Bless The LORD

and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Ephesians 1:20–23 ESV

that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Ephesians 1:19–23 ESV

Ephesians 1:17–23 ESV

that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Sermon Scripture:

1 Chronicles 29:10–13 ESV

Therefore David blessed the Lord in the presence of all the assembly. And David said: “Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.

1 Chronicles 29:10

The books of 1 & 2 Kings carry us through a common theme of Israel’s history. It is the theme of obedience and disobedience to the Lord. We read often that they did what was or more often than not what wasn’t pleasing in the sight of the Lord. We learn of God’s patience and faithfulness to His Word in the midst of a peoples unfaithfulness. We also learn something of wisdom. I would offer to you that Biblical wisdom or godly wisdom is the ability to know and the valor to do what is pleasing in the sight of God. The understanding which is always connected to wisdom is not an understanding in the action itself but an understanding of the goodness which comes from walking in a manner obedeint to the Lord God.

1 & 2 Chronicles will take us down a path from looking at obedience to now looking at worship. I would have you note that apart from obedience - love is absent (). Apart from faith -faith in the words and commands of God - faith which is working - it is implossible to please God (). Likewise appart from obedience, true worship is a imposiblility (John 4:24).

So then the history of Israel in Kings and Chronicles is one of learning of obedience and worship. Obedience to what God says, and Worship of who God is.

This morning let us look to the scripture to catch a glimps of the spirt & truth, the thoughtful devotion, description, proclamation and unity that is found in worship.

And while 1 & 2 Chronicles will carry us through much of the same era the theme will move from obedience to worship.

2 Chronicles 29:10–13 ESV

Now it is in my heart to make a covenant with the Lord, the God of Israel, in order that his fierce anger may turn away from us. My sons, do not now be negligent, for the Lord has chosen you to stand in his presence, to minister to him and to be his ministers and make offerings to him.” Then the Levites arose, Mahath the son of Amasai, and Joel the son of Azariah, of the sons of the Kohathites; and of the sons of Merari, Kish the son of Abdi, and Azariah the son of Jehallelel; and of the Gershonites, Joah the son of Zimmah, and Eden the son of Joah; and of the sons of Elizaphan, Shimri and Jeuel; and of the sons of Asaph, Zechariah and Mattaniah;

2 Chroni

All The Assembly - There is a power a greatness displayed when a Kingdom assembles together. There is a strength seen in unity, a power and sense of accomplishment or arrival in numbers. One can easily think of themselves more highly than they ought when before their eyes there stands a great unified assembly. David however does not assume his own greatness or the greatness of Israel but rather he blesses the Lord.

How can one bless the Lord?

What does it mean when we bless the Lord?

Blessed - To kneel before. An act of adoration. The notion is to break down before. Before all of the assembly David, the King of Israel with all of the greatness and number of the kingdom before him, became small, He broke down before Almighty God. The Kingdom of Israel in the height of her splendor with King David is as nothing before God. That is to say that God is the glory of Israel.

In the same manner, when we come before God, we are not a representation of greatness, worthiness or glory but rather we break down before the God who is these things and more and declare that God is the glory of the church. We have nothing to boast in in our existence and works but that of the work of Christ Jesus our Lord and the infinite love of our Heavenly Father.

Galatians 6:14 ESV

But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.

Father - In refering to the LORD as LORD (Yahweh) the proper name of the one true God, David declares God as the self existing one, the eternal God. That is, God is the I AM. In using LORD, David recognizes that God is reality and the true constant. More constant, more lasting than any kingdom. All of Davids declaration & praise is built off of the word LORD and the God of the Bible, the God of Israel being that LORD. As such David then uses the expression Father, meaning the head, the founder of a household, group or clan. Israels orignin is founded in God, He is her Father.

In the same manner the church finds her origing in God. God is her Father, He is our Father.

Ephesians 1:22–23 ESV

And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

1 Corinthians 3:11 ESV

For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Forever & Ever - In the same way that God is self-existing He is also forever-existing. A great kingdom of this earth will always meet her end. The greatest kings of this earth will always breathe a final breath. But God is forever existing. There is no end to who He is, God will never cease to be God and all that He is will never cease to be. This is a great strength and comfort to a people. What is a nation when her King has fallen? But the Kingdom of God will never face such a delima for her King lives forever and ever. The orign of Israel is not founded in a power that will cease or a Father who will leave His children orphaned. Rather the Father of Israel will always be.

Forever & Ever

In the same way church we worship the God who will always be, the God who will never leave or forsake, but will see to it that all of His promises are fulfilled and all of His children safely home.

Matthew 28:20 ESV

teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Hebrews 13:5 ESV

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Greatness - All majesty belongs to God. That is, all greatness, all mighty acts and great things are attributed to God as who He is. As David looks over a great kingdom, seated in a great position, all of all that is great before him is attributed to God alone and displays the greatness of who God is.

Church, in our worship, in our assembling, let us tremble should we ever gather to testify to the greatness of what a people (even a congregation) can do. It is not us who accomplish any great things amoungst ourselves, our community, our nation or this world. All greatness and any mighty work that we are blessed to be a part of is attributed to God and as such it ought not build us up, but break us down that the Almighty has worked such a great work amougnst one such as I.

John 14:12–14 ESV

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

Power - strength, mastery, bravery, valour. Upon what stregnth has Israel arrisen. Is David in himself a man of valour? To whom is the bravery of David attributed and the stregnth of the Kingdom given? How does a Kingdom arise and fall, but by the power of God.

Daniel 2:21 ESV

He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding;

Psalm 75:7 ESV

but it is God who executes judgment, putting down one and lifting up another.

In the same way that God raised up a powerful nation from slaves, so He has established His church. Out of the bondage of sin we have come by the stregnth of God and not of ourselves.

Ephesians 2:8–9 ESV

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

1 Corinthians 1:27 ESV

But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;

2 Corinthians 12:9 ESV

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Glory - ornament, splendor, aray, honour. Just as Israel has not arisen by her own stregnth, so now all the glory that arays her, all that appears around her as beautiful and worthy of honour, is not that of herself but of her God. The glory of Israel is her God.

Whatever splendor is seen amoungst the people of God, whatever honor is known ought not be a honor of this world but of God. The weight, the value, the beauty of the people of God is there God. The beautiful feet that bring good news are beutiful because of the news that they bring of God. All of our glory, our honour, our splendor is found in the covering of Christ. The glory of God is found in His perfect righteousness and the perfection of His will. This is the splendour that in Christ we are clothed in. We are found to be in the will of God arraied in the perfect righteousness of Christ. As such all glory, all beauty is attributed to God.

2 Corinthians 5:21 ESV

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Victory - This speaks of endurance. It is the picture of a bright object in a distance being travelled towards and reached. The endurance, the confidence and continued stregnth, truth and splendor is what is spoken of in victory. The continuation of a Kingdom speaks to her victory rather than defeat. In the same way the endurance of the saints speak of their victory rather than defeat. In both of these cases the victory belongs to the Lord. God is our victory. He is the endurance of the saints, His truth is the continuation of our confidence and hope and His city is what we press on towards by His power.

Victory

John 10:28–29 ESV

I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.

Romans 5:3–4 ESV

Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,

Romans

Hebrews 12:1–2 ESV

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

John 10:28–29 ESV

2 Thessalonians 1:4–5 ESV

Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring. This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering—

John 10:28

At the end of every battle there is always victory and defeat. In Christ, we hold at the end of every battle victory! Why? Not because we are great men of valour, but because the victory belongs to the Lord.

Proverbs 21:31 ESV

The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the Lord.

Majesty

Majesty - A Kingdom of people all gathered together, a moment of peace, victory in the air. Such a moment is majestic. It is beautiful. Like a breath of fresh air. But whom does that beauty belong? From where does that breath come?

In worship, a moment where all seems well. Where in the midst of the world, the things of the world have vanished and all seems well before God. Where does that moment come from? The beauty known by a congregation, what is the formula?

There is no formula my friends. Israel did not know majesty, beauty or vigour by a formula, but by the hand and word of God. The church does not know Majesty less she knows her God. She does not breathe in the beauty of the Christian life, walk the splendour of Christian liberty less she recognize that it all rest in God.

We do not create the beautiful. Wether it be a beautiful moment, an event of splendour or an ministry that is honoured. All majesty, peace, beauty is God’s. We do not make beautiful and invite God in, but we are made beautiful in God.

2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Now this beautiful, majestic, glorious, mighty, everlasting creator God owns al that is in all of the heavens and all of the earth. David ascribes to God not just the limits of Israel, but recognizes that even the enemies of Israel are subject to God’s command. For the Kingdom, the one true Kingdom that will never pass away but will overthrow all other Kingdoms belongs to the God who already does, always has, and always will sit over every kingdom ever created.

God is already exalted as head above all. There is no debate here. God has exalted Himself as supreme, as the ruler over all creation and every created being.

All Earth

The Kingdom

Thus the course, the will the destiny of all creation is in the hand of God. For in the hand of God is the power - the ability, the right, and force to move- and the might - the bravery, valor, willingness - to move to make great and give strength to all.

Power

Meaning God can raise up, He can make strong whom He choses. An He has chosen in our text this morning to make great and give stregnth to Israel and thus Israel in the midst of her stregnth breaks before God declaring and thanking Him for being her stregnth. She blesses God.

This same God that has made Israel strong in , is the God in whom we trust for our stregnth, for our life. He is the God that has displayed the power and might to work salvation amoungst us His church, to make us strong over sin and victorious over death. This is the God whom we worship and this is the spirit and truth that we worship Him in. This is God, our God and as such we praise His glorious name. His name, the glorious name of LORD, the I AM, being the representation of all that He is.

This God is He who is ours in Christ, if we would only come and abide in Him, trust in His Word, the Word of His one and only Son Jesus then we would know ourselves the strength and victory which moves David to bless the Lord. For when we gather together as a church to worship God we would see His Words fulfillment know His mercy and have our joy made full. Then from that joy, rooted in Christ our Lord, we partake in true worship.

Cause/give stregnth

John 15:9–11 ESV

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.

John 15:10 ESV

If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.

This is God, our God and as such we praise His glorious name. Name being the representation of all that He is.

For all who have known Christ, abided in Him and known His joy, and for all who will, let us give thanks to God and praise His glorious name.

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