Subject: Praise Preaching Portion: Psalm 66

Theme: Called to Praise God 4 levels Sermonic Process: Exposition

Praiseworthy Provider

Intro.:

1. **Praise Where Due!! -Daddy-daddy

2. Praiseworthy Provider

> Davidic Psalm – tried, tempted, victorious - Praising

3. David recognizes our ‘universal’ obligations to praise our Provider. – 4 distinct levels

1. Whole World

v 1 Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth! 2 Sing out the honour of His name; Make His praise glorious. 3 Say to God, "How awesome are Your works! Through the greatness of Your power Your enemies shall submit themselves to You. 4 All the earth shall worship You And sing praises to You; They shall sing praises to Your name. "Selah

A. Who? – v 1-4

U All the Earth

U Shout! - **Leafs, soccer (Gaithers concert?) VBS

U Sing out… Order, harmony, honour and praise God of Providence

U No second rate praise!!

U **Atheist – foot of mtn. / Deist N. Lights or storm **Indy Car Builder/Driver

U Even enemies

Ex 9:28 Pharaoh -

28 Entreat the LORD, that there may be no more mighty thundering and hail, for it is enough. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer."

U Confronted by power all ‘know’ – shall future

Rom 14:11 For it is written: "As I live, says the LORD, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God."

U Obligation as part of whole world to recognize power and majesty – focus

2. Whole History

v 5 Come and see the works of God; He is awesome in His doing toward the sons of men. 6He turned the sea into dry land; They went through the river on foot. There we will rejoice in Him. 7He rules by His power forever; His eyes observe the nations; Do not let the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah

A. Who? – v 5-7

U Come see history – learn from history

Come and See “The church at all times appeals to the world, Come and see. Come and see, as Jesus said to the two disciples of John the Baptist (John 1:39). Come and see, as Philip said to Nathaniel (John 1:46). God’s wonders are to be seen by all, and seeing is them is the first step toward believing in their divine author.” (Fausett, 1866) more specific

U Children of history – learn from history

U Delivered from captivity – Pharaoh

U Delivered from captivity – Assyria

U Delivered from flood – Noah

U Delivered from powerful enemies – David, Joshua…

U Delivered from the bonds of sin - Jesus

U Preserved his people, acted on their behalf

CHS “We participate today in that ancient joy. The scene is so vivid that it seems as if we were there, singing to the Lord because He triumphed gloriously. Faith casts herself into the past joys of the saints, and in much the same fashion, she projects herself into future bliss, becoming ‘the substance of things hoped for” (Hebrews 11:1) Israel’s joy was in God; let ours be there also.”

Ex 15:2

2The LORD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation; He is my God, and I will praise Him; My father's God, and I will exalt Him. NKJV

U Our history (Calvin, Augustine, Irenaeus, Nouwen) – rich legacy

U Eyes on nations!

U Obligation as his people of history

3. WHOLE PEOPLE

v. 8Oh, bless our God, you peoples! And make the voice of His praise to be heard, 9 Who keeps our soul among the living, And does not allow our feet to be moved.

10 For You, O God, have tested us; You have refined us as silver is refined. 11 You brought us into the net; You laid affliction on our backs. 12 You have caused men to ride over our heads; We went through fire and through water; But You brought us out to rich fulfillment.

A. Who?

U Our God – lead the song! **Cheerleaders

U Preserves us … esp. soul!

And does not allow our feet to be moved. David Dickson 17th cent “It is a great mercy to be kept from desperate action during sad calamities, to be supported under burdens so that we do not sink, and to be prevented from denying God or His truth during persecution.” Preserves us!

U Tests us ** Boot camp

Num 31:21-24 Then Eleazar the priest said to the men of war who had gone to the battle, "This is the ordinance of the law which the LORD commanded Moses: Only the gold, the silver, the bronze, the iron, the tin, and the lead, everything that can endure fire, you shall put through the fire, and it shall be clean; and it shall be purified with the water of purification. But all that cannot endure fire you shall put through water. And you shall wash your clothes on the seventh day and be clean, and afterward you may come into the camp."

U **Silver not too hot... not too cold

U Only comfort in net… God - wicked/situations

U Temporary afflictions

Rom 8:36-39

36As it is written:

"For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter." 37Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. NKJV

U Eternal reward

U Obligation as people of God to praise and worship God.

4. WHOLE PERSON

v 13 I will go into Your house with burnt offerings; I will pay You my vows, 14 Which my lips have uttered And my mouth has spoken when I was in trouble. 15 I will offer You burnt sacrifices of fat animals, With the sweet aroma of rams; I will offer bulls with goats. Selah

16 Come and hear, all you who fear God, And I will declare what He has done for my soul. 17 I cried to Him with my mouth, And He was extolled with my tongue. 18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear. 19 But certainly God has heard me; He has attended to the voice of my prayer.

20 Blessed be God, Who has not turned away my prayer, Nor His mercy from me!

A. Who?

U I will go - personal

U Commitment

U Offer pleasing to God **time/offering - best

U Come and hear - Fellow believers **Baptism

U Testimony – called on God

o Praised God

o Purified for God

o Right living allows us to talk to God

o Listens

Application

>World – praise where due! Builder/Driver - focus

>History – praise where due! Rich Legacy - Learn

>People – praise where due! Our God - Cheer

> Person – praise where due! Our Saviour - Commit

Psalms 66

1 Make a joyful shout to God, all the earth! 2 Sing out the honour of His name; Make His praise glorious. 3 Say to God, "How awesome are Your works! Through the greatness of Your power Your enemies shall submit themselves to You. 4 All the earth shall worship You And sing praises to You; They shall sing praises to Your name. "Selah

5 Come and see the works of God; He is awesome in His doing toward the sons of men. 6 He turned the sea into dry land; They went through the river on foot. There we will rejoice in Him. 7 He rules by His power forever; His eyes observe the nations; Do not let the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah

8 Oh, bless our God, you peoples! And make the voice of His praise to be heard, 9 Who keeps our soul among the living, And does not allow our feet to be moved.

10 For You, O God, have tested us; You have refined us as silver is refined. 11 You brought us into the net; You laid affliction on our backs. 12 You have caused men to ride over our heads; We went through fire and through water; But You brought us out to rich fulfillment.

13 I will go into Your house with burnt offerings; I will pay You my vows, 14 Which my lips have uttered And my mouth has spoken when I was in trouble. 15 I will offer You burnt sacrifices of fat animals, With the sweet aroma of rams; I will offer bulls with goats. Selah

16 Come and hear, all you who fear God, And I will declare what He has done for my soul. 17 I cried to Him with my mouth, And He was extolled with my tongue. 18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear. 19 But certainly God has heard me; He has attended to the voice of my prayer.

20 lessed be God, Who has not turned away my prayer, Nor His mercy from me! NKJV

Ps 66

Psalm 66

This is a thanksgiving-psalm, and it is of such a general use and application that we need not suppose it penned upon any particular occasion. All people are here called upon to praise God,

I. For the general instances of his sovereign dominion and power in the whole creation v. 1-7.

II. For the special tokens of his favour to the church, his peculiar people v. 8-12. And then,

III. The psalmist praises God for his own experiences of his goodness to him in particular, especially in answering his prayers v. 13-20. If we have learned in every thing to give thanks for ancient and modern mercies, public and personal mercies, we shall know how to sing this psalm with grace and understanding.

Ps 66

I. An exhortation, addressed to all the earth, to praise God, as a matter pertaining to all lands, Ps 66:1-2.

II. A reference to the mighty acts of God, as a reason for worshipping him, Ps 66:3-7.

III. A reference to his gracious interposition in time of national danger and trouble, and to the fact that he had rescued the nation in a marvelous manner, Ps 66:8-12.

IV. A reference to the vows which had been made in that time of trouble, and the purpose now to execute those vows, by going to the house of God, and sacrificing on his altars, Ps 66:13-15.

V. A call on all people to hear what God had done for the worshippers: namely, That he had heard prayer; that he had interposed for their deliverance; that he had attended to the voice of supplication; that he had not turned away his mercy, Ps 66:16-20.

Psalms 66

The psalmist exhorts all to praise God for the wonders that He has performed, v. 1-4.

He calls on Israel to consider His mighty acts on behalf of their fathers, v. 5-7;

His goodness on their own behalf, v. 8-12.

He resolves to pay his vows to God, and offer his promised sacrifices, v. 13-15.

He calls upon all to hear what God had done for his soul, v. 15-20.