The Wonder of God's Greatness (Psalm 145:1-7)

INTRO

Susanna experienced many hardships throughout her life. Her husband left her and the children for over a year because of a minor dispute.

To her absent husband, she wrote:

I am a woman, but I am also the mistress of a large family. And though the superior charge of the souls contained in it lies upon you, yet in your long absence I cannot but look upon every soul you leave under my charge as a talent committed to me under a trust. I am not a man nor a minister, yet as a mother and a mistress I felt I ought to do more than I had yet done. I resolved to begin with my own children; in which I observe the following method: I take such a proportion of time as I can spare every night to discourse with each child apart. On Monday I talk with Molly, on Tuesday with Hetty, Wednesday with Nancy, Thursday with Jacky, Friday with Patty, Saturday with Charles.

This was written by Susanna Wesley, the mother of many children including Charles and John Wesley, who went on to found Methodism, largely applying the principles of what their mother taught them to other people.

That could have turned out much differently! Her commitment and obedience to the Lord went on to impact multiple generations.

What are you doing to ensure the generations behind you know the Lord and serve Him?

That’s a major theme in , which we’ll look at the first 7 verses today. It shows us that when we recover the wonder of God’s greatness, we can’t help but tell others and make sure they have an opportunity to know Him also!

As we look at this passage, we’ll break it into 3 parts— the praise, the pattern, and the product.

THE PRAISE

David begins this psalm with praise & adoration to the Lord. It is personal to David: my God, my King.

There are many different verbs used in this passage. And those verbs are translated differently in English Bibles. It’s really neat to see the variety of expression David uses in this psalm.

But if you were to summarize all of what David is saying, you could boil it down to 2 main actions: Praise & Declare. And then you see 4 major characteristics about God: Greatness, Acts, Majesty, Righteousness.

This is a great way to start your praise; your singing, your praying, your thoughts about God—Praise Him for who He is. There is nothing selfish in the beginning of David’s psalm.

He has the right priority. He is standing in awe of God.

And he also expresses the obligation of one who praises the Lord. Praise indicates authority, which leads to obedience. When you praise something or someone, you are expresses its authority over you and to some degree are submitting to it. So your actions will flow out of your praise.

David shares a song of praise that expresses an obligation. This leads to the next couple verses, which show the pattern.

THE PATTERN

Remember his theme was to praise & declare. There is an obedience to the Lord, actions that flow from that praise. When he thinks about who the Lord is, David expresses the command that one generation should commend the Lord’s work to another. When David says at the end of v.5 that he will meditate, many verses use the phrase speak of—this was expressing his personal involvement in declaring the greatness of God.

There’s a pattern that existed before David even. The pattern of commending the Lord’s works existed

among (1) God’s people (the Israelites),

among the Church, and

at the individual level.

God’s People

Think about the Israelites. They had this process built into their lives in 2 ways: The Passover and the Ten Commandments.

The Passover

The Passover was instituted at the end of the plagues on Egypt that God sent during the Israelites slavery. God would slay the firstborn of every family, but would pass over the house that smeared the blood of a sacrificed lamb on its doorpost. The Passover was to be a feast so that this message of God’s redemption was passed down through the generations: ““This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast.” (, ESV)

The Ten Commandments

After the slavery to Egypt, God eventually gave Moses the 10 Commandments to serve as the foundation of God’s Law for His people. God’s Law was to continually be taught among the generations of His people. “And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” (, ESV)

The Church

As redemption came to be fulfilled in Christ and then the Church became the gathering of believers who trust in the Lord’s salvific work, we see this pattern continue in The Lord’s Supper and the Great Commission.

The Lord’s Supper

The Church has been commanded to observe the Lord’s Supper as a way to remember his death and anticipate his return. Every time we partake, we are commending the Lord’s work of salvation. “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” (, ESV)

The Great Commission

The Great Commission

Just as the Israelites were commanded to teach God’s Law, all believers now are instructed to teach all that God has commanded. We see this in , what has come to be called the Great Commission: “And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”” (, ESV)

Individually

David recognized his place in this individually (v.5). I will meditate on your majesty and your works. And each of us must be taking time to remember what the Lord has done and responding appropriately in our lives. This might come through your times of reading Scripture, journaling, singing, praying, or serving in your area of giftedness.

Do you realize that when you serve the Lord in the way that He has gifted you, you are pointing people to see His goodness—He gifted you, so as you serve Him, the glory should be reflected to Him.

So you can see that David is just expressing a way of living that was already the pattern for God’s people and would continue to be the pattern for God’s people.

How are we doing at telling others of the works of the Lord? If we are really standing in awe of God, if you really have the wonder of His greatness, then you’ll be telling others about what He has done for you and for His people!

This leads to understanding the product, or the result.

THE PRODUCT

What happens when one generation commends the works of the Lord to another? What is the product or result?

V.6-7 tell us {READ]. Notice they. It takes root in their hearts and impacts their lives.

They will speak of the might of God’s awesome deeds.

They will declare God’s greatness.

They will testify to God’s goodness.

They will sing of his righteousness.

Isn’t this what you want to see in your life, home, church?

It won’t happen if we aren’t faithful in commending the works of the Lord. If we don’t have a wonder of God’s greatness, then we won’t obey the Lord in leading others to be in wonder of His greatness!

How are you commending the works of the Lord? In your life, home, church?

I want you to think about the difference in cultures of David’s time and ours. We have technology and printed material all around. There’s a chance still in our culture that a child who grows up in a home that never speaks of God could still hear one day by reading a Bible.

In David’s time, they didn’t have much of that. They were largely an oral culture—they had to tell the next generation. I wonder if we have become lax in our day because we just assume that people will hear about the Lord. They’ll read the Bible.

But let me remind you that it is our responsibility as people of God to point people to His greatness. To tell them what He has done for them.

So we’re gonna practice. [HAVE CHILDREN COME UP FOR 10 COMMANDMENTS]