Duty to Praise (2)

English Standard Version Chapter 11

33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!

34  “For who has known the mind of the Lord,

or who has been his counselor?”

35  “Or who has given a gift to him

that he might be repaid?”

36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

English Standard Version Psalm 96

For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;

he is to be feared above all gods.

5  For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,

but the LORD made the heavens.

6  Splendor and majesty are before him;

strength and beauty are in his sanctuary.

People celebrate what they are most excited about. What runs through our minds and what is shown in our enthusiasm, shows what we delight in. Regardless of what we profess, we show what or whom we most value. It’s not hard to listen to our words, see in our enthusiasm and watch our activities to understand our value system. When God has transformed a heart and brought revival through His people there is a change in their thoughts, language, actions, but most specifically in their worship. Through The Revival of Praise and Worship, God and His actions is the language of a people’s praise, and the worshipful delight of their hearts.

In , we see The Revival of Praise & Worship through the adoration of 1) God’s Greatness () 2) God’s Goodness () 3) God’s Government () and 4) God’s Grace ().

The Revival of Praise & Worship through the adoration of:

1) God’s Greatness ()

I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. 2 Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever. 3 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable. 4 One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. 5 On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. 6 They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds, and I will declare your greatness. (ESV)

The language which opens this song of praise concerning the great king and his kingdom. With the expression: “I will”, each member of the congregation pledges (themselves) to this

Worship begins with every person committing themselves to recognizing and humbling themselves before God. It is not something a leader does for them, or the collective effect, or even something Christ can do for you, but what He enables for you to do. He enables us to worship and praise my God and King.

To extol Him means to exalt or bless Him. In other words, to declare the praises and honors belonging to Him.

David said 1 Chronicle 29:10-13: “Blessed are you, O LORD, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. 11 Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all. 12 Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. 13 And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.

Our Duty is the praise the Lord who is the ultimate King! We can’t side step cheat Him or allow anything to interfere with the Praise owed to him!

What does this ultimate King deserve? What can we give him when we come into his presence? We need to give him our best praise! He deserves a kingly praise!

It was usual to bring kings gifts, but there is no mere thing that we can give God that God does not possess already. Everything is already his. The only thing we can give is our praise, or worship. To extol and bless His name. The all give us reason to give God glory.

What does this ultimate King deserve? What can we give him when we come into his presence? It was usual to bring kings gifts, but there is no mere thing that we can give God that God does not possess already. Everything is already his. The only thing we can give is our praise, or worship. To extol and bless His name (Boice, J. M. (2005). : An Expositional Commentary (p. 1250). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.). To praise God’s name means responding to His revealed character; in this psalm (v:1, 11–13) (Lennox, S. J. (1999). Psalms: a Bible commentary in the Wesleyan tradition (p. 423). Indianapolis, IN: Wesleyan Publishing House.)• Revival centers not around human accomplishments or feelings, but around awareness and praise of God the King. The evidence of true revival is seen in worship that is therefore not centered around human emotion or desire but around God and His kingdom. When this kind of worship begins to penetrate the use of time, talent and resources, from the family to the society, then we see the evidence for revival.In verse 2, the pledge is given of constant praise: “every day…forever and ever”, that will be rendered to the King. Praise is worship; it is acknowledging God to be what he truly is: the sovereign, holy, just, righteous, merciful, awesome, and majestic God we discover him to be in Scripture. Worship is not coming to God to get things from him, though we are free to do that too. It is not even confessing our sins or pleading for grace, though these flow from worship naturally. It is acknowledging God to be God. Indeed, it is doing precisely what David does in the remainder of this composition. David is not going to praise God merely on the Sabbath, though the seventh day (or for us the first day of the week, Sunday) is explicitly set aside for that purpose. Rather, he is going to praise God “every day,” Monday through Sunday, “forever and ever” David’s belief was that he would be worshiping God in heaven even after his worship on earth was ended. You will be worshiping God forever also, along with the other redeemed saints from all other ages of world history. (Boice, J. M. (2005). : An Expositional Commentary (pp. 1250–1251). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.).

To praise God’s name means responding to His revealed character; in this psalm (v:1, 11–13) Our praise does not center around human accomplishments or feelings, but around awareness and praise of God the King. The evidence of true praise is seen in worship that is therefore not centered around human emotion or desire but around God and His kingdom. When this kind of worship begins to penetrate the use of time, talent and resources, from the family to the society, then we see the evidence of true praise.

In verse 2, the pledge is given of constant praise: “every day…forever and ever”, that will be rendered to the King. Praise is worship; it is acknowledging God to be what he truly is: the sovereign, holy, just, righteous, merciful, awesome, and majestic God we discover him to be in Scripture.

Worship is not coming to God to get things from him, though we are free to do that too. It is not even confessing our sins or pleading for grace, though these flow from worship naturally. It is acknowledging God to be God.

Indeed, it is doing precisely what David does in the remainder of this composition. David is not going to praise God merely on the Sabbath, though the seventh day (or for us the first day of the week, Sunday) is explicitly set aside for that purpose. Rather, he is going to praise God “every day,” Monday through Sunday, “forever and ever” David’s belief was that he would be worshiping God in heaven even after his worship on earth was ended.

How many of you are comfortable with continual and endless praise to the Lord? David said I will bless the Lord at all times and his praise shall continually be in my mouth! You will be worshiping God forever also, along with the other redeemed saints from all other ages of world history.

Genuine praise will have a continuing effect. Emotionalism comes and goes based on current events. Genuine praise and worship that begins now and continues into eternity.

The first half of verse 3 echoes and 96:4. The Psalmist calls on the redeemed to worship indicating that the LORD is: “greatly to be praised”. This regards how we worship. The greatness is in the approach and manner. In our approach, it is one of preparation. In the manner, it is expected to be of genuine delight. God desires no mere rushed spectators but heart felt delight in Him. We are expected to worship Him in “spirit and in truth”. ().

“His greatness is unsearchable/no one can fathom”. God’s power and might are so great that finite human minds are unable to comprehend them fully. This verse teaches the doctrine of the incomprehensibility of God. People can have a true understanding of God but never a complete or exhaustive one.

2) God’s Goodness () They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness and shall sing aloud of your righteousness. 8 The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. 9 The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made. 10 All your works shall give thanks to you, O LORD, and all your saints shall bless you! (ESV)

The awesome deeds of God spring forth from His “goodness”. Genuine worship recounts His: “abundant goodness” and singing aloud of His “righteousness”. His goodness is not earned but an “abundant” overflow of His desire to bless. If His people will not long after His “abundant goodness”, then they seek pleasure in sin. Since He is holy and “righteous”. He will not wink at sin or turn a blind eye at rebellion. His “abundant goodness” is only an outflow of His righteousness.

Even when I fall short I am anxious to repent because I am connect to a righteous God who has my best interest in mind. David said goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.

The Lord will remind you how to conduct yourself to stay in his will.

3 ) God’s Grace () 14 The LORD upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down. 15 The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. 16 You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing. 17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works. 18 The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. 19 He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them. 20 The LORD preserves all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy. 21 My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD, and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever. (ESV)

While those far off from the LORD will not know His ready response to their cry () Because this people draw near with their mouth

and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me.

while their hearts are far from me

Those who know him know him a a very present help.

Look at verse 18 It indicates how, for those: who call on Him in truth He is ready to respond by drawing near to help.

verse 18 indicates how, for those: who call on Him in truth He is ready to respond by drawing near to help. He whose commands are true is ever near ().

That’s why the hymn writer wrote:

verse 18 indicates how, for those: who call on Him in truth He is ready to respond by drawing near to help. He whose commands are true is ever near ().

Father, I stretch my hands to Thee, No other help I know; If Thou withdraw Thyself from me, Ah! whither shall I go?What did Thine only Son endure, Before I drew my breath! What pain, what labor, to secure My soul from endless death!O Jesus, could I this believe, I now should feel Thy power; Now my poor soul Thou wouldst retrieve, Nor let me wait one hour.

The LORD’S people are described by two terms. They are ‘those who fear him’ (22:23; 25:12, 14; 33:18; 119:63) and those , in verse 20, ‘who love him’ (5:11; 97:10; 119:132). Love and reverence for the LORD are fully compatible. His grace extends to those who love him.

While the wicked are brought to destruction.

Finally, the opening call to praise (vv. 1–2) is resumed in verse 21, but carried a stage further. Not only will the psalmist engage in praise, but he calls on all creatures to share in it. “All flesh/Every creature’ (Heb., kol-bâsâr, ) may refer only to humans (), but the similar phrase ‘everything that has breath’ (kol-neshâmâh) describes humans and animals in . Therefore the psalm ends with an invitation to all living things to join in perpetual praise to the LORD. Our duty is to praise the Lord. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!This psalm provides an excellent concluding summary for Psalms, since it emphasizes the providential and redemptive love of the Lord, which is the theme of the whole book