The Community of Faith is to Praise God by celebrating His goodness

Explanation: The psalmist is serving as the Worship Leader to the community of faith in this Psalm. He is calling the people to join him in offering up praise to Yahweh. He is leading the people in a hymn of rejoicing and celebration. He is reminded the people that their God has given them a new song, and that they are called to sing it!

Argument: We know how easy it is to get discouraged. It is not difficult to look at the circumstances of our lives and to dwell on the negative. There is plenty of bad news and disturbing current events that surrounds us - we don’t even have to look for it - the bad news comes to us.

Our current conditions highlight the importance of our joining together as a community of faith and joining our hearts in worship. We will be participating in the Lord’s Table at the end of this service, and I want to remind you that the Table is one of the Highest forms of worship that is available to us. We celebrate the Table together - as a family of faith.

The Psalmist is leading his people in worship to Yahweh and he does some by focusing on several reasons WHY believers are called to worship. As we look together at this Psalm I encourage you to allow the Holy Spirit to prepare your heart for the Table

We praise & worship Him because the Living God is awesome and worthy (ps 33:4-11)

Explanation: In this stanza of the song, the Psalmist is reminding the people who their God is. He highlights several aspects of the character of God to refresh their memories. We, like the children of Israel, allow the things of the world to dim our view of God. The psalmist reminds them that they worship God because:

He is Righteous (v.4): Yahweh IS the standard of truth and that which is right. His is the standard by which all else is measured. Yahweh is Perfect and thereby worthy of our worship

He is the One who extends common grace to all humanity (v.5): The 5th verse informs us that “the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD” and this is true NOW, not just at some point in the future. Yes, the world is dark and sinful, but it would be some much worse if God did not extend His common grace on all, even the unbelievers (cf Matt 5:45)

He is the Creator (vv. 6-7): We are to give Him worship because He is the One who created us and gave us life. God spoke and the world was formed. He is the One who not only gave us life, but He is the One who sustains our life (cf. Job 12:10). We should worship Him just because He allows us to keep on breathing!

He is Sovereign over His creation (vv 8-11): Not only is God the Creator, but He is the Ruler over His creation. Regardless of how out of control things seem to us, God is on His throne and He is exerting His control. That level of incomprehensible power should lead us to a sense of fear & reverence that results in genuine worship!

We praise & worship Him because He is the ONLY source of true deliverance (Ps 33:12-17)

Explanation: The Psalmist then leads the people to refocus their hopes on God as the Deliver instead of of other means. He starts by reminding them of what a blessing it is to be a member of a nation who leader is God Himself. Each individual Israelite was a citizen of the only nation which recognized God as its leader (at least in theory, if not in practice)

Argument: The USA is NOT Israel, we are not a Theocracy and we are NOT God’s chosen nation in the world. This is not to say that America has not been blessed by God in the past. God certainly had His hand on our nation’s founding and for much of its history. I am one who believes that God is removing His hand of Grace on America and, instead, is bringing Judgment upon this country for its overall wickedness. We certainly CANNOT say at this point in our history that we are a nation whose God is the Lord (v. 12)

But what about those who are in Christ? What about believers who are living in America at this present time?

This is where the power of the Community of Faith is highlighted. As a local Christ-honoring Church we can still receive blessings from God as we obey His commandments. The Psalmist is calling his own generation to beware of trusting in anything other than Yahweh. He is telling them NOT to trust in government (v. 16) or other external sources of power (v. 17). The psalmist declared these other avenues of deliverance to be futile in his day, and the same holds true for us. We may be more sophisticated in our political structures and our weapons of warfare are much stronger than a horse, but the conclusion remains unchanged. These will NEVER bring deliverance; only Yahweh can!

We praise and worship Him because He has made a Way (Ps 33:18-22)

Explanation: The Psalmist concludes this hymn of worship be pointing the people back to simply trusting in the God who Provides. He reminds them that God IS NOT unaware of their situation, but that indeed His eye is open those who fear and trust Him (v. 18).

The psalmist is leading the people to renew their trust in the LORD. He is encouraging them to find their joy through trusting Yahweh. After all, who besides the LORD is trustworthy? Just as He was 3,000 years ago for the Israelites, He continues to be “our help and our shield” (v. 20)

TRANSITION TO THE TABLE:

The psalmist ends this hymn of praise with a prayer - he asks “Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.” (v. 22)

Who or what are you hoping in today? If you are placing your trust in anything beside the LORD Jesus you will experience only disappoint and loss in this world, and even more in the next life. Oh, you may have fleeting moments when things appear to be working out and you can find limited financial prosperity apart from Christ, but it is temporary, and it will not sustain you over time and eternity. If you are under conviction from the Holy Spirit of your need for Jesus as the LORD of your life I encourage you to receive Him and be in Christ.

If you are in Christ, are you fully focused on Him as your Hope and Deliverer? Are you worshiping Him from a joyful heart that recognizes His blessings of Grace and Mercy? Even for those in Christ it is possible to wander and lose focus. We are prone to forget the rich blessings of God and to search for answers in lesser things.

Before we move to the Table we will have a time of response. Use this time to prepare yourself so that you can partake of the Lord’s Table in a worthy manner.

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