Let All People Praise Him

Introduction

“Short and sweet” gets to the point and can express a great deal, even without the use of big words and lots of them. “Jesus wept” or “pray without ceasing” can be easily memorized, not only for their brevity, but also for their deep impact and impression that they make.

The psalm opens with a call to worship; it ends this way

Abraham Lincoln and the Gettysburg Address was only 271 words and about 3 minutes long; Lincoln’s speech is the memorable one, but there was a different keynote speaker, Edward Everett. He had a 2 hour long speech at 13,607 words. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/11/19/5-things-gettysburg-address/3633679/

Verse 2 tells us why we should worship

Barack Obama saying that Bill Clinton was his “secretary of explaining stuff” because Clinton could ramble on about any subject if he had an audience who would listen to him.

Psalms: An Introduction and Commentary Psalm 117. Great Is His Love Towards Us

Psalm 117 is the shortest of all the songs of the book, indeed, the shortest chapter in the Bible.

opens with a call to worship; it also ends that way.

Verse 2 tells us why we should worship God.

While it is short and to the point, its impact is tremendous.

Worship Unites People

The psalmist calls for all people of all nations to come and offer praise and worship to God -

It can be tempting for people to try and claim God for themselves because they have the “secret” or “key” to worshiping God and others do not - cf.

Jesus affirmed that all people, or true worshipers, would be able to worship God. Endless debates about location of where to worship would be set aside -

The apostle Paul quotes in the book of Romans. His point: that Jews and Gentiles are united as the one people of God!

Christ came as a servant to the Jews and to open up the way for Gentiles to glorify God. All people can come to know the saving power of God -

;

Worship Responds To God’s Faithfulness

begins explaining why people should worship God.

First, we worship God because of His lovingkindness (NASB), steadfast love (ESV), merciful kindness (NKJV).

The term in the Hebrew is hesed, which means something akin to loyal love.

God is loyal and devoted to all people. He is ever faithful -

Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Hebrew (Old Testament) 2876 II. חֶסֶד

loyal love, unfailing kindness, devotion, i.e., a love or affection that is steadfast based on a prior relationship (Ex 34:6, 7); 2. LN 79.9–79.17

Salvation and redemption are the products of God’s faithfulness and lovingkindness -

For those who are committed, devoted, loyal, and faithful to God, He is committed, devoted, and loyal to them -

Worship is the appropriate response to God’s love and faithfulness -

We worship because of God’s greatness and power!

Worship Connects To God’s Truth

Worship is the proper response to God and His character. That is why we worship. But there is a second reason that we should worship God.

His truth is everlasting -

Worshiping God is intimately connected with His word and truth!

God’s words, commands, laws, and judgments are intended for us to know Him. When we know God, we will want to worship God. Consider what David said in .

God’s word should teach us and mold us—that’s what His truth does for us -

When we worship God, a lot of our time is devoted to studying God’s word. That is not an accident. That is very intentional.

Paul told Timothy to give attention to public reading -

When churches assemble, reading the Scripture was expected - ;

Reading and studying the inspired texts of Scripture is how we know God’s will for our lives. That must be one of the most important reasons for us assembling and coming together.

In , the disciples came together to observe the Lord’s Supper, but they did not leave immediately after taking it. They listened to Paul preach and expound on the Scripture.

The force and impact of Christ’s death is presented in the gospel. Paul preached “Christ crucified.”

When we separate the Lord’s Supper as one distinct act “separate and apart” from the study of God’s word, we are limiting our understanding of the Scripture and the connection that we are supposed to see between what God and Christ SAY and what they DO.

Don’t speak of the Lord’s Supper as the most important act of worship; don’t think of preaching as the most important act of worship. They are fluid and connected. If we fail to see that connection, then we will have an incomplete and shallow view of the Scripture AND the death of Christ.

Consider how God’s truth is described in Scripture:

God’s truth has saving power -

Our worship to God is to be done in truth -

God is truth and every word He speaks is truth - ;

God’s word is truth

Worship that is done in spirit and in truth must find ways to connect with the word of truth, the gospel -

we worship in truth

“Rightly dividing” or “accurately handling” the word of truth seeks to make personal application to our life and make changes where we fall short.

God’s word is truth

Worshiping God and connecting to the truth of God is critical for the life of a Christian because it becomes the means by which we know God, we know His will, appreciate God’s power and authority, and how we shape and pattern our life.

God is truth

Without God’s word, we would be lost.

Conclusion:

We worship God because of who He is, what He does, and what He says.

His faithfulness and truth bring salvation to all people.

All people can be united into the single family of God.

Therefore, “praise the LORD!” -