 00:17:02.059 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. 00:17:02.059 --> 00:17:05.859 And let all the people say, Amen, praise the Lord, Psalm 106, 48. 00:17:06.399 --> 00:17:10.799 Every book within the Psalms ends with a word of praise. 00:17:10.919 --> 00:17:14.599 And then you get to the end of book five and it explodes. 00:17:15.179 --> 00:17:17.799 Because you don't just get a verse or two of praise. 00:17:17.960 --> 00:17:20.240 You don't even just get a whole psalm or two of praise. 00:17:20.440 --> 00:17:22.519 You get five whole psalms. 00:17:23.200 --> 00:17:27.720 146, 147, 148, 149, 150. 00:17:27.720 --> 00:17:34.860 They all begin and end with the words, Hallelujah, which means praise the Lord. 00:17:35.960 --> 00:17:39.480 So book five ends with an outpouring of praise. 00:17:40.019 --> 00:17:44.460 If you look at Psalm 146, it's a psalm of individual praise. 00:17:44.680 --> 00:17:47.120 I will praise the Lord as long as I live. 00:17:48.460 --> 00:17:54.480 You see, God's praises spring up in the hearts of every individual person who has been born 00:17:54.480 --> 00:17:56.100 anew by the Spirit of God. 00:17:56.099 --> 00:18:01.179 And then Psalm 147 is a psalm of corporate praise. 00:18:01.779 --> 00:18:05.719 It says it begins with, it is good to sing praises to our God. 00:18:05.959 --> 00:18:13.799 So it's, we see sort of God's people gathering together as we do in church to praise the Lord together. 00:18:15.000 --> 00:18:16.959 Psalm 148 gets even wider. 00:18:17.159 --> 00:18:18.779 It's a psalm of cosmic praise. 00:18:18.959 --> 00:18:20.980 It begins, praise the Lord from the heavens. 00:18:20.980 --> 00:18:32.819 Not only God's people individually, not only God's people corporately, but all of God's creation in heaven and on earth bears witness to his greatness and power. 00:18:34.180 --> 00:18:37.460 Psalm 149 is a psalm of evangelistic praise. 00:18:37.660 --> 00:18:39.240 It says, sing to the Lord a new song. 00:18:39.319 --> 00:18:44.779 In other words, it's summoning the nations to join in praising the Lord. 00:18:44.779 --> 00:18:48.299 God's praise being declared to the ends of the earth. 00:18:49.579 --> 00:18:54.879 His powerful word represented as the sword of the Spirit going out to the nations. 00:18:55.680 --> 00:18:57.420 And then Psalm 150 is the conclusion. 00:18:59.399 --> 00:19:02.879 Individual praise, corporate praise, cosmic praise, evangelistic praise. 00:19:02.960 --> 00:19:04.200 And Psalm 150 is the conclusion. 00:19:04.799 --> 00:19:07.420 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. 00:19:07.420 --> 00:19:10.100 So it ends the book with a bang. 00:19:11.940 --> 00:19:17.120 Derek Kidner, who I think is one of the most helpful commentators on the Psalms, put it this way. 00:19:18.720 --> 00:19:22.680 Five joyous psalms of praise bring the Psalter to a close. 00:19:23.640 --> 00:19:31.240 So, he says, the Psalms are a miniature of our story, which will end in unbroken blessing and delight. 00:19:31.240 --> 00:19:40.279 You see, the journey that the Psalms are taking us on is a journey through lament into praise. 00:19:41.720 --> 00:19:45.200 That's the progression you see through the book of Psalms. 00:19:46.099 --> 00:19:55.640 And so, third, we've looked at the Psalm in itself, calling us that praise the Lord everywhere, everyone, for everything. 00:19:55.640 --> 00:20:02.880 And we've looked at the Psalm as the conclusion of that movement within the book from lament to praise. 00:20:03.180 --> 00:20:08.680 And now I want to consider this Psalm as the conclusion to which our lives are meant to be oriented. 00:20:10.259 --> 00:20:17.540 The preview of a glorious eternity that we're meant to start rehearsing for even now. 00:20:17.539 --> 00:20:26.940 You see, our lives are meant to follow that movement from lament to praise. 00:20:27.319 --> 00:20:28.319 You know, think about it this way. 00:20:29.579 --> 00:20:33.659 Every one of us began our lives lamenting. 00:20:35.000 --> 00:20:35.440 Right? 00:20:36.119 --> 00:20:37.599 Have you ever seen a baby be born? 00:20:38.779 --> 00:20:41.279 If you have, what's the first thing the baby does? 00:20:42.319 --> 00:20:44.139 Wah! Wah! Wah! 00:20:45.920 --> 00:20:46.319 Right? 00:20:46.319 --> 00:20:48.599 That's actually a sign of health. 00:20:49.599 --> 00:20:54.099 If the baby doesn't cry at all, you get worried. 00:20:55.059 --> 00:20:55.460 Right? 00:20:56.039 --> 00:21:02.139 But that's the only way a baby can communicate is crying out for help from beyond him or herself. 00:21:03.779 --> 00:21:10.539 Every one of us came into the world desperately needy, crying out for help that we could not provide for ourselves. 00:21:10.539 --> 00:21:16.940 And the Bible says that's also the way that we enter into the kingdom of God. 00:21:17.819 --> 00:21:20.200 In fact, the Bible calls it being born again. 00:21:20.200 --> 00:21:26.799 You see, when we cry out to God in our sinful and afflicted state saying, 00:21:26.940 --> 00:21:27.779 Lord, help me! 00:21:28.700 --> 00:21:29.440 Save me! 00:21:29.720 --> 00:21:30.279 Cleanse me! 00:21:30.420 --> 00:21:30.900 Feed me! 00:21:30.980 --> 00:21:32.980 I can't do these things for myself! 00:21:33.100 --> 00:21:33.920 I need you! 00:21:33.920 --> 00:21:37.240 That's the only way to become a Christian. 00:21:38.580 --> 00:21:44.340 You know, you can't become a Christian by being a good person or by doing religious deeds. 00:21:44.779 --> 00:21:49.200 You can only become a Christian by recognizing your desperate need for God's mercy 00:21:49.200 --> 00:21:53.740 and turning to Jesus as the one who has done for us what we could not do for ourselves. 00:21:55.600 --> 00:22:02.240 You see, we all begin our lives, our physical life and our spiritual life, lamenting. 00:22:02.559 --> 00:22:03.500 And rightly so. 00:22:03.640 --> 00:22:09.360 And you know, as we grow up as people, and especially as we grow up as followers of Jesus, 00:22:09.580 --> 00:22:14.680 as we become more aware of our own brokenness and our own spiritual neediness, 00:22:15.100 --> 00:22:18.819 and also the brokenness of the world around us, 00:22:19.200 --> 00:22:24.259 and how twisted the world is and disordered this world has become. 00:22:24.900 --> 00:22:26.759 And so our laments don't stop. 00:22:26.860 --> 00:22:27.759 They don't disappear. 00:22:28.960 --> 00:22:33.180 They actually grow deeper and broader and more earnest. 00:22:34.480 --> 00:22:35.620 It's sort of interesting. 00:22:35.759 --> 00:22:38.799 Book one of the Psalms has mostly individual laments. 00:22:39.559 --> 00:22:42.620 Basically, people calling out to God about their own troubles. 00:22:43.539 --> 00:22:47.259 But in book two and three, there's a lot of communal laments, 00:22:47.259 --> 00:22:50.220 where basically people are looking at the world around them, 00:22:50.299 --> 00:22:54.000 or looking at the church, sort of the people of Israel, right? 00:22:54.059 --> 00:22:57.720 God's people gather together and crying out to God and saying, 00:22:57.839 --> 00:23:00.259 Lord, we've fallen so far short. 00:23:00.400 --> 00:23:01.859 The world is such a mess. 00:23:02.799 --> 00:23:05.619 Come and judge the world and make things right. 00:23:05.759 --> 00:23:06.599 Come save us. 00:23:06.599 --> 00:23:07.240 Redeem us. 00:23:07.939 --> 00:23:09.079 Do something, Lord. 00:23:11.819 --> 00:23:16.519 Some of the most poignant laments crying out to God from the deepest darkness 00:23:16.519 --> 00:23:21.219 are in places like Psalm 88 at the end of book three, in the middle of the Psalms. 00:23:21.859 --> 00:23:22.719 You see, here's the point. 00:23:22.799 --> 00:23:30.579 The Psalms don't paint a picture of a spiritual life that just gets easier and rosier and happier every day. 00:23:30.579 --> 00:23:35.319 That's not the promise of the Christian life that Jesus gives to his disciples. 00:23:35.919 --> 00:23:38.359 Sometimes life gets harder and not easier, 00:23:38.559 --> 00:23:41.939 and our laments grow deeper and more earnest and broader. 00:23:43.939 --> 00:23:49.000 Sometimes Jesus leads us to come alongside others and sort of take their troubles as our own 00:23:49.000 --> 00:23:54.619 and lament with them and lament for them and bear with them. 00:23:54.619 --> 00:24:01.519 But the Psalms don't leave us in a cycle of unending lament. 00:24:03.179 --> 00:24:09.159 Slowly but surely, they lead us through lament into praise. 00:24:10.639 --> 00:24:15.319 And in fact, many of the Psalms of lament actually end with a verse or two of praise. 00:24:15.979 --> 00:24:18.559 Not all of them, but many of them do. 00:24:19.459 --> 00:24:22.539 Or a word of trust, a word of hope. 00:24:22.539 --> 00:24:26.259 Even those lament Psalms are sort of pointing us forward to the end of the book. 00:24:28.279 --> 00:24:34.859 And when we come to the end, we see that the final word in the life of a Christian is praise. 00:24:36.339 --> 00:24:43.859 You know, I think one of the signs of spiritual maturity in an older person is a kind of contentment. 00:24:44.819 --> 00:24:49.779 Not apathy or carelessness, but a kind of steadiness and gratitude. 00:24:49.779 --> 00:24:54.720 You know, it's what the Apostle Paul wrote about in Philippians 4, 00:24:55.579 --> 00:24:59.559 which was written sort of not quite at the end of his life, 00:24:59.660 --> 00:25:03.859 but after, probably toward the end of his life, in the latter half of his life. 00:25:04.899 --> 00:25:05.519 He wrote, 00:25:05.519 --> 00:25:27.500 You see, we begin the Christian life by saying, 00:25:27.500 --> 00:25:29.119 Help me, Lord. 00:25:29.559 --> 00:25:30.599 I need you. 00:25:32.299 --> 00:25:36.240 But the more we move toward the conclusion of the Christian life, 00:25:36.299 --> 00:25:37.940 the more we can look back and say, 00:25:38.720 --> 00:25:39.480 Thank you, Lord. 00:25:40.460 --> 00:25:41.619 You've been faithful. 00:25:42.880 --> 00:25:43.680 Praise you. 00:25:44.339 --> 00:25:45.819 You're worthy to be praised. 00:25:46.819 --> 00:25:51.299 You see, that's the journey the Psalms and the Bible as a whole is leading us on. 00:25:51.299 --> 00:25:54.559 From lament, from crying out to God to save us, 00:25:54.700 --> 00:25:56.500 which is the only way we can begin, 00:25:57.799 --> 00:26:03.119 towards ending in praise and trust. 00:26:04.839 --> 00:26:08.619 You see, praise begins when we turn our eyes to the Lord, 00:26:09.180 --> 00:26:12.319 and when we see that God is still on the throne, 00:26:12.460 --> 00:26:14.279 even over this crazy world. 00:26:14.279 --> 00:26:19.319 And praise continues when we see how God has intervened in the world to set things right, 00:26:20.119 --> 00:26:24.759 how he intervened in the Bible, in the Old Testament, 00:26:25.180 --> 00:26:28.720 to save the people from slavery and to bring them home from exile, 00:26:28.899 --> 00:26:31.899 how he intervened in a million other little ways throughout history, 00:26:32.119 --> 00:26:32.940 but above all, 00:26:33.799 --> 00:26:35.720 how God intervened by sending his Son. 00:26:38.440 --> 00:26:42.139 By sending his Son into the world to pay for our sins once and for all, 00:26:42.140 --> 00:26:45.860 and to rise triumphant over death and the grave. 00:26:46.740 --> 00:26:49.240 And one day he'll come back to put everything right forever, 00:26:49.360 --> 00:26:51.480 and one day in the light of his eternal glory, 00:26:51.780 --> 00:26:53.520 when heaven and earth will be made new, 00:26:53.780 --> 00:26:55.340 all our tears will be wiped away, 00:26:55.420 --> 00:26:57.840 and all our laments will turn into praise. 00:26:58.680 --> 00:27:02.140 His eternal glory will outweigh and outlast all the disappointments 00:27:02.759 --> 00:27:05.100 and all the unfulfilled hopes of this present age. 00:27:06.100 --> 00:27:09.340 And the praise of God's people will never again be interrupted. 00:27:09.339 --> 00:27:14.379 Psalm 150 is a preview of that glorious day, 00:27:14.799 --> 00:27:16.939 when there will be nothing but praise, 00:27:17.759 --> 00:27:19.319 forever and ever. 00:27:22.559 --> 00:27:23.619 Now on occasion, 00:27:24.619 --> 00:27:26.720 I have heard some people object 00:27:26.720 --> 00:27:30.159 to this vision of unending praise. 00:27:31.279 --> 00:27:32.839 I've heard people say things like, 00:27:32.919 --> 00:27:35.439 a world of endless praise would not be worth living in, 00:27:35.459 --> 00:27:36.279 it would be boring. 00:27:36.279 --> 00:27:37.920 If there were no challenges, 00:27:38.160 --> 00:27:39.579 no contrasts, 00:27:39.599 --> 00:27:40.259 no conflicts, 00:27:40.399 --> 00:27:41.819 only endless peace and praise, 00:27:41.899 --> 00:27:43.059 we would all get tired of it. 00:27:43.420 --> 00:27:44.440 After a few years, 00:27:44.519 --> 00:27:46.940 isn't that what happens when people retire from their jobs 00:27:46.940 --> 00:27:49.059 and think they'll be happy sitting at home doing nothing? 00:27:49.559 --> 00:27:50.579 They get bored, 00:27:50.920 --> 00:27:52.480 because they lack purpose. 00:27:55.079 --> 00:27:57.680 But there are several problems with that objection. 00:27:57.680 --> 00:28:03.360 And the deepest problem with that objection is it assumes 00:28:03.360 --> 00:28:07.580 that the kind of life that we experience right now in this world 00:28:07.580 --> 00:28:11.019 is the only kind of life that we can ever or will ever experience. 00:28:11.140 --> 00:28:14.440 It assumes that God cannot surprise us. 00:28:14.440 --> 00:28:22.740 And it also wrongly assumes that the Christian view of eternal life 00:28:22.740 --> 00:28:25.900 is basically our present experience of life in this world 00:28:25.900 --> 00:28:28.480 stretched out for an endless amount of time. 00:28:28.480 --> 00:28:32.099 But in the Christian understanding, 00:28:32.240 --> 00:28:35.720 the eternal life that Jesus promises 00:28:35.720 --> 00:28:38.819 is qualitatively different. 00:28:40.279 --> 00:28:42.819 It's not just immortality going on forever. 00:28:42.980 --> 00:28:46.599 It's a whole new kind of life in union with Jesus 00:28:46.599 --> 00:28:50.259 that begins now and continues into eternity. 00:28:50.259 --> 00:28:52.759 And it's a kind of life, 00:28:53.039 --> 00:28:55.359 the kind of life we will experience in eternity. 00:28:56.900 --> 00:29:00.059 This present world only gives us previews 00:29:00.059 --> 00:29:01.559 of that kind of life. 00:29:03.099 --> 00:29:04.039 In the Bible, 00:29:04.200 --> 00:29:06.779 eternal life is compared to a wedding banquet, 00:29:08.119 --> 00:29:12.740 a flesh and blood reunion of long separated lovers. 00:29:13.599 --> 00:29:18.359 It's compared to citizenship in the city where God himself dwells. 00:29:18.359 --> 00:29:22.359 It's compared to ruling over a renewed heaven and earth. 00:29:23.559 --> 00:29:27.799 When the Bible talks about entering into an eternal Sabbath rest, 00:29:28.159 --> 00:29:31.719 that doesn't mean endlessly doing nothing. 00:29:32.839 --> 00:29:36.079 No, it's talking about entering into the kind of rest 00:29:36.079 --> 00:29:38.599 that God has enjoyed from the beginning. 00:29:39.259 --> 00:29:43.619 That is delighting in his completed work. 00:29:43.899 --> 00:29:45.899 That's what Sabbath rest means in the Bible. 00:29:45.900 --> 00:29:48.480 It's not just doing nothing. 00:29:48.700 --> 00:29:50.040 It means delighting 00:29:50.040 --> 00:29:52.560 in God's completed work. 00:29:52.920 --> 00:29:55.759 And we will enter into that delight. 00:29:58.960 --> 00:30:00.480 1 Corinthians 2.9 says, 00:30:00.580 --> 00:30:02.300 No eye has seen, nor ear has heard, 00:30:02.360 --> 00:30:03.600 nor the heart of man imagined 00:30:03.600 --> 00:30:06.000 what God has prepared for those who love him. 00:30:07.000 --> 00:30:08.380 You see, if you read the Bible, 00:30:08.640 --> 00:30:10.700 one thing you will see about the character of God 00:30:10.700 --> 00:30:12.120 is he is a God of surprises. 00:30:12.119 --> 00:30:15.419 God raised Jesus from the dead, 00:30:15.579 --> 00:30:19.000 and that was a surprise to every last one of his followers. 00:30:20.459 --> 00:30:22.059 And if God could do that, 00:30:22.479 --> 00:30:26.259 then surely we have many glorious surprises awaiting us in eternity 00:30:26.259 --> 00:30:29.459 that we will not be able to guess in advance, 00:30:30.459 --> 00:30:31.979 and that we cannot fathom 00:30:31.979 --> 00:30:36.539 in our present limited experience in this world. 00:30:36.539 --> 00:30:39.159 We will find ourselves 00:30:39.159 --> 00:30:41.460 with even more reasons 00:30:41.460 --> 00:30:42.960 to praise God 00:30:42.960 --> 00:30:45.119 than we already have today. 00:30:47.639 --> 00:30:50.839 And so the summons that Psalm 150 extends to us 00:30:50.839 --> 00:30:52.220 is to begin rehearsing 00:30:52.220 --> 00:30:54.899 for that everlasting song of praise 00:30:54.899 --> 00:30:55.879 right here 00:30:55.879 --> 00:30:57.779 and right now. 00:30:57.779 --> 00:31:03.359 As we sang in that great hymn, 00:31:04.500 --> 00:31:06.319 Here I raise my Ebenezer, 00:31:06.500 --> 00:31:08.839 Here by thy great help I've come, 00:31:08.960 --> 00:31:10.519 and I hope by thy good pleasure 00:31:10.519 --> 00:31:12.519 safely to arrive at home. 00:31:13.480 --> 00:31:14.480 There's another line 00:31:14.480 --> 00:31:17.319 that sometimes is included in that hymn 00:31:17.319 --> 00:31:17.660 that says, 00:31:17.799 --> 00:31:19.839 Sorrowing I shall be in spirit 00:31:19.839 --> 00:31:22.359 till released from flesh and sin. 00:31:22.519 --> 00:31:22.940 In other words, 00:31:22.980 --> 00:31:24.859 we'll still be lamenting throughout our lives, 00:31:24.859 --> 00:31:26.899 Yet from what I do inherit, 00:31:27.079 --> 00:31:28.799 Hear thy praises I'll begin. 00:31:30.240 --> 00:31:32.500 You see, we begin that song of praise 00:31:32.500 --> 00:31:35.599 that we're going to sing for all eternity. 00:31:37.099 --> 00:31:40.139 Now, our songs of praise today 00:31:40.139 --> 00:31:45.179 will inevitably be halting and imperfect. 00:31:46.219 --> 00:31:49.359 Just like a rehearsal for a performance, 00:31:50.299 --> 00:31:52.839 it might sometimes seem repetitive, 00:31:52.839 --> 00:31:55.079 it might sometimes seem like 00:31:55.079 --> 00:31:56.599 there's a lot of waiting involved, 00:31:56.839 --> 00:31:59.519 sometimes we'll sing off-key and out of tune, 00:31:59.639 --> 00:32:01.419 and other people will sing off-key and out of tune, 00:32:01.500 --> 00:32:02.240 we'll get interrupted, 00:32:02.459 --> 00:32:03.279 we'll get distracted, 00:32:03.679 --> 00:32:04.720 but one day, 00:32:05.779 --> 00:32:08.000 the glory of God will cover the earth 00:32:08.000 --> 00:32:09.899 like the waters cover the sea, 00:32:10.159 --> 00:32:12.459 and the praises of God's people will never end. 00:32:13.559 --> 00:32:15.319 One day, the shadows will disappear, 00:32:15.539 --> 00:32:17.699 and we'll see our Savior face to face 00:32:17.699 --> 00:32:19.740 more than anything else 00:32:19.740 --> 00:32:21.880 that we are anticipating in this world. 00:32:22.019 --> 00:32:23.960 Psalm 150 calls us to anticipate 00:32:23.960 --> 00:32:27.720 that great day to come. 00:32:32.359 --> 00:32:33.460 At the end of his book, 00:32:33.539 --> 00:32:34.380 The City of God, 00:32:34.920 --> 00:32:36.279 written in a time of turmoil 00:32:36.279 --> 00:32:38.000 and upheaval in the ancient world, 00:32:39.279 --> 00:32:40.359 the church leader, Augustine, 00:32:40.400 --> 00:32:41.200 wrote these words, 00:32:41.200 --> 00:32:45.000 How great shall be that happiness, 00:32:45.720 --> 00:32:47.880 which shall be tainted with no evil, 00:32:48.539 --> 00:32:50.059 which shall lack no good, 00:32:50.740 --> 00:32:52.380 and which shall afford leisure 00:32:52.380 --> 00:32:53.840 for the praises of God 00:32:53.840 --> 00:32:55.259 who shall be all in all. 00:32:56.039 --> 00:32:57.819 True honor shall be there, 00:32:58.500 --> 00:33:00.360 true peace shall be there, 00:33:00.720 --> 00:33:01.500 God himself, 00:33:01.620 --> 00:33:02.779 who is the author of virtue, 00:33:02.920 --> 00:33:04.480 shall there be its reward. 00:33:05.019 --> 00:33:06.700 We shall be perfectly at rest, 00:33:06.980 --> 00:33:09.019 and shall perfectly know that he is God, 00:33:09.019 --> 00:33:10.980 and there we shall rest and see, 00:33:11.480 --> 00:33:12.339 see and love, 00:33:12.900 --> 00:33:13.740 love and praise. 00:33:14.539 --> 00:33:17.420 This is what shall be in the end without end. 00:33:17.940 --> 00:33:18.660 Brothers and sisters, 00:33:18.779 --> 00:33:19.980 as we begin this new year, 00:33:21.039 --> 00:33:25.480 may we be a people who praise the Lord. 00:33:26.180 --> 00:33:26.920 Let's pray. 00:33:31.619 --> 00:33:33.059 Father God, we thank you 00:33:33.059 --> 00:33:36.059 for the great things you have done 00:33:36.059 --> 00:33:40.419 and for your consistent character. 00:33:41.759 --> 00:33:44.500 Lord, so many reasons we have to praise you. 00:33:44.759 --> 00:33:45.899 Thank you for this psalm, 00:33:45.960 --> 00:33:47.519 which gives us a glimpse 00:33:47.519 --> 00:33:49.799 of the world without end 00:33:49.799 --> 00:33:51.259 when we will praise you, 00:33:51.319 --> 00:33:52.980 when we will see you face to face 00:33:52.980 --> 00:33:56.240 and love you for whom we have longed 00:33:56.240 --> 00:34:00.619 and praise you with unending joy. 00:34:00.619 --> 00:34:03.399 Lord, 00:34:03.679 --> 00:34:06.579 even as we continue to lament 00:34:06.579 --> 00:34:08.179 the brokenness of this world 00:34:08.179 --> 00:34:10.000 and as we call out to you 00:34:10.000 --> 00:34:11.500 in our own personal needs, 00:34:12.059 --> 00:34:14.799 Lord, make us a people who look to you, 00:34:15.539 --> 00:34:17.199 who look to your mighty deeds, 00:34:17.839 --> 00:34:19.539 who look ahead to your promises, 00:34:19.739 --> 00:34:20.920 which are sure and certain, 00:34:21.039 --> 00:34:23.539 who trust that you are a God 00:34:23.539 --> 00:34:26.519 who wonderfully surprises us, 00:34:26.519 --> 00:34:29.460 who can and will do 00:34:29.460 --> 00:34:31.820 far more than we can ask or think. 00:34:33.739 --> 00:34:35.079 Lord, grant that we might be 00:34:35.079 --> 00:34:36.139 a people of praise 00:34:36.139 --> 00:34:39.759 and grant that our songs of praise 00:34:39.759 --> 00:34:41.599 may be an invitation 00:34:41.599 --> 00:34:45.420 to others in this world 00:34:45.420 --> 00:34:48.099 to join in that song, 00:34:48.980 --> 00:34:50.699 praising you who are worthy, 00:34:51.699 --> 00:34:53.780 who are worthy of our praise and glory. 00:34:53.780 --> 00:34:56.840 Pray all these things in Jesus' name. 00:34:57.320 --> 00:34:57.580 Amen.