The Psalmist at the end of the 150 chapters in the book of Psalms takes us out on a high note, by pointing us to the LORD and imparting to us the call, the command to continuously lift our hearts, voices and lives to praising Him!
In part 1 of this message, we looked at the first category He points us towards in stimulating our thought process as He did those whom he wrote to in considering the LORD God’s “Mighty Deeds!” His powerful, supernatural deeds. They could go back into their memory bank and recall His “Mighty Deeds,” which the people could look back in their history and His Word to recall such as Creation, deliverance, provision, protection, correction, sustenance, as He made Himself known through their history and gave them reasons to praise, boast, glory and show sincere appreciation to Him for His “Mighty Deeds!” So, he points them to the LORD and gives two reasons out of multiple possibilities to incite praise in their and our heart and help us as it were prime the pump to Praise the LORD God!
He begins by telling us that “God,” verse 2 {“El”} the word speaks of His “Might, power, strength,.. the “Sovereign Power” of Him and His “Mighty deeds” are to be recalled and to what end? That we may “Praise the LORD!” It is a command and a verb. In the six verses in Psalm 150 it is used 13 times! Praise does not come naturally to us, unlike complaining! So, we need to renew our mind as Paul says in Romans 12:2, and we need to know Him better, asking The LORD to open our minds to understand the Scripture-{Luke 24:45} that we may know Him for who He is and set our affections on things above, so we may focus on Him, follow Him and by faith obey Him and praise Him continually, with lives and lips of gratitude and admiration, adoration for Him as revealed by His “Mighty deeds.” It means we have to know of these “Mighty deeds” and think on them… and where will we find accurate information concerning them? The Word of God! So then, we give ourselves to His Word to know Him and equip ourselves by the aid of the Spirit of God to teach us to look expectantly for the LORD when we come to read that we may confidently, expectantly know we will find Him and reasons to continually praise the LORD!
Praise is to be cultivated and I love what one of my sweet daughter in laws texted my as I shared Psalm 150:6,”Let everything that has breath Praise the LORD.” I had shared that the only necessity for praising the LORD is BREATH! She texted back and said to Praise Him that He has given us breath! Simple? Yes! But profound! So often we take for granted what God is doing. Take someone who through illness has difficulty breathing and how grateful they are for breathing, conscious of it because often the difficulties to do so.
We begin praising Him by acknowledging Him for who He is and His “Mighty Deeds,” in creating and sustaining us, one breath at a time!
We are not left to ourselves, but are given “fuel” to intelligently know Who and What to praise Him for, and in this case the first of two of those reasons to aid us, are “The Mighty Deeds” of God! “Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; His understanding is beyond measure.
“-{Psalm 147:5}. Then he gives us the second reason of Why they and we should praise the LORD as we continue our study in…
WHY SHOULD WE PRAISE THE LORD?
2. …ACCORDING TO HIS EXCELLENT GREATNESS.
Again note, “His excellent greatness,” just like His “Mighty deeds” is not divorced from Him! It is Him in action, Him on display. He is not an “it” or a fatalistic faith or “luck,” or happenstance that is in operation, but a Person, the LORD God, as revealed in this Psalm. Believers do not worship or are not called to walk with an “it” or something or unable to be “known,” but with a Person, the LORD! His design and desire and “mighty deeds” including His mercy, graciousness, love in making Himself known to people world wide. Creation surrounds us and speaks of the Creator and points to Him,” The heavens are telling of the glory of God; And their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.”-{Psalm 19:1}. “He counts the number of the stars; He gives names to all of them. 5 Great is our Lord and abundant in strength; His understanding is infinite. 6 The Lord supports the afflicted; He brings down the wicked to the ground. 7 Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; Sing praises to our God on the lyre, 8 Who covers the heavens with clouds, Who provides rain for the earth, Who makes grass to grow on the mountains. 9 He gives to the beast its food, And to the young ravens which cry.”– {Psalm 147:4-9}. He communicates through Creation, His Word, His Spirit, His Son, His Cross to reveal Himself to us. And those whom the Psalmist writes to in Psalm 150 are told to recall His “Mighty deeds” and in turn praise Him continually and now the call is to consider, contemplate and celebrate His “Excellent greatness!”
“Excellent Greatness,” or ‘Greatness of greatness ‘ which speaks of… who He is. He is greater than all in His being and surpasses all that He has done, will do, for it is an expression of Him but not Him in all His splendor, and greatness!
He is Great in His -Character;
“So he cut out two stone tablets like the former ones, and Moses rose up early in the morning and went up to Mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him, and he took two stone tablets in his hand. 5 The Lord descended in the cloud and stood there with him as he called upon the name of the Lord. 6 Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; 7 who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, visiting the iniquity of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.” 8 Moses made haste to bow low toward the earth and worship.”-{Exodus 34:4-8}. Moses had desired to see Him and the LORD made Himself known through proclaiming parts of His character, and the result? Moses bowed and worshiped The LORD! “-{Exodus 34:4-8}.
He is Great in Dominion;
” Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O Lord, and You exalt Yourself as head over all “-{1 Chron 29:11}
He is Great in Understanding;
“Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; His understanding is beyond measure. “-{Psalm 147:5}. He is great in His concern for the brokenhearted,{v3}. He counts the stars and gives them all names, { v4}.He lifts up the afflicted -{v6}. No matter the situation from the lowliest to the highest Heavens and all that is in it, He is Great in His understanding, it is infinite, innumerable, knows no boundaries, never stumped, all things known to Him and He has the answer and insight to all. He is great, majestic in His understanding. We are limited, He is unlimited!
He is Great in Love;
“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),” -{Ephesians 2:4-5}. His love is purer, greater than all that is able through His mercy save a soul taking us from the spiritual deadness of sin and giving us newness of life, a new relationship with God, alive to Him, no longer enemies, but sons and daughters of God by His doing, His Great love that He sat upon us and has shown to us!
He is Great in Mercy;
“ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” -{1 Peter 1:3}. His great mercy is greater than our sin, rebellion towards Him and overcomes and with-holds from us what we rightly deserve, eternal condemnation and separation and to suffer the wrath of Almighty God, “But God,” being rich, wealthy without limits in mercy and Great in Mercy has caused us, by His choice, His doing, seeing nothing in us that was OF ANY benefit to Him, but because He is “Great in mercy” had pity upon our miserable condition and extended what was needed, “Great mercy,” to cause us to be born again to a living Hope and this at the expense of the sinless life of the LORD Jesus in exchange for our sin to make us right with God and bestow upon us and within us newness of Life, the capacity to love God and others and the privilege of being His sons and daughters!
He is Great, Supreme Above All;
” There is none like You, O Lord; You are great, and great is Your name in might. “-{Jer 10:6}. There is none His equal, none to be compared to Him, for all are created and He holds their every breath, every heartbeat in His hand, everyone of them in submission to Him, His timetable. Generations of fools and foolish people have believed, boasted of their superiority, even denying HIS existence, but in the end, all have succumbed to His timetable and bowed to His Sovereignty as LORD, for He alone is GREATER than all His creation, for He alone is the Creator! He alone is God, the Great Sovereign God!
” Do you not know? Have you not heard?
Has it not been declared to you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
22 It is He who [s]sits above the [t]circle of the earth,
And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers,
Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain
And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.
23 He it is who reduces rulers to nothing,
Who makes the judges of the earth meaningless.
24 [v]Scarcely have they been planted,
[w]Scarcely have they been sown,
[x]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.
25 “To whom then will you liken Me
That I would be his equal?” says the Holy One.
26 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.”-{Isaiah 40:21-26}
He is Great And Awesome God;
“For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and does not take a bribe.”{Deut 10:17}. “Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders? “-{Exodus 15:11}.” O God, You are awesome from Your sanctuary. The God of Israel Himself gives strength and power to the people. Blessed be God!” -{Psalm 68:35}. “Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! So great is Your power that your enemies come cringing to you.”-{Psalm 66:3}. ” A God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones, and awesome above all who are around Him? “-{Psalm 89:7}. “Come and see what God has done: He is awesome in His deeds toward the children of man.” -{Psalm 66:5}. “God is clothed with awesome majesty.”(Job 37:22). “Come and see what God has done: He is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man”. (Ps 66:5). “And I said, “O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments” (Neh. 1:5). “I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments” (Dan 9:4). ” “He has sent redemption to His people;He has commanded His covenant forever: Holy and awesome is His name.Holy and awesome is His name.”- (Ps 111:9).
He is awesome in integrity, in glorious deeds, Supremacy, Redemption, His nature and Character. He alone is God the Awesome God who is, and reveals Himself as such! He is “Holy,” totally different than all for He is without blemish or sin, but perfect in perfection, Perfect in purity of thought, deed, motivation, perfect in love perfect in His character, while we as humans are “unholy,” we are full of sin, sinners by nature and by choice, we are the opposite of Him, “But God,” in mercy caused us to be “born again, to a living hope through the resurrection of our LORD Jesus…”-{1 Peter 1:3}, so that we stand before Him acquitted of all sin and have been clothed with the righteousness of Christ, positionally before God He is our holiness and practically He is working in us to change us as we learn to practice a life of holiness as we daily live. SALVATION is an Awesome act of God towards us!
HE IS SOVEREIGN KING; “For the LORD Most High is awesome : He is a great King over the all the earth.” —{Psalm 47:2}. PROCLAIM His AWESOME ACTS;“They will PROCLAIM the power of your awesome acts! I will declare Your great deeds! ” -{Psalm 146:5}. PRAISE His AWESOME NAME;” Let them PRAISE Your great and awesome Name; Holy is He.” – {Psalm 99:3}
He is The Great Everlasting God;
“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable.-{Isaiah 40: }. “Before the mountains were born Or You gave birth to the earth and the world,Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.”-{Psalm 90:2}. “Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba and called there on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God. “-{Genesis 21;21}. ““Your sun will no longer set, Nor will your moon wane; For you will have the Lord for an everlasting light, And the days of your mourning will be over.“-{Isaiah 60:20}. “The Lord appeared to him from afar, saying,
“I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness.”-{Jeremiah 31:3}, “And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me.”-{Jer 32:40}. ““How great are His signs And how mighty are His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom
And His dominion is from generation to generation.“-{Daniel 4:3}. ” Then the sovereignty, the dominion and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him.’{Daniel 7:27}. His kingdom is everlasting. His love is everlasting, His covenant is everlasting. His our everlasting light. He is from everlasting to everlasting God!
He is the Everlasting King who Judges;
“But the Lord is the true God; He is the living God and the everlasting King. At His wrath the earth quakes, And the nations cannot endure His indignation.”-{Jer 10:10}
He is Great in Righteousness;
” The LORD is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does.”-{Psalm 145:17}
He is The Great God;
” For the Lord your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe. “-{Deuteronomy 10:17}. “Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable.”-{Psalm 145:3}. “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you by His love; He will exult over you with loud singing. “-{Zephaniah 3:17}. “For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.”- {Psalm 95:3}
He is The Great Savior, Jesus Christ!
“looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, ” – {Titus 2:13}
He is Great and Greatly to Be Praised;
“For great is the LORD and greatly to be praised; He is to be feared above all gods.”-{Psalm 96:4}. His greatness should lead to a God honoring effect on our thinking and doings,influencing our living to be one of respect and worship.
“All the nations are as nothing before Him,
They are regarded by Him as less than nothing and meaningless.
18 To whom then will you liken God?
Or what likeness will you compare with Him?
19 As f 0r the [p]idol, a craftsman casts it,
A goldsmith plates it with gold,
And a silversmith fashions chains of silver.
20 He who is too impoverished for such an offering
Selects a tree that does not rot;
He seeks out for himself a skillful craftsman
To [q]prepare [r]an idol that will not totter.
21 Do you not know? Have you not heard?
Has it not been declared to you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
22 It is He who [s]sits above the [t]circle of the earth,
And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers,
Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain
And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.
23 He it is who reduces rulers to nothing,
Who makes the judges of the earth [u]meaningless.
24 [v]Scarcely have they been planted,
[w]Scarcely have they been sown,
[x]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.
25 “To whom then will you liken Me
That I would be his equal?” says the Holy One.
26 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 [y]strength of His power,
Not one of them is missing.
27 Why do you say, O Jacob, and assert, O Israel,
“My way is hidden from the Lord,
And the justice due me [z]escapes the notice of my God”?
28 Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth
Does not become weary or tired.
His understanding is inscrutable.
29 He gives strength to the weary,
And to him who lacks might He increases power.
30 Though youths grow weary and tired,
And vigorous young men stumble badly,
31 Yet those who [aa]wait for the Lord
Will gain new strength;
They will [ab]mount up with [ac]wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary. “- {Isaiah 40:17-31}.
He is GREAT, for He is Sovereign God, He sits upon the Throne of thrones,He is Comforting God, He is Everlasting GOD, He is Creator God, He is infinite in His understanding, He does not become weary, He imparts power.
Consider the words from Jeremiah 10, regarding the character of the LORD… His Excellent Greatness
“There is none like You, O Lord;
You are great, and great is Your name in might.
7 Who would not fear You, O King of the nations?
Indeed it is Your due!
For among all the wise men of the nations
And in all their kingdoms,
There is none like You.
8 But they are altogether stupid and foolish
In their discipline of [a]delusion—[b]their idol is wood!
9 Beaten silver is brought from Tarshish,
And gold from Uphaz,
The work of a craftsman and of the hands of a goldsmith;
Violet and purple are their clothing;
They are all the work of skilled men.
10 But the Lord is the true God;
He is the living God and the everlasting King.
At His wrath the earth quakes,
And the nations cannot endure His indignation.
11Thus you shall say to them, “The gods that did not make the heavens and the earth will perish from the earth and from under the heavens.”
12 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.
13 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. “-{Jeremiah 10:6-13}
Can you pause and bow before Him and Praise Him because He is worthy, He is Great and Greatly to be praised.
Can you re-read the verses and as you read, pause and begin each verse by personalizing, “LORD, I PRAISE You because You are _____”
The Psalmist tells us WHY we should Praise Him continually, glorying, boasting in Him because of His “MIGHTY DEEDS.” As great as His deeds they are but a reflection of Him, for He excels all them because of Who He is…His greatness excels all else in the universe, He is “EXCELLENT IN GREATNESS,” Excellent above all else!
As we continually trust ourselves to Him and the study of His Word to be taught by Him to PRAISE HIM, we will never run out of reasons and “fuel,” for our hearts and minds to Boast, Glory, Praise with sincere appreciation for His deeds and His Person…
Praise is not dependent on mood or favorable circumstances but a command based on truth of Who He is irrespective of circumstances.
Let us come to Him humbly, with Hope that His command to continually praise Him, He will enable us, so we come…
- Teachable and Submissive Heart – “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.”-{Psalm 119:18}
- Spirit of God – As our Teacher and the One who works IN us to give us both the Desire and Ability to do what Pleases God.-{Read Phil 2:13}
- Scriptures – as our Book to know the truth, govern and guide us and reveal the LORD to us -{Read Luke 14:17}
“Let us Continually PRAISE, Boast in The LORD…”
As you read your Bible, look specifically & expectantly for reasons to PRAISE, show appreciation to Him for His Character & Works!