Praise God for Who He Is and What He Does Forever and Always

Grace Evangelical Free Church // Wyoming, MN

Preached by pastoral candidate Colin Rueter.

Psalm 145 I will extol you, my God and King,
and bless your name forever and ever.
² Every day I will bless you
and praise your name forever and ever.
³ Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
and his greatness is unsearchable.
⁴ One generation shall commend your works to another,
and shall declare your mighty acts.
⁵ On the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
⁶ They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds,
and I will declare your greatness.
⁷ They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness
and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.
⁸ The Lord is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
⁹ The Lord is good to all,
and his mercy is over all that he has made.
¹⁰ All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
and all your saints shall bless you!
¹¹ They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom
and tell of your power,
¹² to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds,
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
¹³ Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures throughout all generations.
[The Lord is faithful in all his words
and kind in all his works.]
¹⁴ The Lord upholds all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.
¹⁵ The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food in due season.
¹⁶ You open your hand;
you satisfy the desire of every living thing.
¹⁷ The Lord is righteous in all his ways
and kind in all his works.
¹⁸ The Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
¹⁹ He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;
he also hears their cry and saves them.
²⁰ The Lord preserves all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.
²¹ My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,
and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.

Introduction:

Good morning! My name is Colin Rueter, most of you know that. My sermon this morning is in a Psalm that has continued to become a favorite and a growing desire to make my life’s aim: Psalm 145.

I want to acknowledge the proverbial elephant in the room. I am not just filling the pulpit for Pastor David this morning, there is some evaluating and thinking about whether God is calling me to join this church as one of the pastors. All good, but my prayer is that God would make clear His word this morning for His people, for our good, and the building of His kingdom. Since I am on that subject, I would like to thank Pastor Dave and the Elders for their time, prayers, and the grace that they have shown my family and I throughout this process. I would also like to thank the Search Committee members for their prayers, love toward my wife and boys. Through this whole process, I have seen that there is grace at Grace. Truly thankful.

The Text:

The Psalm today is the only one titled as a song of praise from David. Others are listed as Maskils, many prayers, but this one is a song of praise. To praise God – speak of His person and works – was a normal action of David.

David’s life was a life of praise – though he was sinner, he never turned to idols and was called a man after God’s own heart. He looked to God, was humbled by God, and was used by God for God’s own glory and David rejoices in this. In another Psalm (Psalm 16) David says, “The Lord is my chosen portion and my cup; you hold my lot. 6 The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance. 7 I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. 8 I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.” God is David’s treasure; His counsel and presence is one of great joy. His life was aimed at God alone. One thing he longed for – to dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Grace Church, my fellow brothers and sisters, what is your aim in life? Not just purpose, but also trajectory? Maybe you think of: To glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever. OR the modern adjusted version: To glorify God by enjoying Him forever. Maybe it is simple: To treasure Jesus. Is your aim and trajectory like David’s – to have a life praising God, making much of Him? Are you praying for and bringing your spouse with you on the aim of making much of the LORD? Are you raising your children to see the glory and beauty of Christ? May it be so for each of us today.

Main Point: Meditating and proclaiming the greatness of God and His works increases our love, awe, and worship of Him for our good and His glory in this life and the life to come.

This morning, I would like to look at this passage in three parts:

1. Praise God for who He is
2. Praise God for what He does
3. Praise God always

#1) Praise God for who He is [vs 1-3]

Before David speaks about what God has done… he worships God as LORD (Yahweh) and King. David is direct in his praise – ‘I will extol YOU… ,’ personal in his praise – ‘My God,’ and with a surrendered, humbled heart – ‘my King.’ All of this was without an end – forever and ever. The name, ‘God’ is only used once in this Psalm, the rest of the Psalm God is addressed as LORD (all caps).

Yahweh: In our translations, we see LORD [all caps], but this name of God is Yahweh, the Great I Am. God is the Self-Existent, Eternal God. He does not need us, nor anything. God is. Yet, this name of God is also personal – it is used when the people of God are speaking about their God, Hebrews 11 says that God, when sought in true faith, is pleased to be called my God. So amazing is this when we think that God does not need us, but ‘in love’ he predestined us for adoption as sons and daughters… He wants to save a people for Himself that know Him and that He knows, intimately. This name also says that God is present. He is here, now. God is holy, set apart, yet He is also interacting with our world, among us. And He does that out of love and grace and to make Himself known that He would be worshiped. God is under no obligation to remain close to us, working in our lives and writing us into His story, yet, He chooses to do so. In fact, He has used His people to build His kingdom. The visible Church, the gathering of God’s people is a sign of His greatness in which the world watches, angels observe, and God delights. Lastly, this name proclaims that God does not change. Our world is constantly shifting; everything is subjective, and lots of things seem to change day to day. But our God does not conform to any of this. He remains constant through it all. He doesn’t change His nature based on what is new and popular at the moment. Yahweh has always been who He is, from the before the beginning of time. He has always been the standard for absolute perfection and holiness, goodness and beauty.

God is who God is, in the past, present, and into eternity… Hallelujah!

King: From the king of Israel comes this profound and humble statement. David is saying, “I was a king, but my God is King forever, the King above all kings.”

I’ll touch on this a little more in the next point of WHAT God does, but we must see God as the only true, good, righteous ruler of the world, the Sovereign. God can do whatever He sees fit according to His purposes, will, and glory. Psalm 115: “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name give glory, for the sake of your steadfast love and your faithfulness! Why should the nations say, “Where is their God?” 3 Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases.” This should be a great joy for us as His people. In fact, it is profound that Jesus, the Son of God is seated at the Father’s right hand, ruling over all, the earth His footstool. We have a good King, friends. His name is Jesus.

In looking at the LORD, David is in awe of who He is and that He had made Himself known to David. David piled praise upon praise, declaring God’s greatness and great worthiness to be praised. We get the feeling that David felt it would be dishonorable to withhold his praise to God or to give Him half-hearted praise.

Great is Yahweh and greatly to be praised – “I can’t get enough of lifting high the name of God, nor grow weary of proclaiming Him… for He is GREAT!” David, just thinking about the LORD, is in awe. From who God is, David reflects on what God does.

#2) Praise God for what He does [vs 4-20]

Verses 4-7 is a transition of sorts from who God is to what He does. David says that every generation praises God and commends His works to one another. There is a pattern that God’s word speaks of often – households of faith, parents teaching children, the communities of God’s people praising and sharing the works of God with one another. All the generations are chapters within the greatest story of God. My exhortation on this to each of you is simple – keep track of and share with your spouse, your children, your grandchildren, your friend’s all that God has done. Be specific and honoring to God for what He has done. Commend generations to His greatness AND His mighty works. Such a good way to stir worship and stir our faith to keep seeking the LORD.

David says that we should declare His mighty works. In this Psalm, David has no specifics about the work of God, like other Psalms that proclaim the exodus, or work of creating, or the salvation of God, but this Psalm allows us to ponder ALL of the works of God.

God is working. In fact, a wise pastor once said, “God is doing a million things and we are maybe aware of two of them.” The bible proclaims that God is sovereign over all things. He is King, as David says. This Psalm says that He rules with awesome deeds, greatness, grace, mercy, and steadfast love, righteousness and kindness, and His rule is everlasting. This reality is a comfort for His people, not a complex doctrine to reject or use as a cold statement to those in trial, but a blanket of peace and warmth, endurance for the day.

Here, David is ensuring that we seek to know God and then think about what we know. Praise comes not only from emotion, but from careful thought – from careful meditation. David meditated not only on the great things God did, His wondrous works, but he also focused on God’s glorious splendor. The idea is the glory and wonder of who God is – we focus on the truth of God, not how we would like Him to be. We go to the word of God to know God.

When we think of God’s wondrous works – His works of planning before time began, His works of creation, His works of providence from Genesis into today, His works of rescue from slavery/prisons/caves/fires, His works of salvation now and in the age to come – all this should stir up praise within us. There are too many works of God. Regarding the works of Christ, the Apostle John said, “many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” Marvel at God’s work for how much more could be written about His wonderous works?!

When we think of the aspects of God’s glorious splendor – His majesty, His wisdom, His constant presence, His complete knowledge, His unlimited power, His loving and wise plan and purpose – this, also, should stir up praise within us. Look at the Holy Lord who has revealed Himself to us – Behold your God, Grace!

David praises God for His mighty acts and splendor in repetition in vs 3-7 with different words, but still the same aim – look at God’s greatness and look at His mighty, righteous works! David says: “I will declare Your greatness.” David is saying that he will speak it often and to others.

So, after mediating on God and His character, David speaks about God’s goodness to all. The LORD is good to all: David expressed the idea sometimes called common grace – that God spreads some of His goodness to all humanity. Jesus said, “He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45). David saw the beautiful care of God in all that He did. All parts of creation are demonstrations of the greatness and goodness of God.

In verse 10: All Your works shall give thanks to you, O LORD: Creation itself praises God, and does so out of grateful duty. Yes, the heavens declare the glory of God, but God’s people (His saints) should gratefully praise and bless the LORD more so and more often!

How do we praise God? These saints shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom. This is a wonderful subject for the conversations of God’s people. There are many things we talk about, but all too little do we speak of the glory of God’s kingdom. This is a year-round endeavor, but I can’t help to think about the election coming, what a great opportunity to show a peace and resolve that we are a part of the Kingdom everlasting and there’s room at the table of the King.

As God’s people, we should also “tell of the LORD’s power.” This power is good, true, and righteous. It is a power that pours out grace on the lowly. As we have received His grace and power, we should be the messengers of His grace to others.

Why? To make known to the children of man His mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of His kingdom. David again sensed the responsibility of God’s people to tell the wider world the greatness of what God has done (His mighty deeds) and who our King is (the glorious splendor of His kingdom). One theologian (Spurgeon) said this: “As the State cannot teach these holy histories the people of God must take care to do it themselves. The work must be done for every age, for men have short memories in reference to their God, and the doings of his power.” So many of the Psalms revisit creation, the exodus, and God’s character above all. We would do well to know this, remember it, and share it. A part of remembering and sharing is showing others the fullness of who the true God is.

In verse 14, The LORD upholds all who are falling. God’s compassion is especially evident toward those who fall and fail. He does not despise or reject them; there is a sense in which He specially draws near them to hold them up. If they allow their fall to rightly humble them, God will draw near and uphold them. He lifts them up and out of despondency – because their eyes look to Him (vs 15) The last portion of the psalm is marked by a frequent repetition of ‘all,’ which occurs eleven times in these verses. David seems to delight in the very sound of the word, which stirs his own heart infinite visions of the wide sweep of God’s universal mercy, and of the numberless crowd of dependents who wait on and are satisfied by Him.

He gives them food and satisfies the desire of every living thing – yet righteously and kind. As knowledge leads our worship, we must understand that God does not give us everything that we desire – that is not what David is saying – for this would neither be kind nor righteous of God. The humble put their expectation on God, looking to Him for their needs. We pray, “give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11), and God answers their prayer in due season. As we pray as a family at dinner in the evening, we thank my wife for cooking our meals, but we also thank God for providing the food and delicious flavors that He has created. Again: this is normal and occurs even when we have guests at the house (whether they are Christian or not).

David goes beyond mankind here. God’s care for creation extends beyond His provision for men and women. As Jesus would later say, God also cares for the birds and the grass of the field (Matthew 6:26-30). In verse 16, God does this with a wonderfully open hand to His creation. As we take in David’s description of God, we see how different Yahweh, LORD, the true and living God is compared to the idols of other nations throughout history. Those supposed ‘gods’ were often angry and grumpy, often reflected sinful humans, caring little for either humanity or creation. We should be pleasantly surprised and grateful for the love and care from the True God who is truly there for us daily.

Friends, when was the last time you slowed yourself down, sat and meditated on the character of God, His kindness to you in your life? Today, on the Sabbath, take some time with your family, or a friend, and reflect on God’s kindness to you… for He has been kind today.***

We praise God because He is God and increasingly for what He has done. And now our last point.

#3) Praise God forever [vs 21]

Before we look at this verse, David has alluded of this idea that we praise God always and forever. In verse 1, David calls God, King. In the middle of this Psalm in verse 13, David says, “Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom.” One reason why praise should continue forever is because God’s kingdom will last forever. His dominion is unending, lasting throughout all generations. In Revelation 5, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”; and in Revelation 7, “”To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!… Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.”

Now, David ends this song by saying: “My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD and let all flesh bless (praise) his holy name forever and ever.”

The “forever and ever” has appeared in vs 2 and now in vs 21, bookending this passage. Another way to translate forever and ever is: “From infinity to infinity… ” Just hits differently. From the day we have breath until we enter our Master’s joy in glory – we praise and we keep praising. Notice in this Psalm there is not a category of when we don’t speak grateful praise, we do so always. Trials or triumph, weariness or strength, prospering or lacking… . God is great and greatly to be praised. We praise Him in the morning for the breath in our lungs, new mercies for the day, and coffee in our mugs. We praise Him in middle of day for the grace to continue to teach our children, work alongside a difficult co-worker, and the ability to read His word, even if for a moment. We praise Him in the evening for His guidance, provision, grace sufficient, and watchful eye as we look back on the day and as we think about tomorrow. We lay down on the pillow of His sovereignty knowing that God is for us, therefore, no one can be against us. I love David. I love that he is righteously stubborn and he will do nothing else in this life except boast in God. Let’s we join him and other brothers and sisters in the faith to make that our aim into glory – for our praising of God will continue there in perfection and glorious awe forever.

CLOSE:

So what? This Psalm calls us to worship in every circumstance. It calls us to remind one another of God’s character and works in the world and in our lives… to make much of Him.

I want to circle back to a couple verses in this Psalm to close. In verses 17-20, David speaks of God’s ways and works. Vs 17, “The Lord is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works. 18 The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. 19 He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them. 20 The Lord preserves all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.”

In all of who God is and what He has done – majestic and mighty as He is and all His works are – these verses speak to the greatest work of God – redemption of sinners through His Son, Jesus Christ. This is the gospel. Yahweh is near to all who call on Him in truth (knowledge). For those who fear Him, he fulfills their desires – fear is the beginning of wisdom. Our desires, when we are grounded in truth and reverent awe of Him, should align with His desires. God hears our cries and saves us. Lastly, God will preserve all who love Him (for we love Him only because He has loved us first), so He will bring us home. Think back to Pastor Dave’s sermon last week, God keeps us faithful to Himself (perseverance). There is a warning in the same verse that God will destroy the wicked, those who rebel against Him and reject the gospel. If you are in Christ – praise Him today, tomorrow, and into eternity. If you are not sure where you are with Jesus, today is the day of salvation – all that you long for is in Him… humbly come to Him by faith, repent (cry for mercy) and find life in Jesus.

God’s grace abounds through our hearts to praise Him. Not just for what He has done is our lives, but simply because He is God, there is none other like Him, and He is worthy of all praise. The life of the child of God is one of grateful praise to Him and proclaiming His mighty works. We gathered today to praise God – oh, do we have much to praise Him for. Works that He has done for our good and for His utmost glory! Let’s keep proclaiming Him and His mighty works to one another and the watching world until He comes! Amen.