Naylor Community Christian Church
Naylor, Georgia
I. Introduction
-- turn in
Bibles to Psalm 111:1-10
Psalm 111:1 Praise the Lord.
I will extol the Lord with all my heart
in the council
of the upright and in the assembly.
2 Great are the works of the Lord;
they are
pondered by all who delight in them.
3 Glorious and majestic are his deeds,
and his
righteousness endures forever.
4 He has caused his wonders to be remembered;
the Lord is
gracious and compassionate.
5 He provides food for those who fear him;
he remembers
his covenant forever.
6 He has shown his people the power of his works,
giving them the
lands of other nations.
7 The works of his hands are faithful and just;
all his
precepts are trustworthy.
8 They are established for ever and ever,
enacted in
faithfulness and uprightness.
9 He provided redemption for his people;
he ordained his
covenant forever—
holy and
awesome is his name.
10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
all who follow
his precepts have good understanding.
To him belongs
eternal praise.
-- G.K.
Chesterton wrote, "When it comes to life, the critical thing is whether
you take things for granted or take them with gratitude."
-- as
someone I love and respect pointed out in a lengthy rant on Facebook one time,
“I don't know why there has to be so much negativity!!! Nobody is every happy
with anything, constant complaining” -- and she has a point
-- we are a
nation of whiners and grumblers -- we’re not happy unless we’re getting our
way, and even if we get our way, we’re still not thankful -- we consider
getting our way as nothing more than our God-given right -- an entitlement – something
that we deserve simply because of who we are or where we live
-- and when
we don’t get it, it makes us grumpy and turns us into Negative Nellies, who
complain about everything and everyone
-- but such
thinking is not scriptural and flies in the face of what God’s word teaches --
the Bible says that God is patient and long-suffering, but even God’s patience
is tried when His people murmur and complain over the littlest slight or
perceived injustice or discomfort in their lives -- just read the Old Testament
and see how God responded to the nation of Israel’s constant whining and
complaining
-- He
doesn’t like it and He doesn’t like it for a reason -- He is our God and our
Creator -- He has blessed us with so many things that our hearts and souls
should be responding every moment of every day with praise and thanksgiving,
but yet, while we find time to complain on Facebook, we rarely find time to take
a moment and count our blessings and truly thank God for who He is and what He
has done
-- so, as
we are starting to turn our thoughts to Thanksgiving this year and as we
recognize just how much we might have been complaining and grumpy about life
lately, I thought it was fitting to take a moment and talk about this holiday
and how, as God’s people, we are supposed to be living counter-culturally in
this land – rather than murmuring and complaining about every little thing, we
should be leading the way by showing people how to thank and praise God every
day
-- I really
like the thought that was in a devotional I read about Thanksgiving -- the
author wrote, “It could be argued that one way we know we are growing
spiritually is when we look forward to Thanksgiving as much as most children
look forward to Christmas” -- and let me pause in the midst of this quote to
commentate -- the author doesn’t mean we are looking forward to Thanksgiving
because it is a time to over-indulge in eating turkey and dressing and other
goodies and to watch football with family and friends -- no, they meant to look
forward to Thanksgiving as a time to actually give thanks to God -- revolutionary
thinking, huh?
-- to
continue with their quote: “It could be
argued that one way we know we are growing spiritually is when we look forward
to Thanksgiving as much as most children look forward to Christmas -- It isn't
hard to get enthusiastic about all the good things you expect to receive [at
Christmas] -- It takes more spiritual maturity to look at the good things you
have already received and say "thank you" with the same enthusiasm.”
-- this
morning, I wanted us to start this month’s theme of praise and gratitude by
looking at Psalm 111, which encourages us to be people of praise
-- so, if
you would, join me now in Psalm 111, starting at verse 1, and we’re going to go
through this verse by verse
II. Scripture Lesson (Psalm 111:1-10)
-- verse 1
Psalm 111:1 Praise the Lord.
I will extol the Lord with all my heart
in the council
of the upright and in the assembly.
-- this
Psalm from an unknown writer begins with a command to the people of God -- “Praise
the Lord”
-- it’s no great feat of biblical
interpretation to understand that the Psalmist is urging us to remember God and
to praise Him -- to lift Him on high -- to give Him honor and glory and
thanksgiving for what He has done and for who He is
-- to praise God like this is the
foundation of our Christian life -- to praise God is to live in the presence of
God at every moment of every day – remembering what He has done and lifting His
name on high -- so the writer begins this Psalm with this command – “Praise the
Lord” – and notice that the word “Lord” in your Bible is in all caps – that is
referring to the Lord God Almighty, calling Him by His high and holy name,
Yahweh
-- this
command, “Praise the Lord,” is actually just one compound Hebrew word -- “Hallelujah”
-- Hallelu means Praise -- Yah refers to God – so, Hallelujah literally means,
“Praise God”
-- to
demonstrate that God demands praise from all His creation can easily be seen by
the writer’s use of this word to start this Psalm -- Hallelujah is the only
word in the world that is pronounced the same and means the same thing in every
language – last week, as we were discussing All Saints Day and remembering the
Kingdom of God and the saints that are part of His kingdom, we were reminded
that we are part of a whole – that together with all the other believers in
this world – past, present, and future – we make up the body of Christ – His
Kingdom on earth – His church
-- and I think that when we see the
word hallelujah and know that it is pronounced the same and means the same in
every culture and country and language – this confirms that we are all part of
His Kingdom -- and we are all called to thank Him and praise Him with our whole
being – one body – one people – united in praise and worship to God
-- and keep
in mind we are told here in this psalm to praise God as a command -- this is a
reminder to us that we should praise God even when we don’t feel like it --
praise Him in our trials and sufferings just as we praise Him when we feel
blessed -- praise Him at all times -- as Deut 6:13 commands, “Honor the
LORD your God, worship only him, and make your promises in
his name alone.”
-- the
Psalmist goes on to write, “I will extol the Lord” – extol means to praise
enthusiastically – so, when the Psalmist says he will extol the Lord, he is
saying, “I will not only praise the Lord – I will praise Him enthusiastically –
I will praise Him with my whole heart – I will praise Him with all that I am”
-- even if others don’t, I will still praise God -- I will not hesitate to do
what is right -- I will lift God on high -- I don’t care what the rest of you
do -- I don’t care what the rest of you think -- I am going to praise the Lord,
my God
-- “in the
council of the upright and in the assembly” -- the Psalmist says he is going to
praise God, whether in the company of a few or in a corporate worship setting
like this -- the example that he is giving us here is that praise should always
be on our lips and in our hearts whether we are alone, with a few friends, or
in the company of many believers as part of the church
-- verse 2-4
Psalm 111:2 Great are the works of the Lord;
they are
pondered by all who delight in them.
3 Glorious and majestic are his deeds,
and his
righteousness endures forever.
4 He has caused his wonders to be remembered;
the Lord is
gracious and compassionate.
-- in these verses the Psalmist
lists the reasons why we should praise the Lord -- and there are three words
that stand out to us here -- works, deeds, and wonders
-- verse 2
talks about works -- works are what God has done for His people -- the way He
has worked in our lives -- the blessings He has given us in the past
-- verse 3
talks about deeds -- the writer expounds on God’s deeds and righteousness -- the
focus of the word “deeds” in this verse in the original Hebrew is on salvation
and redemption -- when it links deeds with the righteousness of God, it is
literally talking about God’s faithfulness in fulfilling His promises of
deliverance, redemption, and salvation
-- verse 4
talks about wonders – the wonders of God, referring to His saving acts -- the
miracles and signs He performs on our behalf – knowing that this Psalm was
written to the people of Israel, God’s chosen people, when the writer pens
these words and tells them to remember God’s wonders, they would immediately
think of the deliverance of Israel from Egypt -- of God’s mighty wonders
through the plagues He sent against Pharaoh -- the parting of the Red Sea --
the miracle of the manna and the quail and the water from the rock during their
wilderness sojourn -- the crossing of the Jordan River into the Promised Land
-- the wonders of God are the miracles He brings about in our lives
-- the
Psalmist tells us we need to ponder God’s works and deeds and wonders -- we
need to consider them -- to seek them out -- to learn to open our eyes to see
the blessings and the presence of God -- to recognize what He has done for us
-- to do
that, the Psalmist says, leads your heart to sing out in praise as we delight
in the blessings of God
--
something I’ve been reading a lot about lately is this concept called mindfulness
or mindful meditation -- it is the current buzzword in popular literature --
I’m seeing it pop up on health and wellness blogs and even in the medical
literature as they extol the virtues of this type of meditation
-- the idea
is to live in the moment -- to live in the present -- at every moment of the
day to recognize where you are, what is going on around you, and to reflect and
enjoy the moment – just yesterday, I read that this is the newest TikTok trend
among the youth – to sit quietly in the moment for 15 minutes with no media –
no screens – no noise – no distractions – just sitting still in the moment for
15 minutes and then reflecting on the experience
-- this idea of mindfulness
certainly has spiritual application in our lives, because mindful meditation
should lead to mindful moments of praise -- as we stop in the moment and just
look around us and consider the blessing of God – when we pause and think about
God’s grace and mercy in our lives and how He has blessed us through His works
and deeds and wonders, we can’t help but thank God and sing praises to His name
-- in his
book, “Love Does,” Bob Goff pointed out something that I had never considered
before -- while not using the term mindful meditation, Bob encouraged his
readers to slow down and look around for God’s blessings -- he pointed out that
the flowers growing by the road may have been ordained by God before the
creation of this world to be in that exact spot as you go by just to bring
color and life into your life -- that the sunrise or sunset that causes you to
top and stare is a singular moment in time, given solely by your Creator for
you -- no one else can experience that moment as you can -- it is a gift from
God
-- we need to learn to live in the
moment like that – to open our eyes – to see His blessings and His grace – His
works, and deeds, and wonders – and to praise Him for His presence in our lives
--
remembering and seeing God’s presence is a big part of what we do in the church
-- spiritual markers abound in our lives -- as the Psalmist says here, God
reminds us of His presence through wonders and signs -- He causes us to
remember Him even in the midst of our busy lives – we just need to learn to see
the signs of His grace around us
-- to
paraphrase a song lyric from Steven Curtis Chapman, “God’s fingerprints are
everywhere – we just need to look for them”
-- the
sacraments and the means of grace are reminders to us of God’s presence and of
His wonders and mighty acts in our lives -- as we share in Holy Communion -- as
we participate in baptism – as we gather in fellowship and worship -- we are
reminded of God’s faithfulness and redeeming work and we lift Him up in praise,
giving Him all the honor and glory for what He has done
-- in this
next section, the Psalmist gives us further examples of God’s faithfulness that
are worthy of our praise
-- verse 5
Psalm 111:5 He provides food for those who fear him;
he remembers
his covenant forever.
-- the word
translated as “food” can also be translated as “spoil,” referring to goods and
material possessions that God has gifted us – so, the Psalmist is not limiting
his recognition of God’s blessings to us as just what God has given for us to
eat, but rather he is urging us to remember all the blessings in our lives --
the tangible blessings of providence that keep us alive daily -- the material
blessings of food and clothes and shelter -- all of this comes from the hand of
God and we need to thank Him for these
-- these
are signs of the covenant, of God’s promises to us – and in referring to the
covenant in this verse, the Psalmist is primarily emphasizing the covenantal promise
of salvation -- of the forgiveness of sins -- of eternal life with Him
-- what we should take home from
this verse is that the daily blessings of food and shelter and clothing – of
homes to live in – of friends and family – of jobs and financial resources –
all of these things are blessings that are part of the new covenant we have
through Jesus
-- this
verse is all-encompassing -- we receive encouragement in the present as we
consider the blessings He has already given in the past, which leads to confidence
for the future as we reflect on God’s promise through His covenant
-- vs. 6
Psalm 111:6 He has shown his people the power of his
works,
giving them the
lands of other nations.
-- to make
his point, the Psalmist reminds those who are hearing his words of an example
of God’s covenant blessing to their own people, the nation of Israel – verse 6
is a reminder of God’s faithfulness in bringing them into the Promised Land –
not because of anything they had done – but simply because of the grace and
mercy and power of God
-- this
verse is a reminder to us that God has already shown His power and greatness in
His works and deeds and wonders in our pasts, too -- we can trust God with our
future because He has proven His greatness in our past – and by remembering His
grace to us then, we can have faith that He will take care of us in the future
-- we can praise Him for the past
and we can praise Him for the future, because we have the foundation of God’s
past works, deeds, and wonders that point to His providential grace in the
future
-- the
Psalmist is trying to impress on the people of Israel here that they could
trust God with their future because He had delivered them many times before as
He led them into the promised land – and we can do the same, as we remember and
praise God for His past deliverances even as we look forward to future
blessings
-- vs. 7
Psalm 111:7 The works of his hands are faithful and just;
all his
precepts are trustworthy.
-- God’s works
are faithful and just -- in other words, God treats us fairly -- God does not exalt
one above another – God does not show favoritism
-- in William
P. Young’s book, “The Shack” -- my favorite part of this book is when the main
character mentions someone by name to God and He responds, “I know him -- he’s
my favorite” and then when he mentions someone else, God says “Yes, he’s my
favorite” -- we’re all God’s favorite -- we are all loved by Him fully and
equally -- as someone once quipped, “Our pictures are all on God’s
refrigerator” – when God is talking to the angels, it’s our pictures He pulls
out to show them because He loves us and is proud of us
-- God is
impartial -- he is faithful and just -- He causes the rain to fall on the just
and the unjust -- and He died on the cross for all -- even for that person you
don’t like -- even for that person you don’t think can be saved – even for that
person that came from another land – even for that person who voted differently
than you – He died on the cross for everyone -- even for you
-- His
blessings and His promises are faithful and just and for all
-- the
Psalmist points out that God’s precepts are trustworthy -- the term precept is
referring to God’s word -- God’s commands -- God’s instructions and principles
for living as found in His word
-- God’s
commands – God’s precepts -- are “trustworthy” -- we can trust them because
they are faithful and just -- they are not given to harm us, but to help us and
keep us on the right path – as Jeremiah 29:11 tells us, “For I know the plans I
have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future” -- God is on our side – His words are
faithful and just -- and his precepts are trustworthy and given for all of us
-- vs. 8
Psalm 111:8 They are established for ever and ever,
enacted in
faithfulness and uprightness.
-- God’s works and His blessings
are steadfast and faithful and trustworthy for ever and ever -- we can trust in
them – they are not like shifting sands, which are here today and gone tomorrow
– the works and the blessings of God are like a firm foundation – a rock under
our feet – we can stand on this rock and trust that it will be there – it will
not fall – it will not fail
-- the Psalmist’s point here is
that God’s blessings and precepts have been our firm foundation and something
that we could trust in throughout our lives -- they are with us now -- and they
will be there in our future
-- our God
is the same yesterday, today, and forever -- He will never change and His grace
and providence in our lives will be constant -- God is faithful to us and
deserves our praise and thanksgiving
-- vs. 9
Psalm 111:9 He provided redemption for his people;
he ordained his
covenant forever—
holy and
awesome is his name.
-- the
greatest work, deed, and wonder God has done is His redemption carried out
through His Son Jesus Christ – the forgiveness of our sins – the promise of
eternal life with Him – this is the reason we gather on days like today – this
is the reason we trust in God and put our faith in Him – this is the reason we
put our hope in Him -- as Job said in Job 13:15, “though he slay me, yet will I
hope in Him”
-- if God does nothing more for us
than save us through Jesus, He has blessed us beyond eternity -- what more do
we need, really, than the promise of eternity with Him? -- what can man do to
us in the face of the certainty of eternal life?
-- our
trust is in His redemption -- our hope is in Him -- and we should lift Him on
high every single moment of every day in praise for our salvation and
redemption
-- notice
one thing here – it says that God “provided” redemption -- to provide something
doesn’t mean it is used or received -- God’s redemption has been given – it has
been offered – it has been provided -- but it’s still up to us whether we pick
it up or not – whether we receive this gift from God and trust in it for our
eternity – or if we reject it and ignore it and continue to go our own way
-- you can
see the Psalmist’s praise for God overflowing in this verse – he begins to use
words to describe the goodness and greatness and mightiness of God such as holy
and awesome -- transcendent -- omnipotent -- omnipresent -- worthy of our awe
-- worthy of our worship and praise
-- when we recognize God as holy
and awesome and lift Him up in praise, our praises join with the heavenly
chorus around the throne, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty”
-- vs. 10
Psalm 111:10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of
wisdom;
all who follow
his precepts have good understanding.
To him belongs
eternal praise.
-- the fear
of the Lord -- in his book, “Mere Christianity,” C.S. Lewis wrote about the numinous
-- the recognition by all people everywhere that there is something or someone
greater just outside the door – he pointed out that every culture in the world
– every person in the world – recognizes that there is Something out there
beyond us – beyond the physical world – beyond our senses
-- have you
ever been alone – perhaps at night – perhaps in nature – all by yourself – and
all of a sudden, you get the feeling that you’re not alone – that something is
there with you – you get goosebumps – you get a heightened sense of awareness –
you know that there is something there that you just can’t see – that’s the
feeling of the numinous
-- and
while this feeling can come upon us when we encounter any spiritual presence
outside of ourselves – whether good or bad – the term numinous specifically is
referring to the universal concept of a God that is above us and around us and
with us – as Wikipedia explains, the idea of the numinous “is used to describe
the power or presence or realization of a divinity”
-- Lewis goes
on in his writings to point out that the numinous -- this awareness of divinity
-- awakened a special kind of fear that leads to awe -- that’s what the
Psalmist is getting at here
-- when you
start living with open eyes and open hearts – when you become aware of the
presence of God around you – when you are mindful of Him in your daily lives –
then the fear of the Lord -- the awareness of His power and greatness and
presence in our lives – comes upon you
-- this fear – this feeling of awe
and wonder at being in the presence of God is defined here as the beginning of
wisdom because this is the beginning of a righteous relationship with Him
-- as we come
to know God in a real and personal way – as we experience God in our lives --
as we see God and recognize Him around us every day -- we begin to live in awe
of who He is and what He has done and our hearts and souls immediately respond
with praise
-- we
follow His precepts -- not as a means of salvation -- but because we seek to
honor and please our God and Creator – for the same way that children obey
their parents – they don’t obey their parents to get out of punishment – they
obey because of love – because of the relationship – and it’s the same with us
as we begin to live in God and for God and with the awareness of God around us
-- we live
in the fear of the Lord – we live in praise of God – we obey His precepts and
His commands – not to avoid pain and punishment – but because to do so is a
means to show our love and honor and respect to Him – we do what God tells us
to do because we trust Him and put our hope in Him
-- the
Psalmist closes this Psalm with the phrase, “To Him belongs eternal praise” –
eternal praise – never-ending praise – praise for all eternity
-- all praise, at all times and
forever, belongs to God and God alone -- He is our God, our Creator, our
Redeemer, our Sustainer, our Provider, Our Lord, and our Savior -- and He is
worthy of all our praise and thanksgiving
III. Closing
-- Jennifer
Stellar, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Toronto,
wrote an article recommending that we all conduct “spring cleaning” for our
minds – she says:
“We share a universal problem
right now. We’re all busy and stressed,
and maybe even more a self-involved because of the pandemic. Social isolation may be contributing to a
tendency to ruminate more or even be narcissistic, which is related to
ego. But experiencing awe can “quiet
that ego.”
-- The article concludes:
“Researchers define awe as the
mostly positive emotion you feel when you’re in the presence of something so
vast you can’t immediately understand it.
Awe is often found in nature – the experience of watching the sun rise
over the ocean on an empty beach or taking along hike in a dense forest. But it can also be experienced by looking at
a cityscape, listening to music or absorbing a piece of art that transports you
to a sublime place. It can make you feel
small (in a good way), reminding you there’s something bigger out there.”2
-- I think
Jennifer Stellar has stumbled upon a greater truth without recognizing it – a truth
that we see so clearly here in this psalm
-- this
experience of awe that she speaks of – that she finds in nature or in watching
the sun rise over the ocean on an empty beach – while taking a long hike in a
dense forest – we know as the presence of God
-- for the
fear of the Lord – the awe of being in His presence – is the beginning of
wisdom and the gift that He has given to His people
-- Stellar
is right – we need awe – we need to experience it to ground us and to make us
better and whole and right again – but the awe that we need to seek is in the
Lord
-- and when
we begin to open our eyes and see His many blessings – when we open our hearts
and receive the goodness of His love and grace and mercy – this feeling of awe
will overwhelm us – and the fear of the Lord will lead us to cry out in praise
and worship to the God who made us and loves us and is with us always and
forever
-- this is
what Thanksgiving should be about – not turkeys and football and stuffed stomachs
– but pausing in the midst of our lives to seek God and to experience His
presence and to sing out praises and worship as we extol Him with our whole
hearts and our whole lives
-- so, with
those thoughts, we’re going to close in prayer, and then we’ll join together in
our final hymn of praise as we remember God and thank Him for who He is and
what He has done for us
-- and
remember to always thank God with a grateful heart – to not take His blessings
for granted – but to see them as the good and gracious gifts from a loving
Creator that they are – and to introduce the fear of the Lord and true
thanksgiving and praise into your family gatherings this year
-- let us
pray
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1 TODAY IN THE WORD DEVOTIONAL, http://www.todayintheword.org
2 Modified from Sadiya Ansari, “The Awesome Benefits of Awe
Walking,” Best Health (4-7-21)
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