Praise the Lord! - Psalm 111-113

-Introduction

-1 Tim. 4:6 (KJV) – “If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt

 be a good minister of Jesus Christ…”

            -There are things that we need to be reminded of, right? – things that we have already

             learned – things that we’re already aware of – yet in need of a reminder

            -We could formulate a rather long list (couldn’t we?) of things we periodically need

             to be reminded of.

-Even though we have all chosen to be here this morning, it is appropriate to remind us of

 why we are here.

            -We are here to worship God.

            -We are here to worship God in such a way that is pleasing to Him.  He is to be the

             focus.  We are not here to serve self or to entertain self.  We are here to worship God

             in the manner that He has prescribed.

-John 4:24

            -We are to worship God in spirit and in truth – usually summarized as worshipping

             with the proper attitude (devotion/from the heart) and worshipping in the proper

             manner (proper components) of worship.

-We want to bring these two aspects of worship together in a proper manner.

            -We don’t want to do the right things (components) without doing them with a proper

             attitude and devotion of heart.

            -Yet, we don’t want to emphasize proper attitude and devotion to the point of

             diminishing or neglecting the proper components that God has prescribed.

-Remember the Significance

-When we do something over and over we need to be careful that it doesn’t loose its

 significance.  Worship should never be diminished to mere routine.  Worship should be

 much, much more than simply going through the motions.

-However, just because we do something regularly, that doesn’t mean that it is by

 necessity “just routine.”

            -The person who says that worship has become dull and meaningless (just because it

             regularly follows a particular pattern) needs to learn to speak for himself and not for

             others.

-Example of Apollo 13 astronauts – In the movie based upon the events of Apollo 13,

 prior to their launch and eventful flight in space, the astronauts were asked the question:

 “Does it bother you that the public regards this flight as routine?”

            -Jim Lovell responded, “There is nothing routine about flying to the moon, I can

             vouch for that.”

                        -Jim Lovell was not indicated that there was no routine that was to be followed.

                         To the contrary.  Those astronauts and all those involved on the ground at NASA

                         were highly trained.  There were particular things that they were to do at

                         particular times – often within a very, very narrow timeframe.  Absolutely, there

                         was a routine that they were to follow.  Yet, flying to the moon had not become

                         routine.  It remained a task of great significance.

-We should always have a mindset that says, “There is nothing routine about worshipping

 the Almighty God of heaven, we can vouch for that.”

            -Yes, to a certain degree there is a routine that we follow.  Yet, worshipping God

             should never be routine.

-Psalm 111-113 – Praise the Lord!

-Psalm 111:1 – “Praise the Lord!”

            -vs 1 – Give thanks to God with your whole heart.

            -vs 2-7a – Worship in view of (remembrance of) the great works of God.

                        -We need to worship with a heart that says, “How great thou art!”

            -vs 7b-10 – We need to worship God with a deep, abiding respect for His word.

                        -We need to have attentive hears and an open heart for the word of God.

            -vs 9 – Holy and awesome is His name!”

            -vs 10 – Fear God and practice it in my life.

-Psalm 112:1 – “Praise the Lord!”

            -Praise for the Lord isn’t limited to worship only but is also to be a part of our daily

             service to the Lord.

            -We are to praise Him by walking in righteousness.

            -We can and should do so because we trust in God and therefore I depend on Him

             (vs 6, 8-9).

-Psalm 113:1 – “Praise the Lord!  Praise, O servants of the Lord, praise the name of the

 Lord!

            -We praise God because He is and because of Who He is.

            -Our God is a God who gives and who blesses.

            -It is to Him that I want to give back with pleasing worship and service.

-Summary and Invitation

-Here’s a thought that has always amazed me:  With today being the first day of the

 week, there has been and will be a steady flow of worship offered up to God all day

 long.

            -Our brothers and sisters in Christ in Saipan worshipped God hours ago.  So did

             many, many others throughout the various time zones.  Those brothers and sisters

             in Christ that I had the privilege of meeting in the Ukraine have already offered

             their worship to God.  And so it continues around the globe throughout the day.

            -What a wonderful day!

-Then, day after day, there are those who are putting forth a diligent effort to live

 faithfully to God.  How wonderful that must be for God to see His children following

 Him.

-What about you?  Are you a faithful child of God?  If not, believe in Jesus (John 3:16,

 8:24); confess that faith (Matt. 10:32; Rom. 10:9-10); repent of sin (Luke 13:3,5; Acts

 17:30); be baptized for forgiveness (Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38); walk in newness of life

 (Rom. 6:3-4; Eph. 4:22-24).

-If you’ve obeyed the Gospel but haven’t remained faithful, return to Him – confess

 shortcomings, repent & pray for forgiveness (1 John 1:7-9, Acts 8:22-24).