“Nobody Like Our God”
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Introduction:
Introduction:
Thomas Ken (1637–1711), Bishop of Bath and Wells, penned the familiar doxology:
“Praise God, from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.”
Those simple yet profound words remind us that praise belongs to God and God alone.
Saint Augustine of Hippo once observed:
“Those who wish to be praised in themselves are proud.”
Augustine understood that when people seek glory for themselves, they rob God of the honor that belongs exclusively to Him.
We live in a world filled with pride and self-promotion. Many seek attention, applause, and recognition for themselves. So consumed with their own interests, they often fail to see the burdens of others, much less care about them. Our society suffers from the malady of selfishness.
Yet Psalm 113 presents a striking contrast. It directs our attention away from ourselves and toward the Lord.
H.B Charles states: “You cannot sit through a worship service and call yourself a worshipper; its just a sit in, a protest against God disguised as worship. True worship involves unadulterated praise! Its God centered, not man centered…He’s the Soprano and the Bass of our music and He is the tenor of every note that exaults His name…
Unlike sinful humanity, who seeks to exalt itself, God is already exalted above all nations and above the heavens. Yet, in His greatness, He graciously concerns Himself with the lowly, the needy, and the forgotten.
Psalm 113 teaches us that praise belongs to the God who is above all, yet reaches down to raise up those who cannot raise themselves.
Psalm 113v1 and v9 starts with praise and ends with praise …Its the Alpha and Omega of praise, with no author and was sung during the feasts of Israel.Its sometimes called the Psalm 113-118 are called Egyptian Hallel due to its deliverance from Egypt in Psalm 114.1
1 When Israel went forth from Egypt, The house of Jacob from a people of strange language,
Church, has the Lord done anything for you that deserves your praise? Has He delivered you from anything of your natural response to the Awesomeness of God!
When I think of the goodness of Jesus and all He’s done for me, My soul shouts Halleluyah!
Hallelu-yah derives from hallal, meaning “to boast, to brag on, to laud, to make a show, even to the point of looking foolish,”
I think that many of us no matter what were facing this Sunday morning need to redirect our focus from ourselves and Boast about the God , Brag on the Lord, Laud Him, act a fool for God…..Why, Let us unpack three reasons to declare, “there is Nobody Like our God!!!!!
Point 1 – The Praise of His Name (vv. 1–3)
Point 1 – The Praise of His Name (vv. 1–3)
1 Praise the Lord! Praise, O servants of the Lord, Praise the name of the Lord.
2 Blessed be the name of the Lord From this time forth and forever.
3 From the rising of the sun to its setting The name of the Lord is to be praised.
The psalm opens with a threefold call to praise.
Right off the bat, we have a 3 fold praise…..One for the Father, One for the Son, One for the Holy Ghost..
The emphasis is not merely on what God has done, but on who God is.
His Name ( Shem) represents His character, His covenant faithfulness, His power, and His reputation among the nations.
The psalmist expands the call:
Who should praise Him? — The servants of the LORD.
The ones who has been purchased from the slave market of sin by blood of Jesus
The one who served every other false god and has been redeemed by a bloody cross, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus…
13 For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,
What dominion did he rescue you and I from this morning?
god of money
fornication
pornography
lottery
drunkiness
Now you serve Jesus
17 But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed,
18 and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.
If you are a servant of God, you are ordained to praise the Lord…Has the Lord done anything for you? He has blessed you throughout your life, now we ought to bless God
When should we praise Him? — (Any-time)From this time forth and forevermore.
If God telling us we should praise Him forever, then you and I will have to live forever. This is a prelude to Eternal Security…
36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.
V2- To Bless the Name of the Lord adequately will take Eternity… Eschatologically, we are called to bless his name forever..in glory
1 I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
Where should praise Him? —(Any place) From the rising of the sun to its setting.
V3- To Praise the Name of the Lord should be praised throughout the entire created order…His Name - Shem, His character, His reputation, It should be praise everywhere
11 For from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the same My name shall be great among the Gentiles; And in every place incense shall be offered unto my name, and a pure offering: For my name shall be great among the heathen, saith the Lord of hosts.
One commentary says it best:
Word Biblical Commentary, Volume 21: Psalms 101–150, Revised Comment
How can God be praised enough? To worship adequately would take the rest of time and the concerted tongues of all creatures on earth. No less response in time or space is worthy of God.
Church, before we ask God for anything, before we tell Him about our problems, we ought to learn how to praise His name. The psalmist does not begin with a request; he begins with worship and praise . When you understand who God is, praise becomes like breathing; When you wake up you say Halleluyah, when you go to sleep you say Halleluyah..but as you live throughout your day, you and I need to throw some praise His Way…
He is my shelter in the time of storm, He is my safety from all alarms
He is my song in the middle of the night,
He is my everything….Halleluyah….(3x’s)
This reminds me of the old church hymn:
Hallelujah, hallelujah,
I love to praise His name;
Hallelujah, hallelujah,
I love to praise His name;
Hallelujah, hallelujah,
I love to praise His name;
I love to praise His holy name.
Transition: The obvious question becomes, Why is His name worthy of such praise? The psalmist answers in verses 4–6 by pointing us to the Position of His Majesty.
Point 2 – The Position of His Majesty (vv. 4–6)
Point 2 – The Position of His Majesty (vv. 4–6)
4 The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens!
5 Who is like the Lord our God, who is seated on high,
6 who looks far down on the heavens and the earth?
Having called us to praise His name, the psalmist now tells us why His name deserves praise.
The LORD is high:
trancendant is high and above us!
We are not on God’s level…
Above all nations.
Above all rulers.
Above all kingdoms.
Above the heavens themselves.
His authority is unrivaled and His glory is unmatched.
At the center of this section comes the question:
“Who is like the LORD our God?”
The answer is clear:
No one.
No king compares to Him.
No nation rivals Him.
No idol resembles Him.
No created being approaches His greatness.
Praise the God who is above all, yet reaches down to raise up those who cannot raise themselves.
The song says it well:
There is none like You,
No one else can touch my heart like You do;
I could search for all eternity long,
And find there is none like You.
The psalmist’s emphasis is God’s incomparability. Yahweh stands alone in His majesty. His throne is higher, His glory is greater, and His reign is everlasting.
Even heaven, which appears immeasurably vast to us, remains beneath Him.
19 The Lord has established His throne in the heavens, And His sovereignty rules over all.
THEN THE PSALMIST ASKS THE QUESTION IN V5 WHICH IS OUR THEME PASSAGE:
5 Who is like the Lord our God, Who is enthroned on high,
11 “Who is like You among the gods, O Lord? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, Awesome in praises, working wonders?
All the nations surrounding this tiny little nation had many Gods, but the God of Israel, our God has One Amazing Awesome God
The psalmist declares that God is so exalted that He must humble Himself merely to behold the heavens and the earth.Matter of fact church One translation says God STOOPS DOWN….
6 He stoops to look down on heaven and on earth.
Aren’t you glad that the Lord who is so High, but shows us Stooping Grace to even look at us? He stooped down in your sadness, your depression, your loneliness,
15 The high and lofty one who lives in eternity, the Holy One, says this: “I live in the high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. I restore the crushed spirit of the humble and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts.
God lives with those who are lowly, humble…does he live with you this morning? Can the Lord revive you again
This is a God whose greatness cannot be measured and whose glory cannot be matched.He is worthy of all our praise……
Transition:
Yet the wonder of Psalm 113 is not simply that God is high above all. The wonder is that this exalted God chooses to involve Himself with those below. Having seen the Position of His Majesty, let us now consider the Power of His Mercy.
Point 3 – The Power of His Mercy (vv. 7–9)
Point 3 – The Power of His Mercy (vv. 7–9)
7 He raises the poor from the dust And lifts the needy from the ash heap,
8 To make them sit with princes, With the princes of His people.
9 He makes the barren woman abide in the house As a joyful mother of children.
Praise the Lord!
The God who sits highest is the God who stoops lowest.
Notice the action verbs:
He raises
He lifts
He seats
He makes
God does not merely observe suffering; He intervenes in it.
26 “There is no one like the God of Jeshurun, who rides across the heavens to help you and on the clouds in his majesty.
Ride on King Jesus, in a world where our political leaders are trampling us in their oppression.....
The poor are lifted from the dust.
The needy are lifted from the ash heap.
People are left to rot in the trash of life
Who are the poor and needy?
He is not just speaking to those who have suffered financial loss, He’s talking to you and me this morning.
Were all spiritually poor and needy this morning.
6 For promotion cometh neither from the east, Nor from the west, nor from the south.
7 But God is the judge: He putteth down one, and setteth up another.
41 But He sets the needy securely on high away from affliction, And makes his families like a flock.
Not only does He lifts you and I but He seats us
6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,
Won’t He do it …..Your the head and not the tail, your above and not beneath…The Lord put you and I in places of honor inspite of the dishonor we receive from this world…
Where does the psalmist get his theology of praise from?
Look at
9 He makes the barren woman abide in the house As a joyful mother of children. Praise the Lord!
Not only will the Lord raise the poor , and lift the needy, but He fills the barren….
The psalmist is possibly speaking from
8 “He raises the poor from the dust, He lifts the needy from the ash heap To make them sit with nobles, And inherit a seat of honor; For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, And He set the world on them.
This is Hannah song when the Lord filled her womb, and removed her shame from her ancient world..
Has the Lord filled your emptiness this morning? You were like Hannah before Jesus, empty wounded and sad, but the Lord has birthed Jesus in your hearts this morning
This is the God of divine reversal. He specializes in taking what the world has written off and transforming it by His grace.
The old hymn captures the spirit of this passage:
Lord, lift me up and let me stand,
By faith on heaven’s tableland;
A higher plane than I have found,
Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.
That’s the testimony of every believer. We were in the dust of sin, the ash heap of despair, unable to lift ourselves. But God, in His mercy, reached down and raised us up.
Psalm 113 finds its ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ, who came down from heaven so that sinners could be lifted up by grace.
Conclusion
Conclusion
The Praise of His Name — “Hallelujah, Hallelujah, I Love to Praise His Name”
The Position of His Majesty — “There Is None Like You”
The Power of His Mercy — “Lord, Lift Me Up” (Higher Ground)
And the message of Psalm 113 is clear:
Praise the God who is above all, yet reaches down to raise up those who cannot raise themselves.
