Psalm 33
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Introduction
Introduction
Wreck - I couldn’t remember anything. I told the same story to Sebastian several times. I couldn’t remember who i was or where i was or how id gotten there. Sebass took a video. they cared a lot. but It was a really weird feeling for sure not remembering anything. It would be impossible to live life without a memory. Its very important to remember things like… who you are, and where you come from, and how you got here. These are essentials to a healthy functional life. that’s why dementia is so devastating. it takes the person away before the person passes away. Its horrible. But the same thing exists in the spiritual realm with just as devastating results. A spiritual dementia is when you forget your blessings. You forget who you are and who’s you are and where you come from and what God has done for you. The bible shares over and over again to forget not the Lord and the things he has done.
Deut. 4:9
9 “Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children’s children—
Psalm 103:2
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,
The Christian should always remember who he is in Christ and how he has been rescued and redeemed. This should keep us in a perpetual sense of praise unto the Lord. We should never forget to Praise God.
Intro: have you ever heard anyone say the phrase: “Don’t forget to breathe!”
Sometimes people say don’t forget to breathe. You may have heard this phrase just before doing something nerve racking like performing a song in front of an audience, or while enduring something strenuous like a hard work out. “Don’t forget to breathe” is an interesting phrase since breathing is somewhat involuntary. We breathe quite naturally without thinking about it. It’s just something humans do from birth. We just breathe. We must breathe.
And yet also at the same time breathing is voluntary. We can for example voluntarily take a deep breath or breathe faster or slower at will or hold our breath for a period of time. In other words breathing is not what we call an involuntary function of the human body like your heartbeat or your immune system.
…So breathing is a function of the human body that we have a level of voluntary control over and yet remains somewhat of an involuntary natural action.
Think of praise like this. We have both voluntary control and involuntary control over praise.
Involuntary praise: To be human is to praise. It’s a fundamental action of humanity. We cannot help but praise. To be alive is to praise.
Praise is something we do naturally
We praise what we enjoy at a deep level. Music like Mozart – a good meal – a good time -
We praise what we adore – our Child’s skill level - oh look he said ‘mama’ ...he’s so smart.
We praise what we awe – grand canyon, a mountain vista, a Beautiful sunset – a crazy experience
Praise is something we do vocally
“this is so beautiful” “I love this”
“Look at my child, he can walk so well and he’s only 8 months old” (Ty)
“she can play ball so well” or she is so “kindhearted”
Praise is something we do emotionally
There are things in this world that move us emotionally sometimes to tears (Love – Hallmark movies)
Happy tears are a form of emotional praise, sad tears mourn the loss of something worthy – in this sense sad tears can be a form of praise.
or sometimes to laughter (Ren usually laughs when someone gets hurt! But sometimes we laugh because we are so moved and surprised at something that just shouldn’t have happened but it did.)
or sometimes to action (singing a song, writing a poem, serving)
Praise is something we do volitionally
We can direct our praise like we can direct our breathing. We can choose to praise certain things or choose not to praise other things. Yes we involuntarily do this for the things that we enjoy, adore, and awe over. Yet one of the most frequent commands of the bible is for us to praise the Lord. It is fitting for us to adore God. To Enjoy God. To awe over God. Praise is fitting because it’s what we were meant to do. It is natural. It is right. It is indeed deeply satisfying. We were made to praise God.
Isaiah 43:7; 21
“Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”
“…..people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise.”
Humanity was created with a will as a moral agent, with the capacity to walk in your original design or rebel against it. We were created with the ability and responsibility to direct our praise to our creator.
unlike all other creation we were made in the image of God which means we were created with a unique priviledge to represent God to creation
Nature itself involuntarily praises the Lord
Psalm 19:1-2
1 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. 2 Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.
Luke 19:37-40
37 As he was drawing near—already on the way down the Mount of Olives—the whole multitude of his disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, 38 saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” 39 And some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” 40 He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”
Humans were created to voluntarily praise the Lord
Westminster catechism shares our full purpose as human beings is to praise the Lord
Q1: What is the chief end of Man?
Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy him forever.
This answer can be summarized as man’s chief end is praising the Lord.
The fruit of becoming a Christian is the praise the Lord
Hebrews 13:15 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.
When we neglect to praise God we neglect our very core sense of being.
This Psalm 33 is a song written in praise to God about Praise of God. This Psalm tells us… “Don’t forget to Praise the Lord!” and It teaches us what it means to praise the Lord. So as we study this Psalm notice 3 questions the Psalmist answers about praising God.
1. Who should praise the Lord?
2. How should we praise the Lord?
3. Why should we praise the Lord?
and the Psalm ends with How to praise the Lord in difficult times?
The reading of Psalm 33
1 Shout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright. 2 Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings! 3 Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts. 4 For the word of the Lord is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness. 5 He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord. 6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host. 7 He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap; he puts the deeps in storehouses. 8 Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him! 9 For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. 10 The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. 11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations. 12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage! 13 The Lord looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man; 14 from where he sits enthroned he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, 15 he who fashions the hearts of them all and observes all their deeds. 16 The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. 17 The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue. 18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, 19 that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine. 20 Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. 21 For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. 22 Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.
This Psalm is a praise Psalm. This Psalm is important because it probes down into the heart of praise. It helps us understand the essence of praise in a way that is practical. It’s utility is matched with its poetic beauty.
Who should praise the Lord? (v.1)
Who should praise the Lord? (v.1)
1 Shout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright.
Fill in the blank
Those who are righteous should praise the Lord
True believers should praise the Lord for they have the righteousness of Christ
2 Corinthians 5:21
21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Romans 1:16-17
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
Hebrews 13:15
15 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.
Obedient believers should praise the Lord for it fits their heart condition
John 14:23
23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.
1 John 1:5-10
5 This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
1 John 5:3
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.
How should we praise the Lord? (v.1-4)
How should we praise the Lord? (v.1-4)
1 Shout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright. 2 Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre; make melody to him with the harp of ten strings! 3 Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts. 4 For the word of the Lord is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness.
God’s people should praise the Lord with emotion and truth, skill and instruments, growth and freshness.
Emotion is encouraged as we sing and praise the Lord (v.1)
Psalm 33:1 - “Shout for Joy” - “give thanks” - “Sing”
John 4:24
24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Psalm 100
A Psalm for giving thanks. 1 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! 2 Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! 3 Know that the Lord, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. 4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! 5 For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.
Psalm 103:2
2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,
Truth is vital as we live, sing, and worship the Lord. (v.4)
Psalm 145:18
18 The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
Psalm 25:5
5 Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long.
Psalm 119:10-12
10 With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments! 11 I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. 12 Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your statutes!
Instruments and skills are encouraged as we sing to the Lord (v.2)
1 Chronicles 15:16
16 David also commanded the chiefs of the Levites to appoint their brothers as the singers who should play loudly on musical instruments, on harps and lyres and cymbals, to raise sounds of joy.
Psalm 150
1 Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! 2 Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! 3 Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! 4 Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! 5 Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! 6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!
Johann Sebastian Bach:
Johann Sebastian Bach said, “All music should have no other end and aim than the glory of God and the soul’s refreshment; where this is not remembered there is no real music but only a devilish hub-bub.”
He headed his compositions: “J.J.” “Jesus Juva”
which means “Jesus help me.”
Closing them with “S.D.G.” “Soli deo gloria”
which means “To God alone the glory.”
Growth and freshness is encouraged as we praise the Lord (“new song”, v.3)
Psalm 96:1
1 Oh sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth!
Isaiah 42:10
10 Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise from the end of the earth, you who go down to the sea, and all that fills it, the coastlands and their inhabitants.
Psalm 40:1-3
1 I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. 2 He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. 3 He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord.
Why should we praise the Lord? (v.5-19)
Why should we praise the Lord? (v.5-19)
His creative word (5-9)
5 He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord. 6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host. 7 He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap; he puts the deeps in storehouses. 8 Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him! 9 For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.
His triumphant will and counsel (10-12)
10 The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. 11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations. 12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!
His discerning gaze (13-19)
13 The Lord looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man; 14 from where he sits enthroned he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth, 15 he who fashions the hearts of them all and observes all their deeds. 16 The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. 17 The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue. 18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, 19 that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine.
We should praise the Lord for his good & powerful characteristics
For His righteousness (v.5)
5 He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.
Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible Righteousness
Righteousness is fulfillment of the expectations in any relationship, whether with God or other people. It is applicable at all levels of society, and is relevant in every area of life. Therefore, righteousness denotes the fulfilled expectations in relationships between man and wife, parents and children, fellow citizens, employer and employee, merchant and customers, ruler and citizens, and God and man. Depending on the fulfillment of one’s expectations, an individual could be called righteous and his or her acts and speech could be designated as righteous. The opposite of righteous is “evil,” “wicked,” or “wrong” (cf. Ps 1:6; Zep 3:5). Righteousness is the fiber which holds society, religion, and family together.
Psalm 1:6
6 for the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
Zephaniah 3:5
5 The Lord within her is righteous; he does no injustice; every morning he shows forth his justice; each dawn he does not fail; but the unjust knows no shame.
For his steadfast love (v.5b)
5 He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord.
Exodus 34:6-7
6 The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”
For his powerful word (v.6; 9)
Psalm 33:6
6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host.
9 For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.
Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson are going camping. They pitch their tent under the stars and go to sleep. In the middle of the night Holmes wakes Watson up: “Watson, look up, and tell me what you deduce.”
Watson: “I see millions of stars and even if a few of those have planets, it’s quite likely there are some planets like Earth, and if there are a few planets like Earth out there, there might also be life.”
Holmes: “Watson, you idiot, somebody’s stolen our tent!”
sometimes we tend to get all up into our head and theories and miss the obvious...
If God Wanted to Remain Silent…
If God Wanted to Remain Silent…
If God wanted to remain silent about His existence, He wouldn’t have bothered creating the stars; He wouldn’t have made the Milky Way. In fact, He wouldn’t have made the majestic Rocky Mountains, the rippling oceans, or the magnificent hummingbird. If His goal was to remain quiet and anonymous, He wouldn’t have created anything at all. Instead, He spoke into existence a smorgasbord for our senses. Wonder for our eyes, beauty for our ears, fragrances for our noses—and rapture for our hearts.
His creation screams about His unseen beauty; it shouts about His unseen qualities and His magnificence. When Michelangelo painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, he crafted an outward expression of his inner person. In the same way, God’s creation exhibited through the mountains, stars, and oceans is an expression of the God we can’t see. . . . God didn’t remain anonymous because He didn’t want to. Rather, He wanted to display His glory throughout the universe as His gift to man.
Michael Kendrick, Your Blueprint for Life (Nashville: Nelson, 2012), 18-19.
For his creation (v.6-7; 9)
6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host. 7 He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap; he puts the deeps in storehouses.
Missing the Trees in the Forest
Missing the Trees in the Forest
Years ago, my family and I visited Sequoia National Park in California. The highlight of this trip was seeing the Giant Sequoia redwoods, after which the park is named. These trees are awe-inspiring, both for their beauty and their size. The largest redwood in the national park is the General Sherman tree, which towers above the forest at 275 feet in height. It is also 25 feet in diameter, with an estimated age over 2500 years.
As my family and I ambled among the giant redwoods, drinking in their exceptional elegance, I noticed a teenaged boy walking along with his family. His eyes were transfixed, not by the trees, but rather by his Game Boy device. (Today, it would be his smartphone.) He was engaged in some sort of video game that demanded his full attention.
I was both fascinated and distressed by this boy’s apparent unawareness of the extraordinary beauty all around him, so I continued to look his way every now and then throughout our tour of the big trees. Sure enough, as near as I could tell, he never once lifted his eyes to gaze upon some of the most beautiful and astounding of God’s creations.
As I think about this boy today, I feel sad. My sadness is not just for him, though. I feel sad for so many others who are just like him. I would confess there are times when I am one of these people. I can get so wrapped up in whatever is demanding my attention that I neglect the beauty of God’s creation.
Sometimes I’m caught up in work. Sometimes I’m blinded by worry. Often, what keeps me from delighting in beauty is my ever-present hand-held device. I don’t have a Game Boy, but I do have a smartphone that calls to me its siren’s song.
Taken from Mark D. Roberts, Life for Leaders, a Devotional Resource of the DePree Leadership Center at Fuller Theological Seminary
For his holiness (v.6-7)
6 By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host. 7 He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap; he puts the deeps in storehouses.
For his sustaining power (v.9b)
9 For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm.
17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
For his sovereignty (v.10)
10 The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples.
Aren’t you glad God is in control?
For his counsel which stands forever (v.10-11)
10 The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. 11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.
For his good plans to all generations (v.11)
11 The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.
For his blessing of his people (v.12)
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!
For his knowledge and understanding of all people (v.13; 15)
13 The Lord looks down from heaven; he sees all the children of man;
15 he who fashions the hearts of them all and observes all their deeds.
For his good control over all rulers and authorities (v.15)
15 he who fashions the hearts of them all and observes all their deeds.
For his great salvation and power to save eternally (v.16-19)
16 The king is not saved by his great army; a warrior is not delivered by his great strength. 17 The war horse is a false hope for salvation, and by its great might it cannot rescue. 18 Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love, 19 that he may deliver their soul from death and keep them alive in famine.
How to praise God during tough times? (v.20-22)
How to praise God during tough times? (v.20-22)
20 Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. 21 For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name. 22 Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us, even as we hope in you.
This leaves us in a hopeful state as we wait upon the Lord who is our shield.
This leaves us with a glad hopeful heart trusting in his holy name.
This leaves us with God’s love within us as we faithfully hope in the Lord.
Pay off our debt...
We owe around 290 thousand dollars. on our Children’s wing.
Everything else is paid in full. The house and lot next door we have purchased. The youth building along with its major renovations are paid in full. The new parking lot is paid for. All the renovations of the main building including the sanctuary and fellowship hall renovations are all paid for. This is amazing and a testimony to God’s faithfulness and your giving heart. I am so thankful for your generosity. I believe we can pay this 290,000 amount off by the end of the year if we make this our goal in December. I would love to be able to hit the ground running debt free for the new year 2021.
With so much financial uncertainty in the air right now with the apparent change of leadership in our country I can’t think of a better goal for Tunnel Hill First Baptist Church for such a time as this. I believe we can do this. 290,000 dollars by the end of the year may seem like a large amount but if we all chip in God will indeed bless our efforts.
Now just so you know God has been working behind the scenes with his blessing and grace.
We have an anonymous donor who has offered to match donations up to $200,000. This is a huge blessing of the Lord. But we need everyone to give as the Lord lays on your heart.
This is a unique opportunity to double your contribution. I pray the Lord will see fit to allow us to be debt free for 2021.
