Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

One of the most unique small-business slogans I ever saw was on the side of a window company’s panel truck when we lived in England.

At the time, I thought it was a perfect illustration of the differences between the English and American mindset.

Where an American company would have a slogan like “It doesn’t get better than this” or “You’ve tried the rest, now try the best” or some other loud affirmation of the superiority of their product or service, this English company’s slogan was “Unlikely to be bettered elsewhere...”

“We’re reasonably certain that we have the best service, but you never know...” I suppose in the U.K., where American attitudes are universally considered brash and conceited, such an understated slogan probably would go further with the British public than “THE LAST WINDOW COMPANY YOU WILL EVER NEED!”

But to my American ears, saying that their company is “unlikely to be bettered elsewhere...” just comes across as lacking confidence in their product or service.

Kind of like reading an online review for a product that says, “Item arrived on time, does what it says it will do...”

You kind of want more out of an endorsement, don’t you?

Now, how often do we see the same kind of weak, halfhearted praise when we come before God to worship?

If we’re not careful, we can let our praises to God become cliche’d and empty of meaning (“We just want to praise you God for ‘Who you are...’”) As the Apostle Paul warned the Corinthian church about their worship:

1 Corinthians 14:7–8 (ESV)

7 If even lifeless instruments, such as the flute or the harp, do not give distinct notes, how will anyone know what is played?

8 And if the bugle gives an indistinct sound, who will get ready for battle?

If God is to be praised rightly, then there must be specific reasons why.

As John Piper once put it, “God has edges”—His glory is defined by His deeds.

We sang this earlier in our worship: “To God be the glory great things He has done!”

This is exactly what we see in our Psalm this morning, isn’t it?

Psalm 66:1–3 (ESV)

1 Shout for joy to God, all the earth; 2 sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise! 3 Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!”

There is an old saying about what makes comedy effective—what makes a joke particularly funny.

It says “Specificity is the soul of wit”—I would say that, when it comes to the way we are called to praise God is that “Specificity is the soul of praise!

Every psalm that calls people to praise God always gives reasons why He must be praised.

And as we come here to God’s Word this morning we see this psalm giving specifics of why God deserves glorious praise; the psalmist says “Shout for joy to God, all the earth...” and then demonstrates why He deserves such praise.

And so the way I want to say it for us this morning is that we are called here in these verses to

Offer to God PARTICULAR praises for His WONDERFUL works

Look at the way the psalmist invites particular praises of God in Psalm 66.

In the first seven verses, the focus is on

I. His gracious POWER over all PEOPLES (Psalm 66:1-7)

The psalmist starts off calling for all the earth to shout for joy; for all the earth to sing praises to God’s Name (v. 4).

The first reason we have to praise God’s awesome deeds is for

His COMMON grace toward ALL peoples (vv.

1-4; cp.

Matt.

5:45)

Consider that the first four verses of Psalm 66 flow very naturally from the end of Psalm 65--

Psalm 65:12–13 (ESV)

12 The pastures of the wilderness overflow, the hills gird themselves with joy, 13 the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy.

Here in Psalm 66 the psalmist builds on that praise of God’s gracious providence, calling on all the earth to praise God for all His goodness—goodness that He freely gives to all!

As Jesus would remind us in the Sermon on the Mount,

Matthew 5:45 (ESV)

45 ...For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

Consider for a moment the mighty works of God in His providential grace even to the evil and the unjust!

The vilest pornographer, who spends day after day dehumanizing men and women made in the image of God, can sit on his front deck in the morning with a cup of coffee and enjoy a beautiful sunrise.

The Federal legislator who uses all her power to aid and abet the commission of abortion, who vehemently attacks even the most minor infringement on the ability of a woman to have her child murdered, gets to take an afternoon off to go to her little grandson’s birthday party.

And while on one hand we see those things and feel the injustice of them, at the same time we see that those wicked and rebellious people are being given an enormous gift of God’s grace!

Not grace that will deliver them from His wrath if they do not repent, but grace nonetheless!

Think for this just a moment—if you had an enemy that you knew conclusively would always hate you and would never reconcile to you at all, how inclined would you be to show them any kindness whatsoever?

And yet this is one of the mighty works of your God—that He continually and gladly pours out measure after measure of kindness and mercy and good gifts upon them!

The Psalmist says that everyone—just and unjust alike, wicked and righteous alike—owes God praise and glory for His marvelous common grace!

The psalmist offers praise to God for His marvelous common grace to all people—and in verses 5-7 he calls us to praise God for

His SAVING grace towards HIS people (vv.

5-7)

Psalm 66:5–7 (ESV)

5 Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man.

6 He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot.

There did we rejoice in him, 7 who rules by his might forever, whose eyes keep watch on the nations— let not the rebellious exalt themselves.

Selah

Verse 6 is a remarkable verse that covers 40 years of Israel’s history in one sentence!

God “turned the sea into dry land” when Israel crossed the Red Sea in the Exodus from Egypt (Exodus 14), and then they “passed through the [Jordan] River on foot” when they came into the Promised Land 40 years later (Joshua 3)

Joshua 3:17 (ESV)

17 Now the priests bearing the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firmly on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, and all Israel was passing over on dry ground until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan.

Consider here the mighty deeds of God—the particular praises that He deserves!

God miraculously delivered His children from their bondage when He dried up the Red Sea, and He miraculously brought them into the Promised Land for their blessing!

God will break the rules of nature if necessary to save His people!

This is the great promise for all those who belong to Him by faith; that He not only gives you all the natural blessings of life through His common grace, but He also works supernaturally to show His saving grace to you! Christian, He is to be praised because of all the miracles He worked to save you!

Offer to God particular praises for His wonderful works—for His gracious power over all peoples, and in verses 8-12,

II.

His great PURPOSE to PURIFY us (Psalm 66: 8-12)

There’s a shift of focus starting in verse 8—up to this point the psalmist has been calling on all peoples to praise God for His mighty works; here in verse 8 he turns his exhortation specifically to God’s people:

Psalm 66:8–11 (ESV)

8 Bless our God, O peoples; let the sound of his praise be heard, 9 who has kept our soul among the living and has not let our feet slip.

10 For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried.

11 You brought us into the net; you laid a crushing burden on our backs;

If God is the God who providentially sends us the gracious gifts of His grace in sending rain, providing food and sustaining every breath in our lungs and pulse of blood through our veins moment by moment, then He is also the God who providentially sends us testing and trials as well:

Psalm 66:10 (ESV)

10 For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried.

But in the midst of those trials and tests, God’s mighty deeds are your refuge!

They are your refuge, Christian

In the crushing BURDEN of HARDSHIP (v.

11; cp. 1 Peter 1:7)

In the heartbreaks and hardships of this life; when you are brought to your knees by the weight of grief or loss or pain, there are three truths that you must never forget.

First, never forget that is is God Himself that laid that crushing burden on your back (v.

11).

Even if it is an attack from an enemy; even if it is the result of a great evil that has befallen you, it has come ultimately from His hand.

And second: If it has come from His hand, that means that He has a purpose in all of it:

Psalm 66:10 (ESV)

10 For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried.

Here is another reason for you to lift up your voice in particular praise of God’s wonderful works, Christian: Because of God’s providential government of the entire cosmos, there is no such thing as meaningless suffering in your life.

Please hear this again: Because God’s purposeful sovereignty governs every possible aspect of your life, there is no such thing as “meaningless” or “random” or “purposeless” suffering.

All hardship that comes into your life, Christian, will accomplish God’s good purposes for you in some way or another.

And the third great truth to remember when you stagger under the crushing burden of hardship is this: That God will not let you fall under it:

Psalm 66:9 (ESV)

9 who has kept our soul among the living and has not let our feet slip.

Christian, take heart from God’s Word this morning: When you are staggering under that load of heartbreak or grief or loss or pain, He will not let you be crushed under that burden.

He will not let you stumble or fall, He will keep you because He governs that hardship and He has a good purpose for it in your life to make you shine like refined silver in holiness and godliness:

1 Peter 1:7 (ESV)

7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Praise God in His great purpose to purify you in the crushing burden of hardship—and in verse 12 see here that He is to be praised for purifying you

Through sore TRIALS from ADVERSARIES (v.

12; cp.

Isaiah 43:1-2)

Psalm 66:12 (ESV)

12 you let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance.