The Unsearchable Greatness of Our Great God is Deserving of Great Praise From All Psalms 145

Intro: Welcome to FE, My name is Josue Aguilar, I am one of the elders here. We are glad you are with us this morning. Last week we started a new series called On the Move and Alfredo encourage us through Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan women at the well, that God is moving, we just need to lift up our eyes and look for it. If we just lift our eyes and look around in the communities we gather in like, church, family, work, neighborhoods, we can see God is working and God is moving all around us.

The important element of when God is on the move is to lift our eyes and look for it, look and see that God is moving all over the world including here in Arkansas, in Little Rock, here in FE.

This morning we are going to look at another important element today, Praise Him In It, we must praise God. We are going to look at Psalms 145, it is the last Psalm of David in the book of Psalms, is also the only Psalm with the subscript or title, A Song of Praise. Another unique feature of this Psalm, that we as English readers will not be able to notice is that each verse starts with a letter from the Hebrew alphabet, the only letter that is missing is the Hebrew letter “nun”, some believe it was a transcribal error and in the later manuscripts that were found there is the addition of vs 13b, but others believe it was on purpose, the reason they give is that the Psalmist wanted to have the perfection of 3 stanza with 7 lines each, which leads to 21 letters, whatever the reason, David composed a beautiful Psalm encouraging us to Praise God with him. David begins

Psalm 145:1–3 (ESV)

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.

Te exaltaré mi Dios, oh Rey, y bendeciré tu nombre eternamente y para siempre. 2 Todos los días te bendeciré, y alabaré tu nombre eternamente y para siempre. 3 Grande es el Señor, y digno de ser alabado en gran manera; y su grandeza es inescrutable.

Davis uses three different words here to express praise to God, Exalt, Bless, Praise. Davids is so consumed with who God is he is doing his best to express praise for who God is.

“I will extol you, my God and My King” - to exalt means to lift high. When we exalt God we recognize that God is far superior than, we recognize God for his position, power, and glory. We come to him in humble submission recognizing who he is, and we lift him up, we exalt him in our lives.

“Bless your name forever, everyday I will bless you” - The Psalmist goes on the describes his praise to God as blessing God. What does David mean when he says “I will bless you”? Blessing God is when we recognize who God is and what he has done and we verbalize it to him. God you are so good, you have provided for me with a job, with housing with food, with family. Father you are so gracious that you have sent your only son to save me from my sin through his death on the cross. God you are so good, that you present with me at all times, even when I am lacking and needy, you sustain and bring me through the valley. God you are good to me, I will bless you every day and I will bless your name forever and ever. In other words David is saying I will bless your name while I am alive and when I die I will bless your name in the afterlife, for ever and ever.

I will “praise your name forever” the word praise, is where we get our english word eulogy, a eulogy is what we read about a person at their funeral. When someone is eulogized, they speak about all the good qualities of the person, he was a good husband/wife, mother/father, boss/worker. the person served the community, church, his work place well. When we praise God or eulogize God, not because he is dead but because hi is alive and working among us, we praise him for who he is and what he has done, we ascribe praise and glory to his name.

Why do we do this?

We Exalt, Bless, Praise the Lord, For the Lord is Great and His Greatness is unsearchable.

We exalt, bless and praise the Lord for Great is the Lord and because he is great, he is greatly to be praised. Weaved throughout the story of the Bible, is the greatness of our Sovereign God, who rules the heavens and the earth. We cannot escape the greatness of God in the pages of the Bible. Over and Over again we read about the greatness of our God, who is the author of life and is continually writing the story of the Glory of God throughout all generations until one day it will reach it culmination when the people God has called for his own possessions will be united with him for for ever and we will be before his throne with a diversity of people, nations, languages and tongues saying “to him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb, be blessing and honour and glory and might forever and ever, Amen”

And when we have been in heaven with our God for a thousand years, we will still not reach the end of his greatness, because his greatness is unsearchable, which means it goes on for for ever, there is no end to the greatness of God, their is no cieling to the greatnes of God, there is no bottom to the greatness of God, we will never encapsulate the greatness of our God, which is why he is worthy of our praise, there is no other person like our God.

CS Lewis, one of the greatest minds of the 20th century, was reflecting on the Psalms and as Lewis was thinking of the Psalms, he said he used to think how can God be so full of himself that he would require his creation to praise, I mean if we are honest, we really cannot stand people who toot their own horn, or tell us how great they are. We probably all know someone who tries to tell a better story than you when you share something. If you caught a 5lb fish then this person caught a 10lb fish. As CS Lewis began to contemplate about God who commands praise from his people he began to realize something which transformed his life and it should transform our lives as well.

But the most obvious fact about praise — whether of God or anything — strangely escaped me. I thought of it in terms of compliment, approval, or the giving of honour. I had never noticed that all enjoyment spontaneously overflows into praise…

The world rings with praise — lovers praising their partners, readers their favourite poet, walkers praising the countryside, players praising their favourite game — praise of weather, wines, dishes, actors, motors, horses, colleges, countries, historical people, children, flowers, mountains, rare stamps, rare beetles, even sometimes politicians or scholars. . . . I had not noticed either that just as men spontaneously praise whatever they value, so they spontaneously urge us to join them in praising it: “Isn’t she lovely? Wasn’t it glorious? Don’t you think that magnificent?” The Psalmists in telling everyone to praise God are doing what all men do when they speak of what they care about.

My whole, more general, difficulty about the praise of God depended on my absurdly denying to us, as regards the supremely Valuable, what we delight to do, what indeed we can’t help doing, about everything else we value.

I think we delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment; it is its appointed consummation.

What CS Lewis began to realize is that God commanding his creation to praise him, is not God being a self-seeking ego maniac. God’s pursuit of my praise is not selfish but it is God expressing his self-giving love towards us. God desires our greatest good, but there is no greater good than God. What does God do? In the truest act of love, God gives us himself, “while we were sinners, Christ died for us”. God Gives us himself, but that his just the first step, because what God does when he calls someone to him is he changes their heart in such a way that it explodes in praise to God for who he is what he has done, for it is when we praise God that our enjoyment our satisfaction is complete in Him.

The Westminster Confession declares “we were created to glorify God and enjoy him forever” what Lewis is pointing out that glorifying God and enjoying God are two sides of the same coin, you can’t have one with out the other. Therefore when we praise God, we are enjoying God and when we are enjoying God we express it in praise to God.

Psalm 145:4–7 (ESV)

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.

Una generación alabará tus obras a otra generación, y anunciará tus hechos poderosos. 5 En el glorioso esplendor de tu majestad, y en tus maravillosas obras meditaré. 6 Los hombres hablarán del poder de tus hechos portentosos, y yo contaré tu grandeza. 7 Ellos proclamarán con entusiasmo la memoria de tu mucha bondad, y cantarán con gozo de tu justicia.

Because our God is Great, The Glorious Splendor of His Majesty should ignite praise and proclamation from his people.

Notice the words David uses, declare, sing, commend, speak of… David could not help but praise and proclaim God. Who God is and what he has done should ignite a fire of praise in us, but it should also ignite a fire of proclamation, to speak of the abundant goodness of God. Who should we proclaim the abundant goodness of God to:

One generation to the other:

Parents we should proclaim the goodness of God to our children

We should declare the beauty of God to them

We should declare the works of God to them

If you are a parent who is a follower of Jesus here today, your children, should not here the Gospel for the first time at FSK, FSM or here at FE, what we preach from this pulpit or teach them at FSK and FSM, should reinforce the Christian faith they are learning at home. Parents we need to teach our children the truths of the Scriptures, we need to teach them the Gospel, we need to disciple them in the truth of God’s word and how to have a relationship with the Lord, and we need to pray for God to take those truths and transform their heart. The question is not if your children are being discipled, the question is who is discipling your kids? Will you let Tik-Tok, YouTube, Social Media influencers, the educational system, the media, or will you take up the challenge from Scripture to teach and disciple your children when you rise, when you are living life, when you lay down?

One generation to another also involves evangelism, we must share about the greatness of God with the those who do not know him. One of the phrases that has impacted me was spoken by John Piper, he said “Missions exist because worship doesn’t” and what he is pointing out is that the reason we share the Gospel with others is so the people will see the beauty of the greatness of our God and the beauty of the Gospel and find true joy and satisfaction the God who loves his people and when they do the will erupt in praise and worship of our great and loving God.

What this implies is that you know God and the know what God has done. How do we get to know God and what he has done? Look at vs 5 with me, David says he will meditate on “the glorious splendor of your majesty and on your wondrous works”. The word here for works, is translated as words over half the times this particular word is used. I believe the translators translated it as works, because that is what this section of scripture is talking about, you can look it up for your self or I can show you if you want to check me. It doesn’t change the message, but what it does, is points out what David is meditating on, who God is and the words god has spoken. Then look at vs 6, “They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds” the they is God’s words, in the pages of this scripture we learn of who God is and what he has done and when we learn the truths of the scripture, we declare them to the world. Declare of the greatness of our God who David describes quoting Exodus 34

Psalm 145:8–9 (ESV)

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.

Clemente y compasivo es el Señor, lento para la ira y grande en misericordia. 9 El Señor es bueno para con todos, y su compasión, sobre todas sus obras.

The Lord is Rich in grace, mercy, patience, and loyal love and the Lord is Good to ALL

This takes us back to Moses, when asked the Lord to show him his glory, and the Lord says I will give you a glimpse of who I am, and the glimpse the Lord chose to reveal is

Psalm 145:8–9 (ESV)

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.

Clemente y compasivo es el Señor, lento para la ira y grande en misericordia. 9 El Señor es bueno para con todos, y su compasión, sobre todas sus obras.

Now those are truths you can build your life on. Your life could be filled with the riches of this world or your life could be full of turmoil, you can be completely healthy or you can be struggling with illness, you can be at the lowest point of your life or you can be at the highest point of your life, where ever you are in life you can trust that the Lord is Rich in grace, mercy, patience, and loyal love and the Lord is Good to ALL. When the troubles of this life come at you you can trust the Lord to rich in grace, mercy. patience and loyal love and you can trust that he is good regardless of your circumstances.

Psalm 145:10–13 (ESV)

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.

Señor, tus obras todas te darán gracias, y tus santos te bendecirán. 11 La gloria de tu reino dirán, y hablarán de tu poder, 12 para dar a conocer a los hijos de los hombres tus hechos poderosos, y la gloria de la majestad de tu reino. 13 Tu reino es reino por todos los siglos, y tu dominio permanece por todas las generaciones.

Our Lord and King is glorious, therefore His kingdom glorious.

David turns his attention now to the kingdom of the king, How does David describe this kingdom?

glorious

powerful

everlasting

living

Just like the Lord, his kingdom, his rule and reign reflects who he is.

Another important fact we need to point out, is the divide in the kingdom. There are those who are in the kingdom and those who are out of the kingdom. Who is speaking of the glory of the kingdom? The saints, these are the people who have submitted to the rule of reign of the Lord in their life, what are they doing? They are praising God and declaring the glorious splendor of the kingdom to the children of man.

Entrance into the kingdom of God is turning from your sin and being the king of your life placing your trust in Jesus and submitting to his rule and reign for your life. Until you decide to trust in Jesus and follow him, you are part of the children of man and outside the kingdom. If that is something you would like to talk about, we would love to share the greatness of our God who rich in love, mercy, patience and loyal love.

Psalm 145:14–17 (ESV)

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.

El Señor sostiene a todos los que caen, y levanta a todos los oprimidos. 15 A ti miran los ojos de todos, y a su tiempo tú les das su alimento. 16 Abres tu mano, y sacias el deseo de todo ser viviente.

17 Justo es el Señor en todos sus caminos, y bondadoso en todos sus hechos.

Our Lord and King has compassion for those who are oppressed.

Psalmist here talks about the compassion and goodness of God towards those who are oppressed. Those who are falling and downtrodden, the Lord has compassion on them. Those who look to God for food because they may not have any, the Lord has compassion on them. The Lord has compassion on the oppressed, you can see this throughout the scriptures, but he also cares for all living creatures. everything the Lord does he is rightous and kind in what he does.

Psalm 145:18–20 (ESV)

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.

El Señor está cerca de todos los que le invocan, de todos los que le invocan en verdad. 19 Cumplirá el deseo de los que le temen, también escuchará su clamor y los salvará. 20 El Señor guarda a todos los que le aman, pero a todos los impíos destruirá.

Our Lord and King has compassion for his people.

When it comes to God’s people, his compassion is displayed in a more intimate way. David describes it as nearness in vs 18. The Lord is near to all those who call to him in truth, meaning we cannot invent our own ways to get to God, we must come to him how the Scriptures describe, in repentance and faith.

“He fulfills the desires that fear him” - this isn’t a blank check to ask God for whatever you want. What this describes is the person who fears the Lord will desire the things God desires. Oswald Chambers says “If Jesus is formed in me the Father will always hear my prayers.”

The Lord will hear our cries and save us

Look at the last verse, the Lord preserves all who love him, doesn’t that sound like Rom 8:28

Romans 8:28 (ESV)

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

 Y sabemos que para los que aman a Dios, todas las cosas cooperan para bien, esto es, para los que son llamados conforme a su propósito.

But for those who do not follow him, for the children of men, for those who reject his love, the psalmist tells us, all that awaits you is destruction.

David closes this Psalm with a call to praise the greatness of our good God. Which we want praise God as a community of faith together which we plan to do here in a minute, can we read the last verse to gether, in whatever language you can read it in. Let’s read it in unison. Please stand with me, and put the verse on the screen. If you are an English reader/speaker do it in english if you are a Spanish reader/speaker do it Spanish I will start and you guys just jump in in whatever language.

Psalm 145:21 (ESV)

My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,

and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.

Mi boca proclamará la alabanza del Señor; y toda carne bendecirá su santo nombre eternamente y para siempre.