Praise The LORD!
Psalms 150
February 5, 2023
Well tonight we come to the conclusion of what has been
A 4 ½ year study through the book of Psalms.
It is in fact God’s hymn book.
And here we have found prayers and songs for every situation and walk of life.
It is God’s prescribed manual on what to say to Him in
• Times of joy and times of grief
• Times of celebration and times of anger
• Times of victory and times of defeat
• Times of triumph and times of failure
• Times of confidence and times of fear
We find the cries and complaints; songs and declarations of men
As they navigated this broken world holding only to their faith in God.
It is a book of tremendous value and tremendous depth.
I am certain that we could start again next week in Psalms 1
And go through the entire book again and seize anew on things that we missed
And would encounter God in new ways yet again.
We will never stop pouring over this precious book.
But tonight we conclude our official study of it.
And it concludes really the only way it can
And that is with “Praise the LORD!”
What else could you really say after such a study
But that God is worthy of praise?
And so tonight we take a look at this final chapter.
We’ll break it down into 3 points tonight.
#1 THE ELEMENTS OF PRAISE
Psalms 150:1-2
By elements we mean the specifics or logistics of praise.
This is the blueprint so to speak.
Here we find the:
• Where?
• Why?
• How?
And this evening we spend a moment in reflection
As we listen to the Psalmist briefly lay this out for us.
It opens again with that familiar “Praise the LORD!” or “Hallelujah!”
And we are reminded again of both the occupation and the object.
The OCCUPATION is praise and the OBJECT is the LORD.
And then the Psalmist begins to lay out for us
Some of the elemental details.
1) WHERE?
“Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty expanse.”
Two locations are given.
• One is generic.
• One is specific.
• Both are obvious.
The Psalmist says to “Praise Him in His mighty expanse.”
This would entail the whole of creation.
There is not a pocket in all of God’s creation
Where praising God is inappropriate.
It doesn’t matter where you dwell on earth or on the sea.
It doesn’t matter if you catch a shuttle to the stars.
God deserves praise in every place you could ever be.
FOR ONE because no matter where you are, God is there.
We know of His unfathomable omnipresence.
Psalms 139:7-12 “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me. If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night,” Even the darkness is not dark to You, And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You.”
God is all-present and so no matter where you go praise is fitting.
But it is also true because no matter where you go, you remain inside of what God has made.
• There is no aspect of creation which God did not make.
• There is no aspect of creation which God does not sustain.
All His creative works are a testimony
To His divine nature and unprecedented power.
And all of creation calls for His honor and glory.
Some places are obvious.
• I have stood, as many of you have, overlooking the Grand Canyon.
• I have stood at the base of the Giant Sequoias.
• I have stood on a cliff overlooking the great Victoria Falls.
• I have descended into caverns…
• I have climbed on mountain tops…
• I have flown through the clouds…
• I have swam in the ocean…
And each and every place declares the absolute glory of God.
Every one of those places calls for His praise.
As does the things we see every single day.
• The sun and it’s heat.
• The wind and it’s bitter cold.
• The lighting and the thunder.
They all demand praise for their Creator.
Psalms 148:7-12 “Praise the LORD from the earth, Sea monsters and all deeps; Fire and hail, snow and clouds; Stormy wind, fulfilling His word; Mountains and all hills; Fruit trees and all cedars; Beasts and all cattle; Creeping things and winged fowl; Kings of the earth and all peoples; Princes and all judges of the earth; Both young men and virgins; Old men and children.”
There is no place within “His mighty expanse”
Where His praise is not fitting.
And yet while His praise is obvious in every aspect of creation,
There is one place where it is MORE FITTING than any other
And that is “in His sanctuary.”
Every time we enter the sanctuary of God and dwell among God’s people
We witness before our eyes the most glorious miracle of all
And that is the miracle of redemption.
• We see people who have been totally transformed.
• We see people who were dead in sin who no walk in newness of life.
• We hear God’s word proclaimed which perfectly explains His glory and
greatness.
AND WHEN WE COME INTO HIS SANCTUARY
THERE IS NO HIGHER PURPOSE THAN TO PRAISE HIM.
So when we talk about WHERE to praise God
We can literally say “Everywhere, but especially in His sanctuary!”
• You may get distracted and forget to praise God on the highway between here and Lubbock.
• You may get distracted and forget to praise God in your pasture or in the parking lot of SAMS.
• And yet no one should ever enter these doors and forget to praise Him.
He deserves it everywhere; how much more does He deserve it in this place where the redeemed gather?
I think about it often times when new people visit our church.
Churches really focus these days on being a friendly church (not that there’s anything wrong with being friendly).
But that often times seems to be the main objective is to make sure that people know we are friendly or accepting or loving.
And while I certainly want people to feel welcome to come, it is not our friendliness I want them to be most aware of. I hope that when we start singing that first song that they are blown away at the praise we offer to our God.
That they look around and say, “I can tell that these people love me but what is really obvious is that these people really love God.”
Wouldn’t it be something to be a congregation known for their praise!
I know we have many Patrick Mahomes fans in Spur and that there are many who love to watch him play. One thing you always notice if you watch him is how loud it always is at Arrowhead Stadium.
It’s one of the hardest places for opponents to play in the NFL because the fans there are so passionate about the Chiefs. That stadium has a reputation.
Wouldn’t it be something if we had a reputation of praise!
Certainly that we praise God “in His mighty expanse”
But even more so “in His sanctuary.”
That’s the WHERE of praise.
Our Psalmist also speaks of:
2) WHY?
(2a) “Praise Him for His mighty deeds;”
And we really don’t have time to be exhaustive on this point.
Just think about “His mighty deeds” for a moment.
You say, “Which ones?”
CONSIDER HIS REALIZED DEEDS
Those deeds which we have all seen and realized our entire lives.
THINGS LIKE CREATION.
• That God spoke this world into existence.
• That every morning “He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good”.
• That He sends His “rain upon the just and the unjust”.
Consider the drastic differences in landscape all over this planet
And what a remarkable imagination God must have.
“Oh Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder, consider all Thy worlds Thy hands have made. I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, Thy power throughout the universe displayed.
When through the woods and forest glades I wander, and hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees; when I look down from lofty mountain grandeur, And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze.”
“From the highest of heights to the depths of the sea; Creations revealing Your majesty. From the colors of fall to the fragrance of spring; Every creature unique in the song that it sings. Who has told every lightning bolt where it should go? Or seen heavenly storehouses laden with snow? Who imagined the sun and gives source to its light? Yet, conceals it to bring us the coolness of night.
Indescribable, uncontainable; You placed the stars in the sky And You know them by name. You are amazing, God. All powerful, untameable; Awestruck, we fall to our knees As we humbly proclaim You are amazing, God”
We could talk for days about these realized deeds of creation.
• The beauty of the earth.
• The mystery of the sea.
• The creativity of the animal kingdom.
• The wisdom of the human body and all its systems.
We could talk about His works of PROVIDENCE and care over all these things.
• The faithfulness by which creation operates
• And His sustaining power behind it all.
We could sing and rejoice and praise Him continually
Simply for these realized deeds.
But what about HIS RECORDED DEEDS?
The things we read about in the Old Testament.
• How He flooded the earth but preserved Noah.
• How He confused the language of the builders at Babel.
• How He opened Sarah’s womb or Rebekah’s womb or Rachel’s womb.
• How He crippled Egypt with mighty plagues.
• How He parted the Red Sea.
• How He provided manna from heaven or water from a rock.
• How He spoke through Balaam’s donkey.
• How He subdued the nations of the Promised Land.
• How He made the sun stand still for Joshua
• How He scattered the enemies of Gideon.
• How He toppled Goliath.
• How He closed the lions mouths for Daniel
• How He rescued the boys from the furnace
And those aren’t even the tip of the ice burg.
We could spend hours or any one of those recorded deeds of God
And learn of His great power.
And that isn’t even yet to discover His revealed power in the New Testament.
• Turning water to wine
• Restoring crippled hands and blind eyes and deaf ears and mute tongues
• Raising the dead and healing paralytics
• Casting out demons and feeding the multitudes
• Cleansing lepers, forgiving sinners, giving hope to the hopeless
Which recorded deed would you like to focus on first?
He is deserving of praise for every one of them.
Both for His willingness to perform such miracles
And for His ability to bring them to fruition.
• Why did He even care for that rabble of Israelites, let alone deliver them?
• Why did He even care for that caravan, let alone protect them?
• Why did He even care for those broken sinners, let alone heal them?
• Why did He even care for those hypocritical crowds, let alone feed them?
And this book is filled with His recorded deeds.
All His works and all His miracles there for us to read and ponder
And to praise Him accordingly.
Which recorded deed blows your mind the most?
• Was it the parting of the Red Sea?
• Was it the parting of the Jordan?
• Was it when that paralytic got up and walked?
• Was it when Lazarus came out of that tomb?
Pick one of His recorded deeds and then praise Him accordingly!
“Joshua fought the battle of Jericho, Jericho, Jericho. Joshua fought the battle of Jericho and the walls came tumbling down.”
“Zaccheus was a wee little man and a wee little man was he” but as the Savior passed by Jesus called him to salvation.
We sing about “Father Abraham” and his many sons.
They are songs of praise to speak of the great recorded deeds of God.
And then move on to HIS REDEEMING DEEDS.
What about the INCARNATION?
• That God became man and dwelled among us.
What about His being born of a woman and born UNDER THE LAW?
• That He lived a sinless life and perfectly fulfilled God’s righteous standard.
What about His TEMPTATION in the wilderness when He withstood every temptation of the enemy?
We look at THE CROSS where He bore the full wrath of God for all the sin of all the elect for all time.
We look at THE TOMB where He conquered death and rose again.
We look at THE CLOUDS where He ascended to take His seat at the right hand of God to intercede for us.
Which one of those deeds will cause you to praise Him?
All of those deeds of mercy and redemption.
“I heard and old old story, how a Savior came from glory. How He gave His life on Calvary to save a wretch like me. I heard about His groaning and His precious bloods atoning, then I repented of my sins and won the victory.”
“You slept beneath the stars You named and numbered; Were tempted in a desert You designed. You faithfully obeyed the law You authored; The King left His throne behind. You washed the feet of those who called You Master And fed the multitudes with truth and bread. You shared the feast with harlots and with sinners And loved those who sought Your death. Without a word You faced the accusations And joyfully You bore the bitter cross The Innocent received our condemnation And paid for the rebel’s cost. Beneath the earth You fashioned You were buried, The Word of Life was silenced by the grave. But doors of death could not contain Your glory Our God rolled the stone away”
What about Him sending His Holy Spirit to dwell in believers?
• Will you praise Him for that one?
His redeeming deeds are certainly mighty and worthy of praise.
Or do you prefer to look at YOUR RECEIVED DEEDS?
You know, those things that God has done for you personally.
• Like when He provided food for your family.
• Or that time when He saved you from that peril.
• Or when He healed you of your sickness.
• Or when He saved you from that temptation.
• Has He influenced your marriage?
• Has He intervened in the life of your kids?
• Has He directly affected your occupation or work?
Has He done anything for you specifically for which
You would agree that it is imperative that you praise Him?
What about saving you from your sin?
What about giving you a future and a hope?
“And can it be that I should gain an interest in the Savior’s blood? Died He for me who caused Him pain? For me who Him to death pursued? Amazing love how can it be that Thou my God should die for me?”
“Amazing Grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found, was blind but now I see. Through many dangers, toils, and snares I have already come, Tis’ grace hath brought me safe thus far and grace will lead me home.”
It’s not just what God has done in general,
But we praise Him for what He has done for us personally.
We praise Him for our received deeds.
And we also think about HIS REVEALED DEEDS
Like those which He has promised yet to accomplish.
• Like His promise that you don’t have to worry about what you will eat or what you will drink.
• Like His promise that He will never leave you nor forsake you.
• Like His promise that He will return to judge the living and the dead.
• Like His promise that the dead in Christ will rise to meet Him in the air.
• Like His promise that we will always be with the Lord.
Can you praise Him for such a revealed work even though it has yet to happen?
Tommy would sing it every time he leads the singing:
“The sky shall unfold Preparing His entrance The stars shall applaud Him With thunders of praise. The sweet light in His eyes shall Shall enhance those awaiting And we shall behold Him Then face to face”
Or the hymn of old:
“Mine eyes have seen the glory Of the coming of the Lord. He is trampling out the vintage Where the grapes of wrath are stored. He has loosed the fateful lightening Of His terrible swift sword. His truth is marching on. He has sounded form the trumpet That shall never call retreat. He is sifting out the hearts of men Before His judgment-seat. Oh, be swift, my soul To answer him be jubilant, my feet. Our God is marching on. Glory, Glory hallelujah! Glory, Glory hallelujah! Glory, Glory hallelujah! Our God is marching on”
There’s a mighty deed that deserves His praise.
When the Psalmist says “Praise Him in His mighty deeds”
There is no limit to the time we could spend satisfying that command.
• Should we spend time on His MIRACULOUS DEEDS?
• Should we focus more on His PROVIDENTIAL DEEDS?
• Should we sing rather of His MERCIFUL, GRACIOUS, SAVING AND REDEEMING DEEDS?
• Should we sing more of His JUST AND HOLY DEEDS OF JUDGMENT?
YOU GET THE IDEA.
Where should we praise Him?
• Everywhere but especially in His sanctuary.
Why should we praise Him?
• Well that list is endless.
3) HOW?
(2b) “Praise Him according to His excellent greatness.”
• Preacher, when I sing, how loud should I sing?
• Preacher, how long should we sing?
• Preacher, how many songs should we sing?
• Preacher, how often should we sing?
And to questions like those the Psalmist would
Answer your question with a question.
He would say, well that all depends.
Depends on what?
Well it depends on how great God is.
• If He isn’t great then He certainly doesn’t deserve loud songs.
• If He isn’t great then He certainly doesn’t deserve long songs or multiple songs.
He only deserves praise according to His greatness.
SO HOW GREAT IS HE?
Well I can’t define that.
The Psalmist simply calls it “excellent greatness”
In the Hebrew it is: ROBE GODEL
ROBE = abundance or multitude or even greatness
GODEL = magnificence or stoutness can even be translated arrogance (though accurate when applied to God)
It’s His:
• Abundant Magnificence
• Great Stoutness
• Excellent Greatness
It is a way of saying that He is more than we can describe.
He isn’t just great He is exceedingly great.
He isn’t just magnificent He is abundantly magnificent.
It is what Moses sang after God delivered them through the Red Sea
Exodus 15:11 “Who is like You among the gods, O LORD? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, Awesome in praises, working wonders?”
Or like Isaiah recorded?
Isaiah 40:25-26 “To whom then will you liken Me That I would be his equal?” says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high And see who has created these stars, The One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them all by name; Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power, Not one of them is missing.”
HE IS A GREAT GOD.
Well if He is that great then what type of praise does He deserve?
• He deserves more than a half-hearted song.
• He deserves more than a sigh and a moan.
• He deserves more than a broken lamb or a bruised sacrifice.
As He spoke through Malachi that “I am a great King!”
Malachi 1:11 “For from the rising of the sun even to its setting, My name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense is going to be offered to My name, and a grain offering that is pure; for My name will be great among the nations,” says the LORD of hosts.”
Or as we read in the Psalms:
Psalms 29:2 “Ascribe to the LORD the glory due to His name; Worship the LORD in holy array.”
He deserves the finest of praise!
I am always mesmerized by some of the mighty praise services
That occurred in Israel during the Old Testament.
Do you remember when Solomon brought the Ark of the Covenant into the temple?
1 Kings 8:5 “And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who were assembled to him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and oxen they could not be counted or numbered.”
That is a phenomenal reality.
God deserves great praise is the point.
• Sing loud!
• Sing long!
• Sing over and over!
Do it everywhere, but especially here!
And do it because of all His mighty deeds.
Those are the Elements of praise.
#2 THE INSTRUMENTS OF PRAISE
Psalms 150:3-5
Here we come to that famous list of instruments
Whereby the Psalmist told us to praise God.
• We see “trumpet”
• We see “harp”
• We see “lyre” (guitar)
• We see “timbrel” (tambourine)
• We see “stringed instruments”
• We see “pipe” (flute)
• We see “loud cymbals”
• We see “resounding cymbals”
That list causes me to love it when someone says, “I don’t like drums in the church” or “I don’t want a piano in the church” or “I don’t like singing to a guitar”
And the THEOLOGICAL answer to such objections is: SO WHAT!
It causes one to marvel at those who see instruments in the church
As something sinful or wrong.
They say it’s because instruments are not mentioned in the New Testament and therefore we shouldn’t use them.
They fail to comment on the lack of indoor plumbing
Or air conditioning in the New Testament either.
I could point out to you:
Ephesians 5:18-20 “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father;”
When Paul says to sing with “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs”
That word he uses there that is translated “psalms”
In the Greek that is the word PSALMOS and it is defined as
“a striking or a twanging as when one strikes the chords of a musical instrument.”
But beyond that.
• Instruments are called for in the Old Testament
• Instruments are clearly used in heaven,
The only logical deduction we would make as to their absence now
Would be if God commanded us to stop.
Rather, it is implied, not forbidden.
And it is important because God commands them.
He created music.
He created man’s ability to play music.
And all music is to His glory.
One thing you also notice in this list of instruments is that while there is a wide variety of instruments mentioned, nothing is said of genre or style.
That is to say we don’t know
If God prefers classical music or country music or polka.
Most people typically assume God desires the type of music they like.
But we really aren’t told here.
The focus of the passage is not on the style of the music
But rather on the object of the music.
• “PRAISE HIM with trumpet sound”
• “PRAISE HIM with harp and lyre.”
• “PRAISE HIM with timbrel and dancing;”
• “PRAISE HIM with stringed instruments and pipe;”
• “PRAISE HIM with loud cymbals;”
• “PRAISE HIM with resounding cymbals.”
I’m not particularly concerned about the style of music you select,
But I am concerned about the object of it.
The objective here is
• To sing songs that direct you to His glory.
• To sing songs that direct you to His praise.
This is why we love “Theologically Informed Music”
Songs that sing of the marvelous works of God.
I loved what Ken Ham said in his sermon at
The Truth Matters conference about church music.
Regarding music: “We should sing the best of the old and the best of the new. What typically happens is we sing none of the old and the worst of the new.”
There are songs that direct our hearts to the glory of God in every age
And they ought to be sung.
But if they fail to direct your heart to the glory of God
They should be omitted,
I don’t care how familiar or catchy or traditional they are.
The object is God.
And every instrument we can play is meant to bring glory to Him.
The Elements of Praise, The Instruments of Praise
#3 THE AUDIENCE OF PRAISE
Psalms 150:6
And this is the famous verse and the perfect end to the book of Psalms.
Here the Psalmist speaks of “everything that has breath”
What is being spoken of here is everything that speaks words.
You are familiar with that passage in 2 Timothy where we read that the Scripture is “God-breathed”
• What happens when you speak is that your diaphragm pushes air from your lunges.
• That air picks up sounds from the vibrations of your voice box and then those sounds are shaped by your tongue and mouth and lips and you make sounds.
• But what we are hearing is actually your breath.
And here the Psalmist is saying that
Everything that speaks should speak the praises of God.
And we think of all the things that our mouths are often used for.
Sinful things like:
• Cursing and bitterness.
• Gossip and slander.
Or even beneficial things like:
• Preaching or teaching
• Instruction or warnings
And while we should certainly avoid the first list
And while everyone might not be called to the things on the second list
(at least not all the time)
Every mouth and every tongue is called to praise the Lord.
It is the most basic reason for why
God gave you the ability to communicate.
It is that you might be able to sing praise to Him.
It is a duty that you will never cease to fulfill.
For all eternity you will be called upon to sing the praises of God.
Revelation 5:13 “And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.”
All eternity will be about the praises of God.
And in that day we will do it better!
“When this pour lisping stammering tongue lies silent in the grave, then with sweeter nobler song, I’ll sing Thy power to save.”
AND IF YOU ARE NOT ALREADY
Then you are failing to use your mouth for its most noble purpose.
“Let everything that has breath praise the LORD”
And then after all has been said.
• After 150 Psalms.
• After 2461 verses.
• After discussing all manner of subjects and situations.
The book of Psalms concludes with a simple command.
“Praise the LORD!”
If you get that, then you get the point.
If you fail to do that, then you’ve missed the point.
So Tonight we end with a song of praise.
