Pervasive Love, Significant Praise

Psalm 117 from Revelation and Genesis, you end up on Psalm 117.

So, got the trivia for the parties now, okay? Alright. Now, it's part of the Egyptian Hillel. I said, well, they've not known that. What was that?

Well, you may have heard of the Hillel, which is several psalms that were used sometimes on the way up to Jerusalem. They were sung, psalms of descent. Also around major feasts of the Jews.

Because the Egyptian Hillel, why would you think we'd call it the Egyptian Hillel? Because they were once in Egypt. What feasts would they commemorate?

Passover. Passover, Psalm 113 to 118, I think, let's see. 113 through 116 were sung, I believe. No, 113 and 114 were sung before Passover.

And then 115 through 118 were sung right after Passover. Every year. It may have been used as well in other feasts, but for sure it was specific for this.

Okay, so let's get into it. First, I see the multitude of praise. This second title is one from Matthew Henry. The vast extent of the Gospel Church.

The vast extent of the Gospel Church. Verse 1 says, Praise the Lord all nations, extol Him all peoples. I'll start off with the word praise or extol.

It really means the same thing. To glorify, honor, pay tribute to, acclaim, applaud, elevate, venerate, exalt, adore, and get the idea.

And it's given as an active verb, and it's in the imperative. It leads you to a couple assumptions there. It is either a command, do this, praise the Lord all nations, extol Him all peoples, or maybe a strong urging, I urge you to, I exhort you to, praise the Lord all nations, all peoples.

So praise and extol. And when you think about praising and the definition that we gave you there, what do you personally, willingly praise every day?

What consumes your thoughts throughout the whole day? There you go. What directs your focus? What invigorates your ambition?

What monopolizes your time? Not just, you know, we have to work, I understand that, but time when you can choose. When you're not so busy. But, what do you willingly praise?

Sometimes, this isn't always the Lord. Sometimes it's other things that kind of get in the way. But, do you have to be asked to praise or extol this person or thing?

For some of us, Mike, it's, I know exactly how many he scored last night, and how many rebounds he had, and how many steals. You know, I can name it off real quick. And I'll talk to you at length about basketball.

I don't have to be prompted. I'll just give that information willingly. Alright? Whether asked or not. That's right. Whether you're interested or not. Alright, is this effort given toward a worthy goal?

Well, in that case, probably not so much. Just, I know these facts. But, the psalmist here says, praise the Lord. Extol Him.

The psalmist gives us a point of focus for praise. He gives us the Lord. And in so doing, he also gives an implied directive in praise to limit it to that which is worthy.

Limit your praise to what is worth something. If you're going to praise something, make it worthwhile. Praise the Lord. Extol Him. Now, you don't see him saying, don't praise this or don't extol that, but he does give you what to go for.

And I think that kind of implies not so much the other things. Reserve the very best of your efforts in praising the Lord. Your praise belongs to God.

Isaiah 43, 11. I, I am the Lord and besides me there is no Savior. As I shared with the choir the other night, Isaiah 43 and the chapters around there have all sorts of that language.

I am God and there is none besides me. He is saying, you honor me, you praise me. And he deserves more than your leftover, maybe ill-defined or generalized affections.

You know, when you are at the end of your rope and you are all worn out and okay, it is time to praise God. Alright, here we go. Well, redirect that. Start there. Give Him your best.

And leave the leftovers for everything else. He deserves more than your leftovers. And Warren Wiersbe says, Worship and praise are the highest occupations to which we can dedicate our voices.

The activities that will occupy us for all eternity. It's all we are going to be doing in heaven. So, that's a blessed thing and it's also blessed that we won't have other things to tie us down like they do now.

But think about that. We are going to be doing this forever. Let's get practice. Let's start now. Let's worship the Lord. In everything we do let's worship Him. Praise Him.

He says, All nations, all peoples. This is referring to not just the covenant people but all peoples including the Gentiles.

And a few times in the Old Testament you see this. Praise the Lord all nations, all you peoples, not just Israel. A few examples of Old Testament Gentiles who praised the Lord was Hiram. 1 Kings 5-7 And as soon as Hiram heard the words of Solomon he rejoiced greatly and said, Blessed be the Lord this day who has given to David a wise son to be over this great people.

He said, Blessed be the Lord. He was not a Jew but he praised God. The Queen of Sheba 1 Kings 10-9 And she said to the king The report was true that I heard in my own land of your words and of your wisdom but I did not believe the reports until I came and my own eyes had seen it.

And behold the half was not told me Your wisdom and prosperity surpassed the report that I heard. Happy are your men happy are your servants who continually stand before you and hear your wisdom.

Blessed be the Lord your God who has delighted in you and set you on the throne of Israel because the Lord loved Israel forever He has made you king that you may execute justice and righteousness.

She was talking to King Solomon She came to see his wisdom and riches and then she ended up praising the Lord for it. Naaman 2 Kings 5 14-15 He had leprosy so he went down to the Jordan River So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan according to the word of the man of God and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child and he was clean.

Then he returned to the man of God and he and all his company and he came and stood before him and he said Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel. Nebuchadnezzar more familiar with his story this is where he had been out in the fields chewing on the grass because he thought himself to be mighty, mighty, mighty king and God humbled him and at the end of the days I, Nebuchadnezzar lifted my eyes to heaven and my reason returned to me and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored him who lives forever for his dominion is an everlasting dominion and his kingdom endures from generation to generation all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing and he does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth and none can stay his hand or say to him what have you done at the same time my reason returned to me and for the glory of my kingdom my majesty and splendor returned to me my counselors and my lord sought me and I was established in my kingdom and still more greatness was added to me now I

Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honor the king of heaven for all his works are right and his ways are just and those who walk in pride he is able to humble and then last on this list this is just a handful of many many many Gentiles derives to me Daniel 6 verses 26 and 27 after Daniel was delivered from the lions then miraculously he says I make a decree that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel for he is the living God enduring forever his kingdom shall never be destroyed and his dominion shall be to the end he delivers and rescues he works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth he who has saved Daniel from the power of the lions so they're praising and extoling God and we know most of these stories we've heard these before think about what you do daily do you say anything close to this during the day to people around you

I'm not for sure about these people but many of them may not have ever received the Lord they may not even be in heaven we're not for sure some may be but they're praising God we are of Christ how much do we praise God to people we talk to every day so that was some examples it's also when it says to all nations and all peoples it's referencing also the Abrahamic covenant Genesis 12 1-3 where the Lord says I will make of you a great nation and I will bless through your seed that is Christ all the nations of the earth shall be blessed so it's an affirmation of the Abrahamic covenant and then it's a message of hope for the Gentiles and we are them it's a great message of hope Paul quotes this first verse of Psalm 117 in Romans 1511 he quotes many Old Testament scriptures there giving a defense for Gentiles can too receive the Lord not just the Jews in his reference in 1511 and again praise the Lord all you Gentiles and let out the people to extol him and then the passage in Acts 15-16 let's turn there if you don't mind

Acts 15-16 they had a council at Jerusalem to discuss this could Gentiles be saved could they receive Christ as their Savior and verse 6 the apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter and after there had been much debate Peter stood up and said to them brothers you know that in the early days God made a choice among you that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe and God who knows the heart bore witness to them by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us and he made no distinction between us and them having cleansed their hearts by faith now therefore why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear he's talking about the law there we can't even keep the law and you're going to give the law to the Gentiles so I'm learning that on Sunday night with Pastor Don verse 11 but we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus just as they will and all the assembly fell silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul and they related what signs and wonders

God had done through them among the Gentiles after they finished speaking James replied brothers listen to me Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles to take from them a people for his name and with this the words of the prophets agree just as it is written after this I will return and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen I will rebuild its ruins and I will restore it that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord and all the Gentiles who are called by my name says the Lord who makes these things known from of old so we see one of many Old Testament scriptures including Psalm 117 verse 1 talking about all nations people from every tribe and nation will praise the Lord it's taking place here in the book of Acts they're considering can this be true and they're saying well look the prophets of old have said this forever remember you've studied this message of hope for the Gentiles and remember this psalm was sung after Passover which was what a Jewish feast now the Gentiles are now grafted into God's family they've been singing this particular psalm every Passover and it's hard for them to think about well now the Gentiles are going to be right here next to us but if they connected the dots well we've been singing this the whole time all nations all peoples okay well sure when we celebrate the Lord's Supper now we're all here as a family so there's a neat parallel there it's also a call to obedience for the redeemed a call to obedience we must not keep silent we know the truth we know God we praise Him and we're not going to be silent about that this phrase

I forget was it the Gibeonites they said to one another we are not doing right this day is a day of good news if we are silent and wait until the morning light punishment will overtake us now therefore come let us go and tell the king's household they had stumbled upon food and plunder and there was a big famine in the land we know something good here and we're not doing right by keeping silent about it we're going to go tell everybody the same thing applies to us in the gospel we go tell everyone tell everyone of Christ yes unclean what was it was it Gibeonites okay the neat phrase though we're not doing right by keeping silent so and then also

Acts 4.20 when when Peter and John were told to stop preaching and they said well we will continue to preach for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard we have seen and heard Psalm 34 if indeed you have entasted that the Lord is good you will you will indeed tell others Matthew Henry says this the tidings of the gospel being sent to all nations should give them cause to praise God the institution of gospel ordinances would give them leave an opportunity to praise God and the power of the gospel grace would give them hearts to praise Him those are highly favored whom God invites by His word and inclines by His spirit to praise Him and so makes to be to Him for a name and a praise it's good news for all people alright well verse 2 for great is His steadfast love toward us and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever praise the Lord so we had the multitudes of praise

I think it was and the matter of praise why do we praise the unsearchable riches of gospel grace the first word there and I seldom go past it if I see it for why do we praise and extol the Lord why should all nations and all peoples do this this command has ample foundation and abundant motivation he's getting ready to tell us why there's a foundation for why he's saying this and he's going to tell us great is His steadfast love and many of your translations may say merciful kindness the same idea they're describing steadfast love unwavering devotion dedicated loyalty resolute commitment timely compassion forgiving benevolence and go on and on steadfast love Psalm 103 let's turn back a few pages verses 8-18 the Lord is merciful and gracious slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love he will not always chide 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 is gone and its place knows it no more but the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear him and his righteousness to children's children and those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments so his steadfast love is from everlasting to everlasting his love is great and his redemptive plan surpasses time

I think that's where it's kind of heading here before time began as we know it he purposed to love us he purposed to save us it's beyond us he did it for us it's amazing and it surpasses time that's why great may be the best thing to say it's just it's great it's massive beyond comprehension his love is great and it's toward us what a thought his mercy is immeasurable psalm 139 17 and 18 how precious to me are your thoughts oh god how vast is the sum of them if i would count them they are more than the sand i awake and i am still with you and his mercy is inexhaustible lamentations 3 22 and 23 most of our translations will read something like this the steadfast love of the lord never ceases his mercies never come to an end they are new every morning great is your faithfulness king james version has another way of putting it and it is interesting it says it is of the lord's mercies that we are not consumed because his compassions fail not it's only by his mercy that we're not consumed right now and i don't think i've ever read that verse in the king james version that really puts no other spin on that his steadfast love the lord never ceases that is true think of the other side of it but for mercy we'd be consumed the reason to praise the reason to praise god that we have breath every day and then the faithfulness of the lord the greatest is steadfast love toward us and the faithfulness of the lord what is he talking about here he has kept his word as deuteronomy 7 6-9 says for you are a people holy to the lord your god the lord your god has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth it was not because you are more in number than any other people that the lord set his love on you and shows you for you were the fewest of all peoples but it is because the lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers that the lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery from the hand of pharaoh king of egypt know therefore that the lord your god is god the faithful god who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations so he is a faithful faithful god he has kept his word he has brought salvation psalm 98 1-3 oh sing to the lord a new song for he has done marvelous things his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him the lord has made known his salvation he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations he has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the!

house of Israel all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our god and that will be true for everyone who ever lives we will see the salvation maybe on the wrong side of it but he has done what he said he will do he has brought salvation for his people a quote from Calvin here here the faithfulness means the attestation of his grace I attest to his grace for even his fearful from his faithfulness however his mercy is mentioned first to encourage the saints hearts but both divine attributes must be manifested for us to be drawn to praise to God not only his steadfast love or merciful loving kindness but also his faithfulness both of these must be manifested for us to be drawn to praise to God though the former is called great and the latter everlasting they are not in opposition to each other but go hand in hand flowing as an everlasting stream steadfast love and faithfulness we need him not only to not consume us as he rightfully could we also need his help just to live we need his faithfulness to make it through the day we need both and his faithfulness endures forever it is never ending as psalm 105 says!

the Lord is good his steadfast love endures forever and his faithfulness to all generations his faithfulness is persevering 1st Thessalonians 5 23 and 24 now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ he who calls you is faithful he will surely!

do it he will complete it he will complete the word that he begins in you and his faithfulness speaks to his very character as God God is never changing he is he always was never will be well translate that over he's faithful then because that's who he is he will always be faithful then the end of the psalm says praise the Lord well that's where we started right this command is cyclical it's a cycle in structure the idea is to keep reading this psalm again and again once you get to the end praise the Lord all nations extol him all peoples for great is his steadfast love toward us and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever praise the Lord just think about that and then you'll start over again in summation Gentile and Jew alike we are saved by the same God we are called to the same worship and we are motivated by the same reality all who are in

Christ are called by the same God called to the same worship motivated by the same reality that he is faithful that he is loving we should praise him so God's pervasive love is love that extends to Jew and Gentile it's never ending it brings significance to our praise why do we praise because of that he is merciful to us and his love endures forever