Praise the Lord. I will extol the Lord with all
my heart in the council of the upright and in the assembly.
Great are the works of the Lord. They are pondered by all who
delight in them. Glorious and majestic are his
deeds, and his righteousness endures forever.
He has caused his wonders to be remembered.
The Lord is gracious and compassionate.
He provides food for those who fear Him.
He remembers His covenant forever.
He has shown His people the power of His works, giving them
the lands of other nations. The works of His hands are
faithful and just. All His precepts are
trustworthy. They're established forever and
ever enacted in faithfulness and uprightness.
He provided redemption for His people.
He ordained His covenant forever.
Holy and awesome is His name. The fear of the Lord is the
beginning of wisdom. All who follow His precepts have
good understanding, and to Him belongs eternal praise.
Now if you can see, does anyone recognize this?
If you're under 20, you might not.
But believe it or not, pre Google Maps you actually had to
read maps in a book. We actually used one of these on
our holiday recently. Well, when I say used it, we
gave it to my 18 month old daughter to keep her entertained
in the. Car as we drove back from the
beach, so. You can see that she enjoyed it
at least. But yeah, A to Z's did used to
come in handy, and might still if your 4G lets you down.
And you could think of Psalm 111 as kind of finding your way
around a certain area and and that?
Area is praise. Being an acrostic as well, it is
its very own A-Z. Each of the 22 lines in the
Psalm is a letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
So you could say that this Psalm is an A to.
Z of Praise. Or if you want to get all
ancient Hebrew and Alephta. Tour of Praise.
To get ready. For looking at this Psalm
together, let's think about the word.
It starts with Hallelujah as Richard.
Said it's translated. For us as praise the Lord.
And and this is a. A phrase that.
We all know we're all familiar with it, and even outside of
Christian circles, you'll hear them.
People will know them more often than not, though you might hear
them spoken sarcastically. As in right.
I'm ready to go. Oh, Hallelujah, It's about time.
Even as Christians, is it fair to say that we really?
Hold this word. Hallelujah.
This phrase. Praise the Lord.
With the reverence it deserves. Hallelujah.
Praise the Lord. Are they simply?
Words that. We say when we come to.
Church, there are lots of words and phrases that.
That can roll off the tongue, aren't there?
Thank you for our food, Lord. Amen.
In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit our
Father who are in heaven. Or maybe we get lazy, but maybe.
We're just really. Tired sometimes.
Perhaps today you're feeling sad, or you're hurting and and
so telling me to. Praise the Lord with a
Hallelujah. Well, I've.
I've just not got it in me today.
Don't ask me to do the impossible.
Does that describe? You sometimes it's definitely
describes me sometimes. And so, preaching, studying this
song really challenged me. How can I?
Preach a call to to praise God. If I sometimes don't feel like
it, but thankfully I've got some really good news.
Praising God doesn't actually rely on us and our feelings.
It relies on who God is and what he has done, which means that we
can praise. God, however, we feel happy.
Or not in whatever place that we're in.
I praise the Lord. We start this song with.
But why? Why?
Praise the Lord, what is praise? It's a bit of a funny thing,
isn't it? We we've kind of both.
Shoo it away. And then sort of want it as well
at the same time. But it was nothing.
Don't mention it. And as Christians in.
Particular we probably. Feel the tension between the
need to be humble. And then wanting good work
maybe. Our good work.
To be recognized, and there's got to be something in it then,
hasn't there? Something good.
There's a certain rightness. To give praise where it's
deserved. Now in the Psalms again and
again we're we're called. To to praise God.
We're thinking about that sort of.
Awkward relationship with. Praise and trying to be humble.
Are we saying that God is just a kind of?
Great Big Glory hog. Why is it?
Okay to ask him for praise and not us.
Why should we praise God like this?
Psalm causes to. It gives us two compelling
reasons, I think. The firstly, that God always
deserves our praise. God is always deserving of our
praise. And secondly, that praising God
is actually. Good for us.
So if God always deserves our praise?
Why? Why does God always deserve our
praise? I've got 4.
Reasons from this Psalm the. 1st is that God's works are great.
God has made amazing things and. Great are the works of the.
Lord, they're pondered by all who delight in them, we read in
verse. Two studied, sort out, that's
what. That word pondered, gets at and
we've got a whole section of work and life.
Devoted to. Pondering the works of God.
We call it science, and Christian or not, the wonders of
nature have been studied by people for centuries.
And we're still going, aren't we?
There are constantly new discoveries being made.
God's creation is just an endless source of wonder.
For those curious. To understand I.
Thought it would be helpful to just.
Consider a couple of wonders. Plucked out at random the stars.
So here are. For example, our son there's.
There today, you. Can sort of just see it.
You could fit over a million planet Earths inside the sun,
but it's just one star amongst many in the sky.
It's. If you look up it on a clear
night, you might see about 6000 stars, but that's just a tiny
fraction of how many are out there.
Each star sits within a Galaxy. Which is a.
Massive cluster of stars. And it's estimated that there
are around 2 trillion galaxies in the universe.
If you take our own Galaxy, the Milky Way, here's an example
that has about 100 billion stars in it.
So. If you times that by the number
of galaxies in the universe. That you get you get this.
I wrote it down. I didn't have a long enough.
Piece of paper, but that's two followed by. 23 zeros.
Anyone know the name of that number?
So it's called. A sextillion, apparently.
So yeah. There you go.
You learn a new word. There are a lot of.
Stars in the sky and from the vast to the to the minuscule.
We've probably all heard of. A Hummingbird.
Some species of Hummingbird can flap their wings up to 80 times
a second, and that's nearly 5000 * a minute.
It has a heartbeat of over a. 1000 times a second a minute.
Sorry, compared to you and me. You have a. 60 to 100 per
minute. It's so.
Light that it can weigh less than a penny, and yet, despite
its smallness, some of the. Species have a.
Migration of around 3000 miles. Now if you went up 3000 miles
from here, then you'd almost get to the Wickses and the Harrisons
in Ethiopia. Or the Wallaces.
In Nigeria. The Hummingbid is actually the
fastest animal on the planet. It can reach speeds up to. 58
miles an hour. Which?
Is quite impressive, but when you think about how tiny it is,
it means that it flies nearly 400 times its own body length
every second, which comparatively for its.
Means that it's faster than a space shuttle reentering the
atmosphere. There's not really any other
response to things like that, Then wow, is there?
You'd have to say. Wow to that, even if you don't
believe in a. Creator God.
But if you do that, God. Created such incredible things
should. Fill us with awe.
How incredible. How wise?
How powerful is the mind and the hand behind such creations?
So God's works his. Creations are great at the
secondly, so are his. Deeds his acts.
The things God does. Glorious and majestic.
Are his deeds first three? He says.
That God does incredible things as well as makes incredible
things. And in the next few verses.
We get. At these following references.
The Lord is. Gracious and compassionate, he.
Provides food to those. Who fear him, He's showing the
people. The power.
Of his works, giving them the lands of the nations, he
provided redemption for his people.
The writer of the song probably has in mind here the.
Exodus which is a great story of.
How God saved the nation of Israel, helping them first
escape from slavery in Egypt, keeping them alive through. 40
years of. Wandering through the desert and
then driving out their enemies before them as they settled in
their new home, their promised land and these acts.
Of God. Speak of a God.
Who isn't simply a master Craftsman?
Brilliant but distant, excellent creations, but terrible at
relations, like many human geniuses the the songwriter.
Is quick to to show us that God isn't just a creator God, he's
actually also a provider, a savior, a leader, a.
Of all his. Creation, people included.
Not only has he done great things for us to look at and
wonder. That he he's done great things
for us personally to remember in wonder.
The God deserves our praise. Because he's made amazing
things. He's done amazing things.
But is that? Really enough to not only praise
God like the Psalm, but like the Psalmist to.
Give our whole. Heart in praise to him.
Plenty of people have done amazing things, haven't they?
And done great deeds. They've maybe even saved other
people's lives. And so we come back to that
question. Why does God?
Always deserve our praise. And the answer the Psalm gives
us is that. God will be praiseworthy
forever. God will be praiseworthy
forever. It's funny, isn't it, that I
think we often struggle to. Praise God.
But on the whole, we're. Very quick to praise people.
It seems right, doesn't it? To praise someone for all the
good work that they've done and all the good things that they've
achieved? And I I don't think it's wrong
to praise people, but what it definitely.
Is is risky as I prepared? This silent it made me think of
those kind of sad. Cases recently where.
Well known Christian leaders have turned out not to be.
The people that we thought they were.
And we praised them, didn't we? In particular, when one of these
Christian leaders died recently, I remember seeing the outpouring
of praise that was poured on them, all that they and their
ministry had achieved. And then within months that the
same people were having to retract those statements as
horrible allegations came to. Light praising people is risky.
The Psalm ends with the line. To Him belongs eternal praise.
You could translate. That, as respect for God will
last forever. Now those Christian leaders.
Despite their. Praiseworthiness at the time.
Sadly, they've. Lost the respect.
That they once. Had, but respect for God will
last forever. Praising people is risky
because. People are not gods.
We're not perfect. We're changeable.
We're spoiled by. Sin, unfortunately, but praising
God is never risky. Because he's God.
The same yesterday, today and forever.
And so we get verse. Three telling us that God's
righteousness endures forever, in short.
God is righteous. And therefore all he says and
does. Is righteous forever.
Verses 7 and eight expand on this.
We're told. That three things about God's.
God's. Praiseworthiness lasting
forever. 1st that the works. Of God's hands are faithful and
just. You could say that God's works
are. Right and.
True God doesn't lie or deceive. Everything he does is consistent
with his. Faithful.
Just. True and right and secondly,
everything God. Says is trustworthy as well as
truth. There's a.
Faithfulness to all that. God says.
If God makes a promise, then he's going to keep it.
If God says something's good for me, it's good for me.
If he says. Something's bad for me.
It's bad for me. I can trust.
What God says. And then?
Thirdly, what God? Says and does.
Will last forever. They'll stand the test of time.
Other philosophies, movements, TikTok influences.
I'm not on TikTok by the way. I just.
Say it to sound cool. They'll come and they'll go.
But God's word? God in his.
Word they'll be there forever. Proven to be true, Proven to be
faithful, enduring until the end.
God is perfect truth. Faithfulness.
Everlastingness. These are the things that sets
God apart. These are the things that make
him. Worthy for our wholehearted
praise. And then fourthly and lastly.
God. So God is worthy of our praise
always because. His salvation Promise.
Will last forever. What those verses that we just
looked at at? Say about God and his work is
especially important when we come to.
This God's greatest work. His forgiveness of sin, the
verse. Five says that.
God remembers his covenant forever, and verse nine that
he's ordained his covenant forever.
God's covenant is his promise to the nation of.
That he'll be there. God.
And he and they will be his people forever, which is a
promise that He also made to us when we put our faith in Jesus.
Perhaps then, the most important part of God remembering His
covenant is actually forgetting. Forgetting our sins, forgiving
them, actively not remembering them.
That as we look through the Bible.
Countless times the Israelites messed up about.
Each time, God remembers his covenant with them, His promise
to them, not disowning them as they deserve, but rescuing them,
forgiving them, persevering with them, providing for them, and
loving them. He remembered his promise to
them. And it's no different with me,
really, and you if you've been. Rescued by Jesus.
You see, even after my own. Sort of Exodus Where God.
Saved me from a life of sin and death.
Since then I couldn't count the times that I've messed.
Up but. Like the Israelites, I know
that. God is still my God.
That I am still his child, saved and safe because he remembers
the promise that he's made to me through Jesus.
This song then shows us that. If God is faithful, if God is.
Just and what he says and does last.
We can be. Assured that God's rescue of us
his. Forgiveness of our sins.
I can believe what God says about it, because all that he
says is true. His wiping away of our darkness
and our place with him in eternity isn't going to go
anywhere. It's going to last.
He is true. He is.
Faithful and his. Words last forever, so God is.
Always deserving. Of our praise.
And that's a big reason why we should praise him, But secondly.
We should also praise God because it's actually good for
us. It's our duty to praise God.
But actually praising God is also in our interest.
It's good for us. The Psalm says.
That with. Praise comes wisdom.
The fear of the. Lord is the beginning of wisdom
we read in verse 10. Now, wisdom in the Bible isn't
simply knowing lots of stuff. It's about knowing.
The best way to live? About making wise decisions and
then acting on that, living a flourishing life and the Psalm
says. That the way of wisdom, the way
of praise, is the way of. Wisdom praising God will.
Actually help us to live our best life.
And it will. Help us firstly.
Individually, as we followed the Psalm today, we've seen how true
praise of God means that. I have to stop and think about
God. And his amazing works and deeds.
I have to. Remember his amazing kindness.
And what that does is it. It humbles me.
It puts me in my place, stops me from directing my praise and
worship. To.
Other. Places and people.
It it. Warms and softens my heart.
It means that I'm all struck by the right things.
It it makes me weep over my sin. But cry.
With joy over God's mercy, praising God helps me on a
personal, individual level. But it also helps us
corporately. It's also good for us
corporately. Now I love looking at photos and
I love them so much because they bring back memories and without
those reminders, our memory. Quickly gets fuzzy.
Doesn't it? And our spiritual life is is no
different. God.
Knows that without reminders, we're going to forget about the
things that he's done and therefore we're going to lose
sight. Of who he is, so his verse four
says he has caused. His wonders to be remembered.
We have the. Bible written down for for us
all of God's amazing acts. But we also have this.
At Sunday, our church gathering. Now you notice this at the
beginning of the Psalm. The Psalm writer isn't actually
by himself in his. Praise what he says that.
He's going to. Do is praise.
In the assembly among the congregation, he's going to
praise amongst God's people, and as he does so, he'll be
reminding them of God's goodness and greatness.
And that's just what we. Do when we get together as a
church community, hearing and seeing each other praising God.
Together stops us forgetting the good things that God has done in
our lives. Praise isn't just between me and
God. It's something that we share in
together and and so we meet and we praise God and as we do we
constantly remember remind each other.
That God is true. That He's faithful.
That he's everlasting and so. Are his works praising God?
Is good for us corporately as well.
And thirdly and lastly, praising God is also good.
For us because it reminds us of our.
Glorious future and the sum ends with the line.
To Him belongs eternal praise. Not only do we praise God here
and now, but we're actually going to.
Praise God forever in eternity and thinking back to that in
verse 4. That God has caused his wonders
to be remembered. Just hold that in mind a second.
Because have you Have you ever wondered what heaven is going to
be like? The places from this life.
Have you ever wondered what you'll be like in heaven?
Do you think you'll remember the things?
The. Will you still be you?
Will you still feel like you and?
Or will you kind of be some kind of holy robot stuck in an
endless church service going through Heaven's song sheet?
I'll be honest that sometimes I picture it like that and and
kind of glorious as it might look it.
It's not all that attractive. I I still want to be me in
heaven. Getting rid of all of the bad
stuff, definitely, But. I still want to be me.
And the wonderful news is that God wants me to be me as well,
and He wants you to be you. And how does this Psalm help?
Us to see that. Well, thinking of those two
those. Verses that God has caused his
wonders to be remembered and that we're going to.
Praise God forever in eternity. How can we?
Wholeheartedly praise God with some kind of holy memory wipe.
That's not going to happen. We're going to remember the
wonders that God has done in this life.
None more so than the miracle that He achieved in us forgiving
our sins, making us a new creation.
We're going to remember the grace and the mercy.
That God showed us personally in this life for the.
Ways he used this for his glory, for the love that he showed us
and and we'll do that for eternity.
Remembering God, remembering all the the good things that he's
done as I finish and the sun comes out.
I hope that this Psalm has helped us.
To see that, you don't have to feel happy to praise God.
If you are, that's brilliant. Praise God.
But you don't have to be. You don't even have to do it
with a smile. You could be really struggling,
but you can. Still, praise God, and you could
simply sit there and still. Quiet or at the majesty.
Of God. That's praise.
You could sit there and quietly pray a simple Thank you to God
for promising himself to you. That's praise you could share
with someone what God's been doing in your.
That's praise this song. Causes to praise God because we
should, because he deserves our praise, but also because it's
good for us. It's the best way to live and so
look then at his works. And how they reveal his
character, how he's fundamentally different from us
and worthy of praise that remember His works no more so
than the His forgiveness of your sin through the death of.
Jesus. And you'll find yourself
praising him in whatever way comes naturally to you, in
whatever place you're in today. Amen.