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Bless The Lord, O My Soul
Please stand for the reading of the Old Testament that will be found in Psalm 148 1 through 14 and it's on page 526. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord for all the heavens. Praise him in the heights. Praise him all his angels.
Praise him all his hosts. Praise him Sun and Moon. Praise him all you shining stars. Praise him your your highest heavens and your waters above the heavens. Let him praise the name of the Lord for he commanded and they were created and he established them forever and ever.
Have a great have a great decree and it shall not pass away. Praise the Lord for the heaven. Place the Lord for the from the earth. You great sea creatures and all deeps fire and hail snow and mist stormy winds fulfilling his word.
Mountains and hills fruit trees and all cedars beasts and all livestocks creeping things and and flying birds. Kings of the earth and His people princes of all rulers of the earth. Young men and maidens together all on old men and children.
Let the Lord praise the name of the Lord. For it for his name alone is exalted for his majesty above earth and heaven. He he has raised up from the horn from his people. Praise for all Saints. For the Lord of Israel who near him who need are near to him praise the Lord.
New Testament reading today is in Ephesians 1 3 through 14. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places Even as he chose us and him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before him and love.
He preceded us for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ according to the purpose of his will to the praise of his glorious grace with which he has blessed us in the beloved. And Him we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of our trespasses according to the riches of his grace Which he lavished upon us and all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will according to his purpose Which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time to unite all things in him things in heaven and things on earth.
And Him we have obtained in an inheritance having been precedented According to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will So that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory and Him.
You also when you heard the word of truth the gospel of your salvation and believed in him. We're sealed with the promised Holy Spirit Who is guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it of the praise of his glory.
You may be seated. Let's pray.
All those who come before you today we ask God you would open our hearts to receive your word. Lay upon our hearts father what you want us to learn this morning. Speak through me father. Give me wisdom to bring forth your word To glorify you and to bring you honor and praise.
Again, we pray for pastor Tim today as he is speaking At John Bonney's church this day. We just pray as well for him for wisdom for him and his that he would speak clearly following the words That you want him to share again.
We praise you this morning for your love and mercy to us. She's steadfast and eternal. We thank you for that in Jesus name.
Amen.
In 1680 a man named Yoakum Neander who was a German poet had been living a sinful life. He decided to go to church one Sunday Only for the reason to mock the preacher along with some of his friends Was sitting under the preaching of the gospel.
He was converted. He eventually became the assistant pastor of that very same church to that very same pastor. It had originally gone there to mock and he was under who under his preaching was saved. When he became the assistant pastor he was given a responsibility of preaching every Sunday at 5 a .m.
He died at the age of 30. Whether because he had to preach every Sunday at 5 a .m. I don't know but But that was his first duty as assistant pastor. He died at age 30. But during his final year of it at age 30 he wrote a hymn.
We just sang it this morning Praise to the Lord the Almighty. If you look on page two, you can see his name down there and Yoakum Neander. In 1525 Johan Groman wrote a hymn my soul now praise your maker.
The words are my soul now praise your maker. Let all within me bless his name. Who makes you a full partaker of mercies more than you dare claim as high as heavens above us? Has dawned from close of day so far since he has loved us he puts our sins away.
Praise him forever Reigning all you who hear his word our life and all sustaining my soul. Oh praise the Lord one more 1719 Isaac Watts. Everybody's heard of Isaac Watts. He's wrote I Wrote us read somewhere where he wrote over 750 hymns.
But here's one that he wrote no bless the Lord my soul his mercies bear in mind. Forget not all his benefits who is to thee so kind. Thou bless the Lord my soul his grace his love proclaim. That all that is within me.
Join to bless his name. Why do these three what why do you think I read these three these three hymns. They're all based on one scripture Psalm 103. If you read that if you think of the words we sang in that first one praise God the Almighty.
You can see those words written in there. They say there's more hymns written about one Psalm 103 than any other Psalm except the 23rd Psalm.
Why is that Psalm 103 Is entirely voted to worship the whole way through.
It's what motivated David to write these words. It's pure praise and worship to Yahuwah who is that's a name for God his personal name its focus. This focus is on one thing giving praise to the I am to the eternal one God the Father.
So let's turn to it real quick. Psalm 103. I'm gonna read it bless the Lord. Oh my soul and all that is within me bless his holy name and bless the Lord. Oh my soul. And forgetting all his not all his benefits.
Who forgives all your iniquity. Who heals your diseases. Who redeems your life from the pit? Who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy. Who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed renewed like the Eagles?
The Lord works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed. He made known his ways to Moses. His acts to the people of Israel. The Lord is merciful and gracious slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
He will not always chide nor he will nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth.
So great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him. As far as the East is from the West. So far does he remove our transgressions from us as a father shows compassion to his children. So the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him for he knows our frame.
He remembers that we are dust. As for man his days are like grass. He flourishes like a flower of the field. For the wind passes over it and it's gone and its place. No knows it no more. But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting to those who fear him and his righteousness to children's children.
To those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments. The Lord has established his throne in the heavens and his kingdom rules over all. Bless the Lord. Oh, you know you his angels you mighty ones who do his word.
Obeying the voice of his word. Bless the Lord has all his host his ministers do his will. Bless the Lord all his works in all places of his dominion. Bless the Lord. Oh my soul. These words of David are pure worship again to God from someone Who is who is all joyful and thankful?
Overflowing with praise from his heart. Having been given full and eternal salvation. So we're going to talk a little bit about worship this morning. Why we worship. How we worship. What motivates us to worship.
Do we really possess a true heart that wants to worship God. Is it possible to worship God in vain? What's Isaiah 29 13 tell us his people honor me with their lips. But their hearts are far from me. Worship must be a vital real in the heart and Rest upon a true perception of who God is.
How can we worship someone that we don't know? We worship in vain. David knows who God is because of what God has done for him. And he tells us tells that to us. Not to forget what he's done. We see that in verse.
Verse two bless the Lord. Oh my soul. And forget not not all his benefits. It's easy to do isn't it?
We.
Go through this life every day. We get we get bound down with things that draw us away from God draw us away from fellowship. We have to remember Why we're here on Sunday morning. We're here to worship to remember the benefits that he is listed in this this David listed in this psalm in Verses three through five.
He lists his benefits that he has experienced and it's also for each one of us Individually that have come to the realization that we are sinners and we need Jesus Christ. These benefits are what motivated David to bless the Lord.
Oh My soul with all that is within me when he says bless the Lord He's talking he says to speak. Well bless the Lord is to speak. Well of his greatness or an expression of praising thankfulness and admiration.
So when he says bless the Lord, that's what he's doing. He's praising God an expression of thanksgiving. But how do we worship with all that is within me? We use all our faculties faculties that God has given us speech, you know mind heart.
Everything that we have received from God. We need to use that to worship him. It's like the scripture that says Love the Lord with all your heart. With all your soul with all your mind with all your strength everything that God has given you.
We need to return that in blessing to God. So don't forget God's benefits or we can call them blessings to us. What are they? Let's look at verse 3. Who forgives all your iniquity and who heals your disease diseases?
There's two of them there first of all and the most important one is He forgives. He forgives our sins our past present and future. They're all washed away erased and remember there's no record. They're washed away only by the blood of Christ.
And again, this first benefit must take place before the other ones can be experienced and If you notice all the way through here He uses these verbs in present tense. He forgives he's continually forgiving us if we are continually asking for forgiveness.
Why is that necessary? Sin still present, right? We face it every day. We give into it every day. Satan still alive. We still falter. We're still human, but thank God for verse for first John 1 9 If we confess our sins he is faithful to and just to forgive us our sins and To cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Sin must continue to be confessed to maintain Maintained fellowship with God and with one another. Also, if you look at the Last part of verse 3 says he heals our disease our diseases. This is another benefit another reason to give him our worship.
Does God heal every disease? People still die, don't they? From disease from sickness. I think if we look really deeply into this verse It's a the end of this verse it kind of parallels the first part.
I Believe he's referring to our spiritual diseases the diseases of our soul. He heals all pride lust of the flesh and eyes and hatred and rebellion against him and in Scripture, we often see diseases or sickness used as a metaphor for adversities or setbacks in our lives and Then healing is an act of restoration.
Matthew Matthew 9 10 and 12 as Jesus reclined at the table in the house behold many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples and when the Pharisees Saw this they said to his own disciples.
Why does your teacher eat and with tax collectors and sinners? But when Jesus heard it he said those who are well have no need of a physician. But those who are sick the Pharisees considered themselves healthy before God by the way, they observed the law and their actions and Thus they were blind to their own spiritual sickness.
Jesus is making the point here that only those who realize our need for him will receive the help. They need the healing they need not physical even though God does heal but spiritually. I Read a little quote from Matthew Henry and the way he put this Particular verse he said he has cursed thy sickness.
The corruption of nature is a sickness of the soul. It is his disorder and threatens death. This is cured by sanctification. When sin is mortified the disease is healed. Our crimes were capital but God saves our lives by pardoning them.
Our diseases were mortal. But God saves our lives by healing them. So there's the first two benefits. Forgiveness number one. He forgives our iniquities all our iniquities all of our sin and He cleanses us from our spiritual shortcomings from our diseases so we can rest assured in those two Benefits two reasons right there why we need to come to church and praise God worship him with all our hearts.
The next benefits mentioned in verse four. That belongs to each one of us who has claimed Jesus Christ and should motivate us to worship. He redeems you from the pit. He redeems you from destruction. The Lord redeems you from spiritual death in which we have fallen and from the eternal death, which would have been its consequences.
Remember the sentence of death has been reversed because of Christ giving of himself. Becoming the ransom for us. When I when I read that phrase giving of himself. It makes me think you know, we think about.
You read articles you hear people talk about who killed Jesus, you know, who really killed him. Did we kill him? He gave himself. He could have he could have got down from the cross. He could have called 10 ,000 angels as a song goes.
I Forget that he gave himself. He gave himself for us. You know, that's and boggles my mind when I think of that he he took he took all the suffering all the pain all the The stripes beaten on his back everything like that.
He could have walked away from it. He gave himself. We need to remember that He became the ransom for us. Ephesians 2 1 through 7. Read that really quickly here and you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked.
Following the course of this world following the Prince and power of the air. The spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience. Among whom we once all lived in the passions of our flesh carrying out the desires of the body the mind and work by nature children of wrath like the rest of mankind but God.
Being rich in mercy because of the great love with what she loved us. Even when we were dead in our trespasses made us alive together with Christ. By grace you have been saved and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.
So that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in Christ. We were dead in our sins, but God being rich in mercy made us alive and raised us up. He redeemed us from the pit.
We have been resurrected and with him. It's talking about salvation here redemption. We will be risen from the grave glorified as Christ has been risen and glorified. Psalm 49 15 says God will redeem my soul from the power of show or the or the grave to eternal glory.
But think of this not only does he redeem us from the pit. What's the end of that verse say in chapter 4 or verse 4? He crowns us with steadfast love and mercy. Love that will never change. Mercy that will never end.
Why is that? Who is God he is steadfast? He is mercy. He doesn't change. He will not go back on his promises. Or cease already cease cease to be God if he did he will never leave you or forsake you. He rescues rescues you from the pit.
Exalts you to royalty. Although we deserve the pit right we deserve God's punishment. He bestows on us his favor. Okay, I'm gonna do another quote. I Love I love these quotes. I find this is by Spurgeon, which is probably.
Where I get a lot of my stuff. Spurgeon Puts it this way. Our Lord does nothing by halves. He will not stay his hand until he has gone to the uttermost with his people forgiving. Healing redemption are not enough.
He must make them kings and crown them. That's what he's done. And that remember that test steadfast love and mercy we talked about. Again is forever. We can count on that. We owe our worship to him lamentations 322.
Steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness? The Lord is my portion says my soul. Therefore I will hope in him. The crown of our glory is that despite our sinful state?
We have been loved by God. Shown to us in the crucified and risen Jesus Christ. That's all we need. Not the crowns this culture holds up to us. We don't need a crown of fame crown of success a crown of influence or crown of achievement.
Because those won't survive. Our crown points to the beauty and glory and supremacy of another who's Jesus Christ so another benefit two more benefits redeemed from the pit and.
Crowned.
With God's steadfast love and mercy. As if these are four benefits aren't enough. Verse five. He satisfies you with good the sanctified blessed life. It's a satisfied life living as God wants us to live.
Walking as he instructs us to walk we do that. God will bless us endlessly. Think of the blessings we get at we have every day. Just Stop for a minute and think you know their spouses our children grandchildren.
After you really blesses you. Well, you've got great grandchildren. He gives us a roof over our head a job food clothing.
Church family and creation.
Don't you love to just to look at God's creation sometime and marvel at his beauty his power. And he give he gives that to us to enjoy. You know the one of the things I like to do best when I think about God's creation is I Know we all have our different ways, but in dead of winter Go out the back door Real cold winter night 20 degrees and look up and see the stars in the sky just as clear as could be in cold.
That to me is just enjoying What God has given us, you know as you feel really close, I'm not saying we're worshiping creation. We can't do that and worship the Creator. He gives us those good things every day.
Do we stop and think about that? He blesses us every day. You know, my my sister was in a real bad accident a couple days ago and Her and her son and they walked away from but if you look at that if you look at the picture she sent me I Don't know how they survived.
It was her fault. She ran a stop sign, but she was broadsided and a car was completely totaled and She's fine, you know. God watches over us. He does good for us. You know, we need to remember that. Another reason why we come here and praise God.
On Sunday morning. And this satisfaction the good things he gave us should bring us contentment.
James 1 17 says all good things are from above. One writer writes that no man has ever filled to satisfaction except the believer. Natural man can be satiated Filled with satisfaction, but it's only temporary not permanent.
And the result of satisfaction. The result of satisfaction with good things from God. What is that result? Let's look further in that verse. Your youth is restored like the eagle.
You know.
God didn't promise us a fountain of youth. You know, we're not gonna instantly go back to when we were 15 years old when we were saved. He's promises us endurance. That we can live this life in a way that honors him.
And we can do it with youthful energy, you know, we can. He says that 2nd Samuel 1 says. It is said in 2nd Samuel 1 that Saul and Jonathan were swifter than eagles fiercer than lions. You know what? Eagle eagles are a symbol of vitality youthful endurance.
That's what it means to be blessed by God, you know, he's. He can see us through anything we need to rest upon him. We need to realize we have. God has given us what we need in this life to endure and to live for him No matter what's thrown and throwed at us.
So let's remember That he satisfies us with his good and as a result of that good we are able to endure and live for him as we should. Isaiah 40 31 says. But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength.
They shall mount up with it with wings like eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall not walk. They shall walk and not faint as perseverance. We will have the endurance and strength to carry on in life.
No matter what may come. So let's remember that that's a fifth and sixth benefit. That David has told us here in Psalm 103. Now David kind of makes a little shift now. He goes from His individual praise to God for what he's done and what he has done for each one of us.
And he kind of shifts it into what he has done what God has done for his people as a whole. He talks about the Israelites. Starting in verse 6. Let's read that the Lord works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed.
Let's go ahead. He made known his ways to Moses to the accent the people of Israel. The Lord is merciful and gracious slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. God will work righteousness and justice to those that Exploited those that are harmed his people.
Justice or judgment will come to those who oppress his people. Mercy will come to his Saints. Mercy to his Saints demands vengeance on their persecutors. Look how I delivered the Hebrew children from the oppression of the Egyptians.
Judgment came to Pharaoh through the death of the firstborn and to his army in the Red Sea. Psalm 146 tells us God of Jacob Executes judgment for the oppressed. Sets the prisoners free lifts up those who are bowed down.
Watches over the sojourners, but the way of the wicked he brings to war ruin. The Lord works righteousness and justice for those who are oppressed. We can count on that. We get that's a promise we can believe in He does not tolerate injustice.
Especially to his people. He will write what is wrong. We might ask where is God now with what everything that's going on. There's so much evil in this world, there's people being martyred for Christ all across the world.
People.
Under.
Dictatorships in.
Third world countries. Christians in our own country are being ridiculed made fun of Maligned because of our Christian values. We see that all the time. But we can rest assured We remain faithful. God will repay the oppressor.
Maybe not in this life. But justice will be carried out. And in verse 7 He made his salvation Promises to Moses he made him known to Moses and to the sons of Israel. So that from the beginning Clear through the Old Testament we know about God's redemptive purpose.
You know he appeared to Moses and Moses. I think it's in Exodus 33. I can remember where that's at. Moses asked God you know What he's doing what he what is his plan and God. And God answers him in in Exodus 34.
Let me see if I can find that really quickly. I meant to write that down and forgot. The Lord Pat.
This is a 34 6 of Exodus. I started verse 5. The Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there and proclaimed the name of the Lord. The Lord passed before him and proclaimed the Lord. The Lord a God merciful and gracious.
Slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. Keeping steadfast love for thousands. Forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty. Visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children.
God made known his ways to Moses and he has made known his ways to us through the word. Through his word through his apostles through his. Through Paul through Peter through everyone we read in his word.
He's made known His salvation to us. We know about God's redemptive purpose his enduring commitment to his people. What she did? To the Israelites. For the Israelites in which he now does for us for the Gentiles.
We know the way of covenant grace. And it's been made to. It's been made to us through his acts of mercy and. Through his son who is a mediator of the new covenant? So some more benefits. The oppressors will be dealt with.
He made known his salvation to us. Not only through Moses, but through his word through all of his servants in verse 8. The Lord is compassionate. Merciful and gracious. More reasons to bless. More reasons to worship the Lord.
He is gracious. He is slow to anger abounding in steadfast love. It's a committed love and it also has no bounds. He sees the sinners need for mercy. He saves sinners, which we once were. The God that executes righteousness and justice delights in mercy.
He is slow to anger. Why is he slow to anger you think? He's giving people time to repent. He's he is a patient God. His time is not our time. We got to remember that and he does not always chide or strive for us as we see in verse 9.
He will not keep his anger forever. One writer puts it this way. That verse means that he will not perpetually find fault with us. He doesn't do that. Remember he forgives us. He will not keep bearing a grudge forever against us.
So.
Let's move to verse 10. This here's truly does show to me God's love for his people. He does not deal with us according to our sins or pay us. Repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth.
So great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him. As far as the East is from the West so far does he remove our transgressions? From us this verse enough. Only this verse 10 is enough for me. To bless the Lord he doesn't give us what we deserve.
Or repay us for our iniquities. What we really deserve because of our sin, which is eternity in hell. We all know what Romans 6 23 says right for the wages of sin is death. But the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Our sin has been covered by Christ we still fail. But he doesn't deal with us according to what we justly deserve. John Calvin and other quotes as. Says it this way God wonderfully blesses those he might justly destroy.
We don't we're not getting what we deserve. We're getting God's justice. Reason enough to worship God every week every day. In verse 11 how great is his love. How great is his love for his people? His steadfast love his committed love for those who fear him is so great.
It can't be measured. How great is it? It's as high as the heavens are. Above the earth. How far is that? Can we estimate that we know the mileage? Well, I want to read what NASA says about that. Statistics from NASA tells us that they think in quotation marks.
They think that they know where the edge of the universe is. They suggest that if you travel 186 ,000 miles a second, which is a speed of light I think You could reach the end of the universe in 225 trillion years.
Can't be measured. It well, it can't be done. Think of that. That's how how great His steadfast love is toward us. We can't measure it. It's it's unending. It has no bounds. It has no end. Another way David illustrates this Infinity is how far God has removed our sins from us.
How far is that the east from the west? They never meet. You keep if you could start heading east you're always go east. It can't be measured. They can't be met. There's a song we used to sing when we were kids called gone gone gone gone.
Yes, my sins are gone. How's the rest of ago, I can't remember the next line but buried in the deepest sea. Yes, that's good enough for me. Praise God. My sins are gone. No, they're gone. They don't and you don't remember how many times we heard pastor Tim say that He chooses not to remember that they're gone.
We can count on that. We can't you know, don't you wish we could forget our sins I. You know, they the past sin somehow keep popping them up in my mind and you know. Forget them. They're over God's forgotten.
Why should I remember him? We can remember or trust that God has forgotten them. He's buried in the deepest sea and his love is further Cannot be measured for the love for us cannot be measured. Our unthankfulness and sinfulness would completely exhaust anybody else Except God.
Which brings me to Micah 7 18? Who is a pardoning God like you pardoning my iniquity and past passing over by transgressions for the remnant out of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever.
Because he delights in steadfast love another reason. Another benefit God has given us. And remember he loves us a father. He loves us as a father loves his children. The verse says the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him and again notice present tense.
He didn't just show us compassion. He shows us compassion now. It's present tense that always flows because we always need it we always need his love and compassion. Why do we need that? Never ending compassion because in verse 14 through 15 We're dust.
We're fragile. He knows our frame because he made us. We're like grass. We flourish like a flower in the field when the wind passes over it. It's gone. You know life is short. We all know that James 4 14 says for you are a mist that appears for only a short time then it vanishes then you vanish.
Remember life is short. Our time is short, but God's love is everlasting to everlasting. God's covenant his committed love Falls on those who fear him, you know for I want to go back to real quick. His everlasting his love is everlasting to everlasting.
If God is eternal which he is if his love is eternal which it is he loved us before we were born. Try to wrap your head around that like I you know, that's that's tough. How can he love us before we were born?
He knew us before we were born. He loved us. His love is from everlasting to everlasting. Again, his covenant committed love falls on those who fear him not scared of him. But have righteous respect for who he is and what he does.
His love didn't start when we first believed there was never a time. He didn't love his own people.
That will never change and.
Again, who was that love for those who fear him and those who keep his commandments? One more one more call to praise in this psalm verse 19. Yeah, verse 19 the Lord has established his throne in the heavens and his kingdom rules over all.
There's a universal call to praise the king who is overall greater than any earthly king since he is overall. Even the angels are called to worship even the hosts of heaven. We sang about that in a couple of hymns today.
Even the angels are called to worship even the hosts of heaven the Sun the moon the stars all creation. Should join to praise him. Psalm 148 tells us it calls on all of God's creatures creatures to join in praising him from the heavenly host to the heavenly bodies to the inhabitants of sea and land to all mankind.
And.
Verse in Psalm 150. Last verse of the of the psalm says Let everything that has breath praise the Lord Praise you the Lord.
Those are the benefits that we need to remember when we come to praise God. I mean we can praise and worship God. We can do it without being in church. But we need to be here. So what. Know what motivates you to worship.
What is your reason to worship? Why did you come today? Is it because it's just something we automatically do on Sunday?
Do we.
Punch a time clock, you know, we'll come come in at 9 10 30 leave at 12 o 'clock. Real quick. I got that makes me think of my uncle. I Have an uncle that's a godly man. He passed away a few years ago, but he was a deacon in the church I used to go to and we were deacons together for a while.
And godly man. One of the most godly godliest man I ever knew but he. He used to joke around. We'd bring we'd bring us Guest pastor in when ours was pastor was going to be gone and the guest pastor would ask.
My uncle because he was a chairman. I think of the deacons. He said how long is it? How long can I preach. Do you have a time limit? Does it matter. And Jean would look at him? That's my uncle. He said no.
He said you can preach as long as you want, but we leave at 12 o 'clock. Is that our attitude. I know he was joking please me he was joking anyway. Are we here just for you know, we're an hour and a half so we can get out the door.
Then wait till next week to come we you know, we need moat. We need reason why we're here. Remember the psalmist said praise to God with all that isn't within me. Do we do that? What David says is a rebuke too much of what passes for worship in many churches today.
We come to church. But we leave our minds at home. We often worship half-heartedly or even less. It's so easy to let our minds wander to what we're going to do this afternoon. What we're going to have for lunch.
What football games on what we're going to do tomorrow at work. We let that filter into our hearts and our minds when we should be worshiping God. We should be tuned in and remember what this psalm says.
Remember the benefits we have, you know, those are those are everlasting Covenant benefits that we've received that we need to praise God for I. Always like when pastor Tim tells us in the morning after announcement says we're here to worship.
Let's prepare our hearts to do that. Ask God to give the right attitude to worship him in song and prayer. And the reading of his word and hearing the preaching of his word. You know, it's been tough the last few months right to worship like we used to.
It's been it's been hard. I mean it's I we'd sit sit on the couch and Watch Tim preach on TV and we'd eat Oreos and drink hot chocolate. That was. I mean that was good, but it's. It wasn't fulfilling, you know, the Oreos were but anyway, you can get out of that.
I mean Worshipping God in your pajamas. It just didn't seem right. But you know, we've it's been tough. In worship calls also, you know, like I said before we can worship at home. But God also says do not forsake the assembly of the believers.
Don't neglect the worship of the fellowship of the Saints. I Read a statistic. The other was a last night that in the last 20 years.
Attendance church.
Born-again believers attendance to church has dropped. From three times a Week to three times a month. That's in the last I think this is. Review is taken like two or three years ago. No, we don't take it serious.
In I you get we took for granted, you know when we won't we had to go through the pandemic and still going through it.
And I hope and pray that people that are staying home from worship. Won't make it a habit. We need fellowship. We need encouragement. We need to remember what God's done for us as a group, you know. So think about that.
Singing the praises and thanking our Heavenly Father together is such a blessing. Such a rewarding experience of worship. Sing to the Lord a new song his praise in the assembly of the faithful. We are commanded to sing God's praises the assembly of the faithful in church together.
I'm gonna close with one. Well close yet, but there is one quote. I want to read. Da Carson says because we have been made by God for God because our very self identity. When we are right with God is to love him Supremely and to adore and worship him.
It is a supreme act of love on his part to keep demanding it. Why does God demand our worship? Does God feel shortchanged as he think does he need us? He doesn't need us. He does this for our own good.
That's why he calls us to worship. It's for our good. That he keeps directing attention to himself as an act of supreme humility and grace. Because he stoops to remind us what we ought to recognize. Because it's for our own good and again it reminds us what he has done and continues to do for us.
Now real quickly before I close. This psalm is written to believers. This is written to believers to worship God. To remember his benefits what he's done. If you're here today, and you've never realized your need of Jesus Christ you've never repented of your sin.
You're outside of God's grace. He will forgive your sins all of them. He'll heal the sickness of the sin in your life. He'll redeem you from destruction from the pit the everlasting torment. He'll lift you from the pit and crown you with steadfast love unchanging love and mercy he will satisfy you with good and He will will renew you with strength and endurance.
But only if you trust in Christ. God has paved the way of redemption and salvation by sending his son. To pay the penalty for your sin. We have all sinned we all fall short of the way of God. But God being rich in love and mercy.
Sent his son as a ransom the payment for us. So here are the words. The saving words of the gospel the wages of sin is death. Three free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus Our Lord the only way of salvation.
Nothing you can do only on the merits of Jesus Christ who became sin for us. That's close prayer. Father we thank you for your word for how you instruct us. How you instructed David father to pen these words?
How they meant so much to him? How they mean so much to us father as. What you have done for us and how easy it is father for us to to blot you out sometimes. To come to a church without the right frame of mind without confessing sin.
God you deserve our worship you deserve our praise. Forgive us father for when we fall short. And out of your abundant love and mercy you have called us. Called us to a love that will never end to a salvation that we have been promised.
Sealed with the Holy Spirit. Help us to worship you father as we should help us to remember your greatness. And your power and your love through Jesus Christ our Lord his name. I pray men.
