“I prefer to worship God at the lake. After all I am surrounded by his creation. And the creation is beautiful. I mean isn’t great to be able to worship God out in creation.”
Have your ever heard that? I have. Now I am one who has marveled at the incredible creations of God. From the Rocky Mountains of Colorado to the Everglades of Florida and from the mighty flowing waters of the Mississippi to the crystal blue water of the Caribbean we can all see the awesome creative power of God. It is certainly a good idea to reflect on the creative power of God when observing his creation.
The Bible, on numerous occasions, encourages us to seek the community of worshippers. There is something about the gathered group of God’s people expressing praise and worship together.
I love baseball. I like to listen to it on the radio. I like to watch it on TV. All of those are great, but there is nothing quite like sitting in the stands on a warm summer’s evening. You can smell the game. The hot dogs are cooking. The popcorn is popping. There’s the smell of the fresh cut grass, unless you are at one of those stadiums with fake grass. You can hear the crack of the bat and the smack of the glove. The sound of the crowd is much clearer when you are at the game.
That’s like public worship. When can listen to church on the radio or watch it on TV, but there is nothing like being in the assembly of the people of God.
Turn with me to Psalm 111.
Read Psalm 111.
Authentic Public Worship
The psalmist is calling for authentic public worship in verse one. He calls us to thank God with our “whole heart in the company of the upright in the congregation.”
I’m nowhere near being a scholar of biblical languages, but I find it interesting what the first phrase is in Hebrew. I don’t spend a lot of time going into the original language. The Hebrew word for praise is hallal, and the Hebrew word for Lord is Yahweh, or shortened to Yah. When you combine those two words you get Hallelujah. So essentially when you say, “Hallelujah,” you are saying, “Praise the Lord” in Hebrew. Now you can impress all your friends by claiming to know how to speak some Hebrew.
The psalmist is testifying to the fact that he goes to church. He worships God with every fiber of his being. He expresses his thanks for God in front of God’s people. He worships God in public.
I will admit that it is possible to worship God in private, by oneself. I do that. But there is just something exciting about worshipping the living God in the “company of the upright.” It is almost electric when a group of people are worshipping and thanking God. It is exciting and contagious.
The excitement catches on. I’ve been at ball games where someone tries to start the wave. You know the wave. Where people stand up and sit down real quick, and it looks like a wave rippling through the stadium. It often starts in the corner of the cheap seats with someone who is enthusiastic. At first very few participate, but after a while the whole stadium is into it and cheering wildly. It is infectious.
The psalmist also indicates that his worship is authentic. It is out of a heart of real love that he expresses his thanks to God. The whole heart encompasses the whole being. The psalmist is basically saying that he worships God with every part of his being. When we worship God with our whole heart or being, we push out any distractions that may be around us.
What are we to thank God for? This is a good question, and the psalmist answers it for us. This psalm has a crescendo. It builds up to a fantastic finish.
God’s Works Are Great
Verse 2 declares, “Great are the works of the Lord.” The psalmist spends verse 2 through 4 telling us that works of the Lord are great.
He also encourages us to read our Bible in verse 2. We are to study the works of the Lord. The more we study the works of the Lord, the more we are in awe of him. Those who delight in the Lord study his works. The psalmist was likely referring to the great event of Israel’s past. The exodus, and the other events are remembered.
Look at verses 2 through 4. Look at the words used to describe the works of the Lord. They are “great,” “full of splendor and majesty,” “wondrous,” “gracious,” “merciful” and they will “be remembered.” Those are seven descriptions in just three verses. Do you think the psalmist is excited about the works of God? I do.
Do we get that excited about God’s works? Do we remember the “wondrous works” of God? We should.
One of the things that ancient Israel remembered was God’s deliverance from slavery in Egypt. This was remembered every spring with the feast of the Passover. They would commemorate the God’s deliverance from the bondage of slavery.
As Christians, we take time to remember the “wondrous works” of the Lord. Later this morning we will take part in that memory. For us it is a memorial to our deliverance from the slavery of sin.
The Provision of God
Verse 5 through 9 talk to us about the provision of God.
Again in verse 5 we are drawn back to the exodus. The Lord “provides food.” He provided manna in the desert for Israelites. This mysterious food appeared everyday Sunday through Friday for forty years.
Then in verse 6, the Israelites are reminded how God brought them to the Promised Land. He kicked out the former inhabitants and put them in the land. He gave them the inheritance that he had promised.
How quick are we to thank God for his provisions? I have often wished that we wouldn’t even bother to pray before we eat. Are we really thankful for what God has given us to eat? On an episode of The Simpsons Bart, the foul-mouthed little boy, was asked to pray before a meal. He said, “God, since we paid for the food ourselves, thanks for nothing.” We are shocked and horrified that someone could utter such words, but that is often our attitude. We have become so self-reliant, that we offer only lip service to God for what he has given us.
The Lord also gave the Israelites a “land flowing with milk and honey.” He has given us a land of incredible bounty. We have so much, yet we are so ungrateful. God has given us so much.
Verses 7 and 8 also offer more descriptions of the works and precepts of God. They are “faithful and just,” “trustworthy,” “established forever and ever,” “faithful” and “upright.” These are five more words that describe the work of God. All these words described the way God lives up to his word.
The Sunday after Christmas, we talked about the concept of redemption. Redemption means the buying back of something. The Lord redeemed the Israelites from the slavery of Egypt. The Lord had made a promise to their forefather, Abraham, and when he delivered them from Egypt, he redeemed them. He bought them back from slavery. He had made a covenant with Abraham, and he wouldn’t forget about it.
God’s word is true. He promised to send to his Son. He did that in Jesus. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, God has redeemed us from slavery to sin.
We are the assembled people of God. He has redeemed us. He has saved us. Above all else, we should be thankful for that fact.
As much as anyone else, I love to see the beauty of God’s creation. Even more, I love to see the beauty of his new creation in the hearts of people. Do you remember what it was like when you first experienced that redemption of God?
We should be reminded often of the work that God has done in our lives. It is in the celebration of the Lord’s Table that we remember the work.
Of all the works of God, his redemption is the most amazing. He has offered us new life, which we don’t deserve.
As a church that proclaims new life in Christ through his redemption, we should joyously celebrate the remembrance of his work. I have heard people complain about taking Communion too often. They say that it loses its meaning. Nonsense. Jesus said, “As often as you do this, do it in remembrance of me.”
In the same way, our prayers before meals can become meaningless when we don’t mean them. The psalmist said that he gives thanks with his whole heart. Likewise, we should give thanks with our whole heart.
When we really grasp what he has done for us, we realize how “holy and awesome his name is.” When take the elements of the bread and juice, we remember the work of Jesus. We think of the broken body, the pierced hands and feet. We think of the crown of thrones being pressed down on his head. We think of the beating on his back. We think of the spear piercing his flesh. When we drink the juice, we think of the blood dripping from his back and forehead, stinging his eyes. We think of someone who did absolutely nothing to deserve this.
When we realize that, we can begin to understand what he went through for us.
Wisdom Comes From A Right Relationship With God
When we fear the Lord, we begin to obtain his wisdom. Fear is not that we are afraid of him like someone who is afraid of heights or the dark. It is a fear, like we fear a car. We don’t just walk out into the street, because we fear that a car will strike us. We have a respect for the car. Likewise we revere, respect and fear the Lord.
That proper respect brings about wisdom. Wisdom is more than book smarts. It is a desire to follow God and his ways. When we follow him and gain wisdom, we seek to praise him more. When we praise him more, he grants us more wisdom, and on and on.
Someone, somewhere will praise God forever. The psalmist says so.
Let’s praise God today, by remembering what he did for us through his Son. He redeemed us from slavery to sin. Jesus’ body was broken, and his blood was shed for us.
