Praising the Lord

Were singing a song hallelujah in our English Bibles is normally translated praise the Lord and were here today not to focus on ourselves not to focus on our circumstances sent me not to focus on COBIT 19 were here to focus on the Lord were here to praise the Lord and I always say that everyone knows at least one word in the Hebrew and that is hallelujah freely to words we together hallelujah which means praise the Lord and after 16 Sundays of not dialing for corporate worship in the sanctuary today.

We are certainly saying praise the Lord and I thought in anticipation of a regathering that would take a break from Matthew, the sermon on the Mount and Luke at the shore to some in the Psalter that is the Hebrew text. Not that many of you can read it when the two of you kind in Hebrew. We read from right to left.

So on the top. The strange looking characters.

It is saying hallelujah and then the right or hallelujah Yahweh, and then right at the end it ends as it begins with hallelujah. Just think 3000 years ago. These words were penned other than English and other Spanish of Russian but in Hebrew wonderful little some it is the shortest Sahm in the Psalter hundred 50 Psalms is the shortest is also the shortest chapter in the Bible and in our English Bible.

If you took your Bible and opened it right in the middle right there is some hundred and 17.

So even if you're not familiar with the Bible the Bible to open it up to some hundreds and 17 so to verses so you're all thinking this can't be a long message he's only got to only go to verses. But after all these weeks at home don't want to hear me preach and preach and preach a man thank you brother for that kind if not insincere. A response. I appreciate it I were here this morning to say, praise the Lord. Let me read Psalm 117 this wonderful little some praise the Lord that's hallelujah 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 that wonderful here than in some hundred and 17. First of all, there is a call to praise. This is a command develops praise and extol in verse one in the imperatives that is dishonest is not only giving a call to praise the Lord is giving a command and can I say we ignore this command to praise the Lord and their spiritual coral and life in general and not this time of COBIT 19 a particular it is so easy and not all of the circumstances of life to get discouraged, get bogged down with the difficult circumstances and even to end up spiritually week perhaps somewhat cynical and critical and even depressed in the Christian life. I'm sure all of us were then made from time to time, we find ourselves just going through the externals of the faith. Yes, we read the Bible.

Yes, we pray. Yes we talk to others about Jesus Christ. I we do the right thing might even be participating in the activities and ministries of Calvary church, but in our soul. We realize that something is lacking and when you're done spiritually. When you have that sense of spiritual staleness of the routine and when the preciousness of Christ and the wonder of solving a living God is somewhat dulled in your life.

Here is a spiritual tonic era spiritual medicine. Here is what you must do even if you don't feel like doing it, whether you did or your to praise the Lord when we praise the Lord as were doing this morning.

Don't you find that that that is our rekindling of your soul refreshing of your spirit and we are encouraged as our worship team comes as Jeffrey sayings as the rest of us drawing in. Even if we came here this morning a little bit diving in the spiritual doldrums as we are praising the Lord, don't you find that your soul is refreshed. Don't you find that your drawing near to the living God, because after all, we worship our God is not dead, we worship a God who is alive is a God of Abraham, Isaac of Jacob. He is the living God reminded us that wellness coming together here, particularly on Easter Sunday and we signed just saying that, but never sent him reminding us that God is a living God member. This member, the hymn that we have in the book up from the grave he arose with a mighty triumph over his foes.

He arose the victor or the dark domain and he lives forever with his saints array, and then the Samoset that hymn writer says he arose, he arose her daily sizes. Hallelujah praise the Lord he arose were praising the Lord because we have a living God and that our Savior is victorious over Satan over darkness over all of the problems in life.

Yes, and even over death itself that God is so powerful that he has conquered death and that we trust our Savior are eternally alive and this means that God is to be not on the periphery of her life, not just on Sundays but is the very center of gravity of our lives in this great God calls on us to praise him and to take your ways and your fears whenever they are all of your anxieties at the custom on him not to worry about them, but you come to praise the Lord and find it very interesting that in the hymnbook of Israel, that is, over and over again, particularly towards the end of the Psalter. These magnificent Psalms which call on us. Indeed command us to praise the Lord. I know this Psalms uses to two viruses. He talks about the Lord.

He says, praise the Lord.

That's the first one will think of that and then he says extol him. Praise were going to think of this wonderful Hebrew word hello and asked all is really saying the same thing is to lift him up at Megan automatic work praise, which is found so often in the Psalter the various Hebrew words for praise, but this particular word translated praise in our Bibles is a beautiful Hebrew word hello not this word hello issues in the secular sense of appreciating and enjoying something.

What do you do when you enjoy something. What do you do when you appreciate something you want to tell others about it. You want to declare that you want to talk about it. You want to share it you want others to know about dates so praise in a secular sense. Then is an active appreciation and involvement of that which is enjoyed winter send out from life. Few days ago a friend of me send a photo of a beautiful sunset. I do not many sunset slips in my life I've seen many, many of them and you wonder why would someone send someone else. Photo of a sunset yes it was a particularly nice sunset.

Why would someone do that well the answer is this that that person's appreciation of the sunset is in the hands this underlined is in fact deepened by the shedding of that experience. The person in an effective saying John isn't that magnificent sunset. Of course it is what you need to tell me that what you did to say this but that is what we do is when you're experiencing something that you enjoy and someone is standing beside you is a letter that you see that is not wonderful is not a beautiful sunset is that magnificent goal start by Manchester United who got five goals yesterday and I just wonderful.

Did you see that what we doing by the very fact that with talking about it and was sharing it. The experience is being deepened in this being underlined in our lives so what does that mean then this word this wonderful word hello, what does it mean then to praise the Lord.

We use it we say were praising the Lord. But what does that mean that praise is a spontaneous and genuine wine and enthusiastic response to enjoying and appreciating the Lord to enjoy the Lord depreciate tuning of the Lord is great. Jeffrey D thing of the Lord is good, praise the Lord that said he believes he knows not just from his Bible, but from his very experience the God is good and as he comes and was he doing his thing. Listen, think of this.

Think of the wonder of this that God is good and as he shares that he is praising the Lord's own experience of the Lord is been deepened and we are being drawn in the know praising the Lord doesn't something mechanical is not something that you just have to do this is not a great show. This is celebration. This is joy. This is exultation. In fact, not to praise the Lord would be a denial of the enjoyment your stunned silence. It was thorough than you've enjoyed the beautiful scenery and you're on your own is just not the same as your standing there with someone else and inevitably someone says is not magnificent city two days ago would've been the mountains of Tennessee a little common with her grandkids in my room looking out over the mountains immersing is this incredible look at these mountains that God's created but we come to just look up mountains we come to look at our magnificent God.

This then is a spontaneous shout of joy over that which is received and enjoyed from God's good hand we enjoy the Lord and we shared it with others. Yes, you can praise the Lord alone.

That is true. If you're watching by lifestream and your at home on your porch whenever you are and you're doing it alone. Yes, you can praise the Lord was not the same as why why do we regather like this, someone could say well you can you can continue churches with live streaming.

Yes, we could but is not the same as as we gather together and as we together obey this command.

Yes, this is a command to praise the Lord of joy is intensified. We are enriched, others are edified, and most important of all, God is glorified because God living Lord commands you to praise the Lord I notice, praise the Lord hallelujah Yahweh was the object of her phrase it is Yahweh in our English standard version.

If you look at that, you will see that the word Lord you're looking at the English text.

Praise the Lord you will see that it is in small capitals. The word Lord there's various words for God than the Lord in Hebrew, this is a special one. It is praise Yahweh at the end. Yahweh is abbreviated to Ya hallelujah yeah praise the Lord I was a special about this Lord why in English standard version is a put into small capitals. This word Yahweh in Hebrew translated in our Bibles to the Lord in small capitals.

This is the personal name of the Lord, emphasizing his character and his nature are this is the name that the Lord gave to Moses.

The next is three when Moses is called to go to Pharaoh and and and Moses this is so fearful and then he says not when they say who sent you what Megan is a new are you what you what your name in the magnificent but in a sense mysterious responses given by God and Axis III. I think you I have strange what your name IRM who I have called this defining and describing himself exclusively in terms of himself.

He has always been. He always will be. He is ever present. He's the eternal God. He encompasses all of eternity from first to last, he encompasses all of human existence. All of the existence of the universe from beginning to and who are your I who we began their worship by by saying the dog is SWAT from everlasting to everlasting doubles among the was never a time when God exists, but will never be a time when God ceases to exist. He is the eternal. I am the eternal present one and the amazing thing is in the miracle of God's grace. This grade. God, I am who I is eternally present with his people.

He is present to accomplish all that he asked us to do as we love them as we serve them as we praise him with all of our hearts, that is none beside him. He is unique. The Bible says his real family. May God is the first on the last and he supplies all of our needs. He will never failure. He will never leave you. He will never let you down.

He was with you yesterday is with us today will be with us tomorrow and he will be with us all of eternity.

Why is the eternally present one in this great God calls his people.

Those who are redeemed by his grace is that I want you to do this I want you to praise the Lord call to praise magnificent efforts to cultivate. Secondly, the participants who who who are these people are to praise the Lord. Look at your Bible verse one. Praise the Lord, all nations extol him, all peoples. Everyone is to praise the Lord some people would say this is what God is saying y'all praise the Lord. No floral these imperatives and think I can speak Southern is pretty bad, isn't it. But that is the point the command is a plural imperative.

It is not just you as an individual know you and you and you enjoy in fact all of the nations. All of the peoples are to praise God saw him just is not just Israel was called to praise the Lord yes were written from Israel. Some book and some hundred and 17 Israel sent you like people redeemed from the Lord. They are certainly praise the Lord Abbott. This goes through all nations, all peoples, nations, is a translation of everyone's volume that you may have heard of normally translated Gentiles. The psalmist is making it clear that this call this command to praise the Lord is not just for the Jewish nation. Of course it to praise God, but God is greater than that this is not just for Israel.

This, call this command to praise the Lord goes to every nation, every nation under the sun. Lord peoples and includes all tribes all ethnicities. Here is a universal call to everyone everywhere to praise the Lord whoever you are Americans on July 4 weekend.

Praise the Lord. Yes Russians, Brazilians, affiliates, Nigerians, Chinese Mongolians, wherever there's whatever nation you are I would ever try whatever ethnicity you are you are called to praise the Lord as we think of this. If you know your Bible doesn't your mind go forward to that great scene in Revelation. When John says is going to come a time when people from every tribe and nation language are going to stand before the throne and praise. So here we are at Calvary church. One of the things God is calling us to do at Calvary church is for all of the nations. All of the peoples to praise the Lord. I'm very thankful to the Lord to be passed through the church, which has such a wide variety of people at 1130 service of going to interview some of her new members and as I was licking the list yesterday. I realize that that are more of our new members who will become your members at 1130 service that are more of them who are born of the United States within the United States. The anti-American. I am an American wonderful dog brings to us at Charlotte's people from all of the nations. All peoples coming together and we are to embrace that all nations all peoples of all cultures all colors all backgrounds.

Why is that I will think of it. Each individual is made in the image of God. That's true.

If you are born in Kenya that serves a partner Norway that's true if you're born in Argentina. Each single person is made in the image of God. Furthermore, every single person and every nation select the nation and this is true. People from every nation, including Americans person before a holy God. The Bible says that what all made in the image of God but would all fall and put all of send and come short of the glory of God. Paul makes it very clear in the epistle of Romans, whether you're Jewish or Gentile. Whether you're religious or nonreligious.

This is true of everyone without exception, the whole world is found guilty before God, because all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. So you are a sinful person that you made in the image of God. God is your creator God calls you to to worship him and to praise him, but you must acknowledge that your sinful.

This is true of us all and is also true that there is only one way of salvation, the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, which cleanse the sins of John Monroe is the same blood that cleanses you from your sin. The wonderful Paul says one Lord, one faith, one baptism we are one body of Christ with all of the diversity yet with his tremendous unity, one in Christ because our Lord Jesus Christ has done what only he could do.

Paul says in Ephesians 2 he has abolished the barrier between Jew and Gentile. That was a huge barrier that when the Jews there were the commonwealth of Israel and the outside door Gentiles. They were looked on the dog's inferior the Lord Jesus Christ comes and is the peacemaker. He demolishes that barrier. Yes, in the first century people try to boot it up and drug treatment history, people of trying to put barriers between people, but in the body of Christ as followers of Jesus Christ. We are committed sent Mike to start Monday. All bilayers all prejudices all obstacles erected by sinful people because God calls all nations all peoples to worship him is on Calvary church. We seek to practice a hell of imperfectly your Bibles tend to Romans 15 because in Romans 15, Paul gives a commentary on some hundred and 17. Did you know that in Romans chapter 15 the contacts 14 and 15 in Rome, there were different nationalities. There were Jews there were Gentiles. There were people from all over the known world those differences in the church at Rome, and that this presented some problems there were some discussion about whether Christians could do certain things in their work the week brothers in the strong brothers join me in Romans 15 verse six. Paul says this is so encouraging is that he says that together you may with one voice that one voice is what God wants that you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. That's why we're here not to glorify ended any individual not to glorify ourselves but to glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you for the glory of God.

General follower of Jesus Christ and the grace of God. God has welcomed you into his family.

I have been welcomed into the family of God. God is my father. We thought of that, the seven on the mind. We pray our father in heaven that I find it in the family of God is not just me and the Lord know people from all over the world all nations, all peoples have been adopted into this family that now we have brothers and sisters in Christ, some of whom look a little bit like us. Others are very different from us. But, says Paul first century Rome with all of the diversity, there is is welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you for the glory of God notices emphasis on the glory of God. And then in verse 11 actually quotes from some hundred and 70 Paul knew some hundred 70 verse 11 Romans 15 verse 11. Here's a quote and again praise the Lord, all you Gentiles uses the Greek word X nonce from which we get our word ethnicity so we sing praise the Lord, all you ethnicities, all you nations all you Gentiles.

Those of you who are not in the commonwealth of Israel, you are commanded to praise the Lord and let all the peoples excelled, so that in the first century.

Paul is a great proponent of this freedom that we have in Christ that Christ has broken down the barriers where the Judaizers are the people who tried to bring some of the Christians back into the bondage of the law and Paul will have none of it. No, to make his case. He quotes from this magnificent little some so as to praise the Lord to praise the Lord and to praise the Lord all the nations, all peoples force a call to praise. Secondly the participants to praise the Lord to third. The cause for praise, why all the fuss about praising the Lord. Verse two why should you praise the Lord's great is his steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Stu main causes here in this little some to praise the Lord. First of all because of the steadfast love of the Lord toward us just to God's love. That's true. Summers is making a very personal the steadfast love of the Lord toward us toward you. The steadfast love is a translation of the reward said I think we have it back on the tags that it is for for the few Hebrew readers that wonderful Lord said, it is often translated lovingkindness.

Marseille loyal love lovingkindness God's faithful covenantal love to his people, beautiful word God acts towards us in lovingkindness in loyal love in covenantal love to his people and it is. It comes says the psalmist to us.

The door does note This love to himself. Yes, it has existed from all of eternity within the father the son and the Holy Spirit are there loved each other with the steadfast love, but God has demonstrated his love to us, but all he does for us in spite of urine faithfulness in spite of the fact that you're sometimes ungrateful guards, steadfast love is towards us steadfast and loyal is unchanging. Jeremiah says were loved with an ever lasting love is God's love is for first human love is not like that was his and some of you, the experience of someone saying I love you and that love is ended. If I didn't bring him say they hate you present your past you.

You love someone you thought you love them for the rest of my life, but you no longer human love goes up and down doesn't it's not always steadfast. It doesn't always in June, but this you can be absolutely certain of, irrespective of your circumstances. God reaches out to you with his steadfast love. Why would praising the Lord first started his his grades and his steadfast love towards us.

Paul in the New Testament puts it this way the dog demonstrates his love toward us… In that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us why we have the cross on her ceiling right above my head that is where we see the supremacy of the love of God. How do I know God loves me, how do you know God loves you look at the cross. See the sinless Christ taken all of your sin on the cross. There is there is no love like this. This is this is divine love.

This is the love of God.

This is God's steadfast love toward us. Paul puts it this way, that regarding our Lord Jesus.

He said he who loved me and gave himself for me and this loyal love, then, is the very basis of our forgiveness and I know that God will never go back on his love for me would be a denial of his very character know I'm praising the Lord would praising the Lord because of God's steadfast love for you and me. Yes, you are undeserving of it. I wonder if you've experienced the love of God in your heart and life to do you know that God loves you and not not just in your head but have you experienced the love of God is not sure if I know what you mean John will be experience the love of God when we receive God himself, Jesus Christ our Savior is God incarnate and he calls on us to believe in him. He is the one who saves us and cleanses our sin.

Through his death, his burial, and resurrection that he is the living Christ as you confess your sin becomes not only forgive your sin he indwells you and Paul says that God has poured out his love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit is given to us of the experiences morning as I had as I'm singing in listening. I know God loves me this I was taught that all my life I my mother's name. God loves me, that Jesus loves the little children with the wonderful thing to experience again as we praise God.

Yes God is steadfast in his love towards me as love is steadfast unfairly, truly great in fact that is no force in the whole universe which can separate me from God's steadfast love Corbett 19 your freedom covered 19 yes, in many cases we should be afraid of it that can be deadly. That's why we're where we have mass on the wider social distance and we are. We understand that what is God's steadfast love greater than covered 19 courses.

God's in control. Corbett 19 any terminal illness Anime atomic power enemies against us. There is no force in the whole universe. Paul says at the end of Romans eight which can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord's love is steadfast. I know that I don't know about tomorrow. Perhaps I get Corbett 19 but on some other calamity falls on me from a human perspective, but the steadfast love will never this great dog will never desert me is libel continued to flood my heart told you before my brother was dying with these is brain tumor. He said to be John. We were taught about God's love all of her life. He said I've never experienced that of the love of God, as I have over these last two months the testimony of someone who's looking at that and knows that God's love is so steadfast and it is so great that dad itself cannot separate me from this steadfast love and for that for that much more we praise Lord and some churches, someone would say hallelujah. Can you say hallelujah think of God's great love toward you over many years spite of urine faithfulness is loved.

You and he cares for you. So psalmist says. Praise the Lord all the nations which stole him all of all of the people's why for great is his steadfast love towards us, and then he gives us another reason and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Some translations have the truth of the Lord and that you were there can be translated truth on faithfulness and so the King James.

The new American Standard Bible, read on. The truth of the Lord is everlasting. Both are true to God's faithfulness endures forever, and certainly the truth of the Lord endures forever because God is 100% true to his promises.

God never breaks his promises you do and I never God's faithfulness endures forever is a wonderful close by saying a great is his faithfulness. God's faithfulness to you in Jewish forever God's truth endures forever. The grass withers, the flower fades by the word of the Lord endures forever, and when God gives me a promise and his word.

I can absolutely you can absolutely depend on the truth of the Lord. The faithfulness of the Lord in Jewish forever and that is why when we come and praise the Lord. We invariably open this book is too much to ask you to come in with the Bible were a church that believes in the Bible of commitments for their two scriptures is that this book is the word of God. It doesn't just contain the word of God our witness to the word of God. It is God's absolute truth is the truth of God and God's purposes are unassailable.

God's faithfulness is unfailing, it will never run out. Someone has betrayed you, Lord, betrayed you some of this turned their back on you treated you badly. God will never do that. God is faithful to God is good. We sang about is good all the time. God is always good. I understand that sometimes you don't think that and understand difficult circumstances, are way I understand that but in the midst of the darkness.

You can absolutely depend on this, but God is faithful faithfulness of the Lord endures forever, and so we are praising the Lord.

Just think of this, for God's love. The translation steadfast love this transit.

God's steadfast love God's truth. His faithfulness on and breaking breakable. This is a ball on the force of power person of God himself will never let us down Satan and all of the enemies of darkness cannot pull us away. Jesus, as I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck the might of my hands.

My father gave the me, is greater than all and no one can pluck to my to my father's hand and my father one steadfast love you familiar with the Golden orb spider spider and some hundred and 70 was 3000 years old, so there may be some wolf spiders around but this is the Golden orb spider or a spider that will overwrite what spiders do, but proportionate to its weightlessness. The Golden orb spider is tougher than Kessler was Catholic foot is used to make bulletproof vests, ranks among the strongest of man-made fibers. This proportionate to his weight stronger using the web, the silk that the spider spins its lights is remarkably elastic is designed to catch its prey is going to be light and said none of those so that they can be easily seen, but is also got to be strong enough in the elastic enough to ensnare the enemy so the enemy comes lands on the web and that thread that silk is so strong that the incoming targets tents escape, and scientists have analyzed the thread of the Golden orb spider to think. Is it possible for us to make something like this is remarkably strong but remarkably flexible and that's it is the come up with a is is really about that in a magazine.

I thought you know we are held with the force stronger than Kessler stronger than the silk of the Golden orb spider that my father's arms around me and the love of the Lord Jesus who says that as a good Shepherd. He does not send the he's holding us in his hands that there is nothing, nothing in this whole universe can separate us from that his steadfast love is faithfulness or strong that unbreakable and for the truth of the Lord in the faithfulness of the Lord for his steadfast love, we praise the Lord.

So in the middle of all of the curious and certainty in the field and the confusion in the world.

What we do, replacing Lord we need to preselect another covert, 19 to get you done. There's no need to fear what I feel like their love and certainty no reason for fear no reason for uncertainty. God's love is steadfast is faithfulness endures to you at all generations. Make sure your trust is in and in this independence weekend we set praising the Lord for the freedom but Christ set us free. We sang about these chains that we are we are set free with that we are praising the Lord on June 22, 1772 in England, young black man called Jim Somerset was involved in a court case the young boy in Africa had been captured as a slave, taken as a slave to the New World.

The United States there are young Scotsmen Charles church was making some money Scotsmen student and he bought as a slave. James Somerset decided to take him back to England for some time and then his plan was to take Jim Somerset is again from the stamp back to the west – the work cutting sugarcane. Only live a short time and credible circumstances, but James Somerset to help some people in England who knew the followers of Christ.

You, that slavery was wrong. So that is this famous case of James Somerset, the African against Charles Stewart Scotsmen in England. Lord Chief Justice ruled in favor of the slave in this absolutely mind blowing decision that this is 1772 dimension beam ball is a slave to process this kind of minds running that this was the reality Lord Chief Justice in this ruling said let justice be done though the heavens may fall and drilled in England. The air is to purify a slave and every man is free who brings it.

Jim Somerset, he said, was not a piece of property, but he was a free man and the judge said that every man who comes to England is entitled to the protection of English law, no sooner. I love this. No sooner does a slave touch English sorrow than his shackles fall from that was freedom that was the truth for all men and women on English soil who were slaves in that decision set in motion the abolition of slavery and the slave trade in Great Britain the US although Tickell took a long time momentous decision declaring that a slave was freedom moment he or she sent on English soil that moment shackles fell from. You know what I can tell you this on the authority of this book.

No sooner was the Savior touch. No sooner than the moments you confess your sin and ask Chrysler, and Savior. No sooner as you receive Christ as your personal savior. The shackles of sin, that sin which is bothering you, and which frustrates you and drag you down the shackles of sin will fall from your and you will be truly free, free to praise the Lord. This is what our Lord Jesus Christ does as we follow him we praise him and I don't know all of these lines, but I do know that God is in control and I do know that I'm in the hands of this great God who calls me to worship him and praise them and love them with all of my heart and I know that his steadfast love is great and I know that his faithfulness endures forever. And for that and much more. When we say how will you praise the Lord.

We both as we pray father what great God, you are. We thank you call us to praise you trust we done that glorified your name.

Thank you for this opportunity to come is your people. The sum here who have not been freed from the shackles of their sin. I pray for them open their eyes. Perhaps they cannot acknowledge that there slaves to sin open their eyes so they see that that person and open her eyes to see the loveliness of our magnificent Savior who comes to seek and to save the lost really flee to Christ and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved. We are people father, may we be at praising people, we confess that were sometimes complaining were sometimes fearful that sometimes our spiritual life is very routine restored the freshness of what it means to preacher. We thank you for your great steadfast love. We thank you for your faithfulness. Help us to show that love.

Help us to be faithful to you as we serve you make a difference in this sad world. Christ