The God Who Deserves Praise
Psalms 33
March 31, 2019
We are all aware of that serious warning
Which Paul utters in Romans 1 about the wrath of God.
He reminds us that:
Romans 1:18 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,”
If you want it spelled out, he goes on to say:
Romans 1:21 “For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.”
It just cannot be stated enough the importance of honoring God.
It cannot be stated enough the importance of praising Him.
Malachi 1:6 “‘A son honors his father, and a servant his master. Then if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is My respect?’ says the LORD of hosts to you, O priests who despise My name.”
We have even learned recently regarding prayer
That the chief motivation for prayer is that God is glorified
As we pray, “Hallowed be Your name”
We are talking about the absolute necessity and importance
Of honoring and praising God.
Certainly the presence of a hymn book at the center of your Bible
Should be a sufficient indicator that God expects to be praised in song.
Even in the Old Testament, David appointed men whose job was simply to be singers in the temple.
• If you read about these men 1 Chronicles 9 you will find that they were given
no other job.
1 Chronicles 9:33 “Now these are the singers, heads of fathers’ households of the Levites, who lived in the chambers of the temple free from other service; for they were engaged in their work day and night.”
It was no small thing to God that He be praised continually.
I find it especially interesting even what we learn in the New Testament.
We talk often about the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives to sanctify and seal us before God.
• We certainly are aware of His gifts…
• We are aware of His fruit…
• We are also aware of the command to “be filled with the Spirit”.
And we’ve talked about that, it is to let Christ’s word dwell within you richly.
It is to relinquish control and allow the Holy Spirit full access and leadership in your life.
But have you ever wondered what a life like that would look like?
Have you ever contemplated the indicators of a spirit-filled life?
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;”
One who is filled with the Spirit continually speaks “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things”
That’s the evidence of a Spirit-filled person.
And of course even when we move to heaven we see that the preferred spiritual occupation is to sing praises to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Revelation 5:8-10 “When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. “You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.”
(That is echoed again in Revelation 15)
So you have the issue of singing praise to God.
• Orchestrated by the Father in the Old Testament.
• Inspired by the Holy Spirit in the New Testament.
• Offered continually by the Saints for all eternity.
It’s important.
We are a people called to praise God.
1 Peter 2:9-10 “But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.”
We are simply called to be a praising people.
It is important.
And that is really the heart of Psalms 33.
• It is just a simply song of praise, inspired by God, and preserved in His hymn book for the church to sing repeatedly.
• It is a song that focuses on the greatness of God, the privilege we have to be His people, and the natural response of praise we give when we grasp that.
It is a simple song about the God who deserves to be praised.
Let’s work through it together:
#1 A CALL TO PRAISE
Psalms 33:1-5
We’re going to break this down more tonight in outline form
Because I think that makes it easier to see and understand.
Clearly we have here a call from the Psalmist
For God’s people to engage in singing to God.
That is obvious.
But let’s examine it a little closer than that.
1) WITH JOYFUL EAGERNESS (1)
“Sing for joy in the LORD, O you righteous ones; Praise is becoming to the upright.”
What a wonderful statement and reality.
That God’s people are called to sing and to sing joyfully to God.
We are the “righteous ones”
• But only because He has declared us righteous.
• And that very notion of justification alone should inspire songs of praise.
In fact the Psalmist says that “Praise is becoming to the upright”
“becoming” means “attractive” or “fitting”
Songs of praise are the naturally preferred language of the justified.
For years in the charismatic movement we have been told about this supposed “heavenly language” or this unknown tongue.
It has been referred to as the angelic language.
They quote:
1 Corinthians 13:1 “If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.”
• And yet, nowhere in the Bible do we have angels speaking any other language
than human languages.
• It is the same. It is the language of men and of angels.
And Paul tells you what that language here is in 1 Corinthians 13
Because he tells you that if you speak that language without love you are “a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal”
Paul says if you speak that language without love you are like bad music.
Do you understand better what the “tongues of men and of angels” is?
IT IS SONGS OF PRAISE.
It is the fitting language of heaven.
Praise is the heavenly tongue.
Go read Revelation and tell me if you find them doing anything else.
We saw several weeks ago:
Psalms 29:9 “The voice of the LORD makes the deer to calve And strips the forests bare; And in His temple everything says, “Glory!”
• Praise is the language of heaven.
• Praise is the language of the redeemed on earth.
It is fitting, it is attractive.
Those who have been declared righteous love it!
They praise with joyful eagerness
2) WITH MUSICAL EXCELLENCE (2)
“Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre; sing praises to Him with a harp of ten strings.”
By musical excellence I simply mean that
It ought to be the objective to create
The most amazing musical masterpiece that we can.
• Add every instrument you can!
• Add every horn, every string, every drum, every instrument.
Not in chaotic noise, but in order to produce
The most beautiful sound you can muster.
• Make it a symphony with a great orchestra, incorporate all that you can.
• Make the most remarkable and beautiful song you can make to God.
Psalms 150:3-5 “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.”
It has always been amazing to me
In regard to our friends in the Church of Christ
Who refuse instruments as sinful.
They say it’s because the New Testament doesn’t speak to the use of instruments.
That’s a little foolish.
• They are clearly commanded in the Old Testament,
• They are clearly used in heaven.
• And they are not forbidden in the New Testament.
But beyond that, I would argue that they are commanded in the new.
Ephesians 5:18-19 “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;”
That word for “psalms” in the Greek is PSALMOS
And it means “a striking of the chords of a musical instrument”
Paul said to sing while you strike the chords.
The point is that you ought to do everything in your power
To praise God with the most remarkable display
Of music and beauty that you can.
He is God and deserves the best you can offer.
Praise with joyful eagerness; with musical excellence
3) WITH INTENTIONAL EFFORT (3)
“Sing to Him a new song; play skillfully with a shout of joy.”
Notice the reference to “a new song”
• Have you ever tried to write a song?
• Have you ever tried to compose music?
• Have you ever tried even to write lyrics to a tune already composed?
I can tell you one thing, it doesn’t happen without hard work.
• To dig into the truth of God’s word and to know who He is that a song may be crafted which accurately depicts Him…
• To study the art of musical composition so as to know when the lyrics should crescendo or slow down or rise in power or soften in tone.
You don’t just do that, it takes effort.
To “play skillfully with a shout of joy”
• That is to work hard to master the instrument and to be happy to do it.
We are all aware of the admonition to preachers:
1 Timothy 4:15 “Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all.”
2 Timothy 2:15 “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.”
We know that a preacher must work hard at preaching.
• He must continually improve.
• He must be absorbed in being the best that he can be.
Should that be any different from our offering of praise?
• Should we be content to offer a lesser song to the God of the universe?
• Should we dare to refuse to sing because we don’t like it?
Work at it…
Get better at it…
Give it all you’ve got…
We’re talking about the high calling of singing praise to God.
Give Him your very best rendition of praise.
Do we remember the priests God rebuked in Malachi for bringing flawed sacrifices and then complaining because the work was so tiresome?
To their half-hearted efforts God said:
Malachi 1:9-11 “But now will you not entreat God’s favor, that He may be gracious to us? With such an offering on your part, will He receive any of you kindly?” says the LORD of hosts. “Oh that there were one among you who would shut the gates, that you might not uselessly kindle fire on My altar! I am not pleased with you,” says the LORD of hosts, “nor will I accept an offering from you. “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.”
Don’t forget that our God is a great God, and His name will be honored!
Offering a half-hearted effort to God does not fit what He deserves.
God deserves intentional effort when we praise.
He certainly gives His best rendition of salvation.
4) WITH HONEST EVALUATION (4-5)
(4-5) “For the word of the LORD is upright, And all His work is done in faithfulness. He loves righteousness and justice; The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the LORD.”
The point being you should give God the best singing you can give
Because when you evaluate Him you’ll see that He deserves it.
• “the word of the LORD is upright” that’s His truth
• “all His work is done in faithfulness” that His faithfulness
• “He loves righteousness and justice” that His justice
• “The earth is full of the lovingkindness of the LORD” it’s obvious everywhere
• God is not some deceptive God who tells you lies
• He is not some fickle God who doesn’t keep His word
• He is not some corrupt God who can’t be trusted
• He is not some brutal God with no loyalty to anyone
He is a good God.
A God of truth, faithfulness, justice, and loyalty.
He deserves the best praise you can give Him.
So praise Him and do it as well as you can.
Work at it, be absorbed in it,
Come before the Lord and sing to Him the best you can bring.
It is a Call to Praise
#2 A CALL TO PONDER
Psalms 33:6-12
Just in case you are not yet convinced of the praise that God deserves,
The Psalmist continues.
He gives you 3 things about God just to ponder on and consider
So that you will see how much praise He deserves.
1) THE POWER OF HIS WORD (6-9)
“By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And by the breath of His mouth all their host. He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap; He lays up the deeps in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the LORD; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.”
And of course here we are talking about
The power of His word to command creation.
Genesis 1 continually repeats the same phrase as the driving power behind all creation… “then God said…”
“By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and by the breath of His mouth all their host.”
• Light came because God told it to come.
• The sun and moon and stars are there because God told them to be there.
• He first commanded them to exist and then He commanded them were to stand, and they have not moved.
“He gathers up the waters of the sea together as a heap;”
• He told the oceans where to go, and they went.
Job 38:8-11 “Or who enclosed the sea with doors When, bursting forth, it went out from the womb; When I made a cloud its garment And thick darkness its swaddling band, And I placed boundaries on it And set a bolt and doors, And I said, ‘Thus far you shall come, but no farther; And here shall your proud waves stop’?”
“He lays up the deeps in the storehouses”
• That is a reference to rain.
Job 38:25-28 “Who has cleft a channel for the flood, Or a way for the thunderbolt, To bring rain on a land without people, On a desert without a man in it, To satisfy the waste and desolate land And to make the seeds of grass to sprout? “Has the rain a father? Or who has begotten the drops of dew?”
Job 38:34-35 “Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, So that an abundance of water will cover you? “Can you send forth lightnings that they may go And say to you, ‘Here we are’?”
Who else can do that?
To that the Psalmist says:
(8-9) “Let all the earth fear the LORD; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him. For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded, and it stood fast.”
Who else has the power that He has?
Who else can command creation?
Even when Jesus calmed the storm the disciples said:
Matthew 8:27 “The men were amazed, and said, “What kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”
We are calling you to ponder the power of God’s word
And then perhaps you will be motivated
To sing to Him with all your heart.
But there’s more to ponder
2) THE SUPREMACY OF HIS WILL (10-11)
“The LORD nullifies the counsel of the nations; He frustrates the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the LORD stands forever, The plans of His heart from generation to generation.”
First we are reminded of the reality that man can plan and scheme all he wants, but ultimately his plans are subject to God’s redirection.
God “nullifies the counsel of the nations He frustrates the plans of the peoples.”
Isaiah 40:23-24 “He it is who reduces rulers to nothing, Who makes the judges of the earth meaningless. Scarcely have they been planted, Scarcely have they been sown, Scarcely has their stock taken root in the earth, But He merely blows on them, and they wither, And the storm carries them away like stubble.”
• Or go read the book of Daniel and see the sovereignty of God on display.
• Watch Him thwart the kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar or Darius or Belshazzar
He can do whatever He wants with man’s plans.
Perhaps the greatest example is when the boastful plans of Babylon
Are laid out before God, and God reminds that they are not in control.
(incidentally, some see this as a reference to Satan)
Isaiah 14:12-20 “How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations! “But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north. ‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ “Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, To the recesses of the pit. “Those who see you will gaze at you, They will ponder over you, saying, ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, Who shook kingdoms, Who made the world like a wilderness And overthrew its cities, Who did not allow his prisoners to go home?’ “All the kings of the nations lie in glory, Each in his own tomb. “But you have been cast out of your tomb Like a rejected branch, Clothed with the slain who are pierced with a sword, Who go down to the stones of the pit Like a trampled corpse. “You will not be united with them in burial, Because you have ruined your country, You have slain your people. May the offspring of evildoers not be mentioned forever.”
He was so confident until God frustrated his plans.
James reminds us:
James 4:13-15 “Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are just a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.”
We are reminded that God’s plan trumps man’s plans.
BUT NOTHING TRUMPS GOD’S PLANS
(11) “The counsel of the LORD stands forever, The plans of His heart from generation to generation.”
No one thwarts Him.
It is the supremacy of His will over anyone else’s.
Isaiah 43:13 “Even from eternity I am He, And there is none who can deliver out of My hand; I act and who can reverse it?”
Isaiah 14:27 “For the LORD of hosts has planned, and who can frustrate it? And as for His stretched-out hand, who can turn it back?”
Just ponder not only the power of His word,
But also the supremacy of His will.
Do you know of anyone who deserves praise more than Him?
Can you grasp for a moment
What great quality and intensity of praise He deserves?
He deserves far more than anything just half-hearted.
But there’s more to ponder
3) THE BLESSING OF HIS ELECTION (12)
“Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, The people whom He has chosen for His own inheritance.”
Now we are reminded that this great God,
Whose powerful word is beyond question,
And whose will is immutable,
Has actually sovereignly chosen to be a God to a specific people.
HOW BLESSED ARE THOSE PEOPLE!
Jeremiah said:
Jeremiah 10:12-16 “It is He who made the earth by His power, Who established the world by His wisdom; And by His understanding He has stretched out the heavens. When He utters His voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, And He causes the clouds to ascend from the end of the earth; He makes lightning for the rain, And brings out the wind from His storehouses. Every man is stupid, devoid of knowledge; Every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols; For his molten images are deceitful, And there is no breath in them. They are worthless, a work of mockery; In the time of their punishment they will perish. The portion of Jacob is not like these; For the Maker of all is He, And Israel is the tribe of His inheritance; The LORD of hosts is His name.”
Just imagine if you were stuck with a god who can’t see, can’t speak, can’t hear, and can’t move?
How pathetic would it be to place all your hope
In a hunk of stone or block of wood?
But “the portion of Jacob is not like these”
We have the true God.
And He is our God because He chose us!
We didn’t get to look through the catalog of the gods
And determine which one we would worship.
This great God “has chosen us for His inheritance.”
We get to be His people!
• Can we not praise Him well for that?
• Can we not joyfully sing to Him for that?
Just ponder who He is and what He has done
And you will see why we are called to praise Him so perfectly.
A Call to Praise A Call to Ponder
#3 A CALL TO PERCEIVE
Psalms 33:13-22
You see who God is,
Now here are a few more truths you should recognize and grasp.
1) WHAT GOD DISCERNS (13-15)
“The LORD looks from heaven; He sees all the sons of men; From His dwelling place He looks out On all the inhabitants of the earth, He who fashions the hearts of them all, He who understands all their works.”
What does that mean?
GOD KNOWS YOU
You are no mystery to Him.
• He knows what makes you tick.
• He knows the motives of your heart.
• He knows if you are singing with all you have or not.
• He knows
John 2:23-25 “Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name, observing His signs which He was doing. But Jesus, on His part, was not entrusting Himself to them, for He knew all men, and because He did not need anyone to testify concerning man, for He Himself knew what was in man.”
He knows if your confession is real or not.
He knows if your faith is genuine or not.
David said:
Psalms 139:1-12 “O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, And are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, Behold, O LORD, You know it all. You have enclosed me behind and before, And laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is too high, I cannot attain to it. 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 knows you.
Everything about you.
And when you sing, He sees your heart.
Ponder that the next time you come to praise.
2) WHAT GOD DOES (16-17)
“The king is not saved by a mighty army; A warrior is not delivered by great strength. A horse is a false hope for victory; Nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength.”
It is not explicitly stated here what God does, but it is obvious.
He does what no army or warrior or strong arm can do.
• GOD DELIVERS
• GOD SAVES
• GOD GRANTS VICTORY
The point being that your entire deliverance
Rests upon His will and desire to deliver.
If He chooses not to save, you will not be saved.
If He chooses not to deliver, you will not be delivered.
IT CANNOT BE ACHIEVED THROUGH ANY OTHER MEANS.
And with that in mind we see:
3) WHAT GOD DESIRES (18-19)
“Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear Him, On those who hope for His lovingkindness, To deliver their soul from death And to keep them alive in famine.”
• Who does God deliver?
• Who does God keep alive?
“those who fear Him…those who hope for His lovingkindness”
“fear” there of course is reverential awe.
It is those who are blown away by Him
And are so enamored with Him
That they place all their hope in His deliverance and in His victory.
It is those who have faith and endurance in Him.
So God knows all about you.
• He knows if you fear Him.
• He knows if you hope in Him.
• And those are the ones He saves.
That doesn’t say much for those who don’t fear Him.
That doesn’t say much for those who don’t hope in Him.
That doesn’t say much for those who don’t put much value on Him.
AND OUR COMMITMENT TO PRAISE
SAYS SO MUCH ABOUT THE VALUE WE PLACE ON GOD.
And with that we come to the FITTING CONCLUSION to the Psalm.
4) WHAT GOD DESERVES (20-22)
“Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield. For our heart rejoices in Him, Because we trust in His holy name. Let Your lovingkindness, O LORD, be upon us, According as we have hoped in You.”
Here we have our song.
• It is a song sung at the top of our lungs with joy.
• It is a song sung with the best orchestration we can muster.
• It is a song sung with great effort and careful work and practice.
• It is a song sung knowing what God deserves and that He knows everything about us as we sing it.
• We sing that we will wait for the LORD believing that He alone is our help and shield.
• We sing that our heart rejoices in God alone and that we trust Him fully.
• We sing asking for God’s lovingkindness to be upon us to the same degree that we hope in Him.
This is the song.
• God we trust You
• God we rejoice in You
• God we hope in You
And the Psalmist says
• To sing it with joy.
• To sing it with fine instruments
• To sing it skillfully as He deserves
It is the high calling of praise.
And it is part of what it means
To ponder who God is and to honor Him as God.
“Sing for joy in the LORD, O you righteous ones; Praise is becoming to the upright.”
