Heading Into A New Year | Psalm 146
Bottom line: As we wait for his return in these uncertain times, let’s put our hope in the Lord for all time. The Lord who is good and able to bless us infinitely better than any person can.
Times are uncertain. In times like these, it is easy to put our hope in people and things. But, our hope should not be in presidents, supreme court justices, governments, finances, or anything like that. We must hope in the Lord. You can tell whether or not someone has hope by how they react in uncertain times.
Remember that we are commanded to give an answer for the hope that is in us (1 Peter 3:15). If we don’t have hope, we can’t give an answer. Our hope must be in the Lord, because Christ has by His atoning death and resurrection saved us from the power and penalty of sin and restored us to relationship with God. Not only do we have future hope of eternity with Him, we have present hope in delighting in God day by day (Psalm 16:11).
Psalm 146 gives us a picture of what it means to worship the Lord regardless of our circumstances.
Series: As We Wait (for His Second Coming) #Advent
Scripture: Psalm 146
We live in uncertain times. We always have but this year seems worse than usual. By a lot.
Who’s our next president? The electoral collage voted for Biden. But Congress still has to confirm that vote. Giuliani says there’s more to come out after Christmas.
And then there’s the virus. Vaccines are being distributed as we speak. But then there’s a newer, supposedly stronger COVID virus in England right now. Talk about uncertainty!
The unnamed psalmist tells us, “Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God.” (V. 5)
How do we walk in that blessing? We do what the psalmist tells us to do at the beginning and the end of this psalm. We praise the Lord.
How do we do that?
I. Let’s praise the Lord (1-4)
He tells us right from the start: with our lives and our lips. (Vv. 1-2)
He vows to praise the Lord all his life.l (1-2)
He exhorts us to join him. (3-4)
Cf. Hebrews 13:15-16
“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”
Hebrews 13:15-16 NIV
https://www.bible.com/111/heb.13.15-16.niv
Let’s trust and praise the Lord—not people; not leaders.
Your leaders to win their election? (GA race in early Jan.)
Your friends to help you in your trials?
Your family to accept you as you are?
Your boy/girl friend to be yours forever?
Your life to be healthy and wealthy forever?
The Lord tells you through this unnamed psalmist that your hope shouldn’t be in a circumstance or situation or person. It should be in a God who is good and able; it should be in Him!
As we wait for his return, we should live full of hope in a God who is good and able to bless us with himself instead of just ideal circumstances.
II. Praise for our faithful Creator (5-6)
III. Praise for the gracious Lord. (7-10)
How God is faithful:
He helps the oppressed
He gives food to the hungry
He releases prisoners.
He gives sight to the blind.
He raises up the defeated.
He loves the righteous.
He protects the immigrant/sojourner.
He leads the orphan and widow (vulnerable) to security.
But, because he is just (holy), he also leads the wicked away in frustration (and eventually, judgment).
The psalmist concludes that the Lord reigns forever. As eternal ruler, he is
sovereign
just
Therefore, meriting our praising him above all things.
Our part/application is seen in bookends of this Psalm. “Praise the Lord!”
As the writer of Hebrews tell s us in 13:15-16, we can praise him with our lips and our lives.
Praise him with our lips. How? Sing, praise, celebrate, shout, whisper, preach, teach, herald, write, post, video, rap, and/or hum our focused praise and proclamation of who he is and what he’s done (and is doing) for all to hear. We do this as a sacrifice of praise. (Sacrifice meaning in a way that costs us something)
“Sacrifice of praise.”
Openly
Profess
His name
Praise him with our lives.
“Do good”
“Share with others”
“Sacrificially”
Sacrifice is key word.
It cost God his son and Jesus his life to enable us to receive mercy.
It costs us comfort as we live surrendered to this way of life too.
So God is calling us to find our hope and help in him.
As we wait for his return in uncertain times, let’s join this psalmist and find our help and hope in Him for all time.
How do we do this? By praising God with our lips (sacrificial praise) and our lives (sacrificial living) around the corner and around the world.
Amen