Psalm 136:1-26      WHY THE SAINTS OUGHT TO SHOUT

Intro: If we take the time to look around at our world, it is easy to get very discouraged.  There are thousands of reasons to be sad tonight.  However, as children of the King, we, the saints of God, ought to be excited. Often, however, our worship services resemble funerals.

      Ill. The old saint of God who once visited an uptown church.  They were reserved and quiet – she was known to shout and was never ashamed of praising her Lord. 

      This is the attitude that we should all adopt!  In every situation, there is room to glorify God.  I believe that we have plenty of reasons to be excited about Jesus.  I believe that we have many reasons to praise His lovely Name.  In this Psalm, Hezekiah dips his bucket into the ocean of the grace and glory of God 26 times.  Each time he lets his rope down, he reaches the same conclusion: “There is no bottom!”  Let’s take some time tonight to look into these verses and see for ourselves why the saints ought to shout.

 

  I.  V. 1-3                     A CALL TO PRAISE

A.  V.1 The Goodness Of God - In all that He does and all that He is!  (Ill. His goodness is manifested in His mercy.  This is the OT equivalent to grace. It is God’s grace, above all, that touches the heart of man and propels him to praise.

B.  V. 2-3 The Greatness Of God

1.  V.2 His Deity - He alone is God!  (Ill. Idols and false gods - Psa. 115:3-8)

2.  V.3-4 His Dominion - Not only is He God, but He is Lord of all!  This world appears to be spiraling out of control, but everything is in the mighty hand of Almighty God.  Evil times and evil people stride across the stage of history, but all these pass away.  However, when we turn to the last page of the book of prophecy, we see One who still stands!  When the dust settles, the Lord Jesus will still be who is has always been - The Lord of Lords - Rev. 17:14!

 

 II.  V.4-25               THE CAUSES OF PRAISE

A.  V.4-9 The Lord Created All Things

1.  V. 4 God’s Personal Uniqueness - There is only One who does the miraculous as commonly as we humans draw breath.  (Ill. The barrel of meal!)

2.  V. 5-9 God’s Perfect Universe - Ill. The vastness and glory of the created world.  Everything in it operates on split second timing and was simply spoken into being by a big God!  (Ill. Isa. 40:12)

      B.  V.10-24 The Lord Controls All Things

            1.  V.10-15 He Delivers His People

a.  V. 10 He Struck The Enemy - Ill. Egypt.  (Ill. Satan - Gen. 3:15)

b.  V. 11-12 He Saved His People - Ill. Israel.  (Ill. Luke 4:18)

c.  V. 13-14 He Separated his People - Ill. There is a difference between the people of God and the lost of the world.  God made this distinction, we are to maintain it!

d.  V.15 He Slew The Enemy - Ill. Egypt overthrown! (Ill. There is a great day coming - Rev. 20:10.)

            2.  V. 16-22 He Directs His People

a.  V. 16 In All Their Ways - (Ill. Israel in the wilderness; the pillar of cloud and fire)  John 16:13

b.  V. 17-22 In All Their Wars - Ill. The child of God will never go to battle alone - Heb. 13:5; Matt. 28:20.  (Ill. Isa. 54:17)

            3.  V. 23-25 He Defends His People

a.  V. 23 He Remembers Them - When we are fallen, frail and forgetful, He never forgets that we are His children!  (Ill. 2 Tim. 2:13)

b.  V. 24 He Rescues Them - When troubles come and enemies multiply, He does not forsake His own, Psa. 34:6; 17-19.

c.  V. 25 He Refreshes Them - He gives them the food they need to make the journey!  Ill. God knows when to come and wrap His arms around your life.  He knows when to whisper sweet peace to your soul.

 

III.  V.26         THE CONTINUATION OF PRAISE

A.  After all this, the Psalmist comes full circle and challenges us to praise the Lord!

B.  When everything is said and done, we find that concerning God, it is never all said and done.  He is always going somewhere great and doing something big. As long as there is a God, there will be a reason to praise His great Name.

 

Conc: As we dip our buckets into the ocean of grace tonight, we still find that there is no bottom to it.  We serve a great God!  A God who demands and deserves our praise.  I challenge each of you to learn to take your eyes off the world and it’s evil and place them on God.  When you do, He will receive the praise you have stored up in your heart.  When we are aware of who He is, all that He has done, is doing and will do, we cannot help but exalt His Name.  O give thanks to the God of Heaven.