Praise God for His Greatness

October 31, 2021 Background Scripture: Psalm 147 — 150 Lesson Passage: Psalm 149:1 — 5; 150 God is awesome! That's the statement. Of course, the statement is far from being a revelation of God's character. Anyone who has had any interaction with God can attest to greatness. Even the enemies of God agree; that great king, Nebuchadnezzar, was made to bow and acknowledge the same. To be in awe of God is to offer praises to Him. Today's lesson continues our focus on praising God. You know the lesson is all about praise when the Background Scripture includes four different psalms! More specifically, it is the last four psalms of the Psalter. Psalm 150 is the doxology of the Psalter, Israel's hymn book. Psalm 147 makes a statement in its opening: "praise is pleasant" and "praise is beautiful". The psalmist reminds us that God didn't just create nature; He is also its Caretaker! God sends the rain in its season. God feeds the wildlife. God does not need man, but man does need God. God uses Israel as an example of how He showers His people with love. They are the example as to why all nations of the world ought to seek God. Praise for God goes far beyond the earth and those of us who live here. All of creation is called to praise God, our Creator. Even the heavenly host was created by God—as well as the countless stars and planets. Since all of creation is subject to God, our Creator, then all of creation should join in praising His name. For God's name is the only exalted name known to creation. Therefore, all creation is subject to His name. The redeemed of God should say so. It is the redeemed who should lead praise in the assembly of the saints. Salvation puts a new song in our hearts to sing forth as praise to the Savior. Salvation is the ultimate reason to praise God. He has redeemed the saved from eternal damnation. And to think, we lived for a time when we did not know our destiny. We were traveling a path to eternal damnation in ignorance. We thought this life was the totality of it all This earthly life cannot be compared to eternity in God's presence. That's almost like a young person thinking they will be young forever. Uninformed young people are headed for a disappointing future until they are made aware of their destiny and the options available to them; options that can affect their future. When good decisions are made by youth, then old age becomes a joy. Likewise, our eternal destiny also has options. The right decisions made in this life can make eternity an absolute joy in God's presence. God has taught us what are the right decisions for us. Because God made us aware of His offer of salvation, we praise Him for salvation. The saints of God readily shout the praises of God. Singing praises to God is an honor we have been given that becomes a weapon in our hands. When the saints praise God, He fights our battles. The Psalter ends in the manner that befits it. Psalm 150 declares praises to God in every single verse. Words are inadequate to express the worthiness of God to be praised. We should praise God in and out of the sanctuary. We should praise God for what He does and for what He can do. We should praise God with the sound of musical instruments. We should praise God with a holy dance. If there is still life in you, which means that there is breath in your body, then you have no excuse not to praise God. Praises for God should echo from every dimension of His creation. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Robert C. Hudson September 18, 2021

Praise God for His Presence

October 24, 2021 Background Scripture: Psalm 84 Lesson Passage: Psalm 84 Have you ever sensed the presence of God? Whether it was an audible voice, an unexpected and unusually cool breeze out of nowhere, or the hair-raising experience of knowing that you are not alone, without doubt you will never forget the experience. Some of us have even experienced visions, night and day, that were too real to be just dreams. Jacob's first recorded experience of God's presence was by way of a vision at night, After Jacob awaken, he had no doubt that it was not just a dream. He referred to that divine encounter several times afterwards. That experience gave Jacob the assurance he needed to endure some otherwise challenging situations. Today's lesson celebrates God revealing His presence to children of Israel. Psalm 84, which is attributed to the sons of Korah, is used as the biblical text for this study. It is somewhat of an irony that Psalm 84 would be used for this lesson. The author is important because these are the men who descended from a man, Korah, who rebelled against the principles and specific guidelines of God pertaining to the proper way to worship God. God provided guidelines so that the children of Israel would not do something that would unintentionally offend Him. God declared who was allowed to approach His presence, and the proper preparation that must be done prior to them approaching Him. God also prescribed the specific times when He would allow the designated persons to approach Him. Korah, and some of his followers, ignored those instructions from God and took it upon themselves to approach God in the manner they chose to. God killed them for their arrogance and their transgression of His commandment. In Psalm 84, the sons of Korah praised God for His tabernacle and its courts. They praised God for the assignment He gave them as doorkeepers there. Korah died because he decided he wanted to serve at the altar, and not be restricted to serving at the doors. Here, Korah's sons praise God for the privilege to be found doing the work that God had assigned them to do, keeping the doors—or ushering. They declared that one day of being at the tabernacle of God and doing their assignment was far greater than a thousand days hanging out with wicked people in another tent. So, how does this psalm celebrate and praise God for His presence? The tabernacle of God is the place where He allowed Israel to see a manifestation of His presence among them. At night, Israel saw what appeared to be a pillar of fire suspended over the tabernacle. In the daytime, Israel saw what appeared to be a pillar of cloud, or smoke, suspended over the tabernacle. The sons of Korah were allowed to be doorkeepers at the tabernacle where God's presence was manifested. Most of the people of Israel were not allowed to even come near the tabernacle of God. What a blessing it was to be able to serve where God's presence was visibly manifested. The sons of Korah praised God for the assignment He had given them through Moses. What assignment has God given you in the place where people of faith gather for corporate worship and the congregational study of His word? Are you grateful for the opportunity to be somewhere near God's presence? People who continue to bring themselves into the presence of God with a grateful heart will eventually be allowed to sense His presence. Once you have sensed the presence of God, the proper response is always to praise God for His presence. Robert C. Hudson September 18, 2021

Praise God for Past Deliverance

October 17, 2021 Background Scripture: Psalm 107 Lesson Passage: Psalm 107:1 - 9, 39 - 43 In our lesson today, the psalmist repeats an all too familiar pattern for believers. This pattern involves trouble, prayer, deliverance, and praise. Troubles arise in our lives for many reasons. There are some situations that the Lord may lead us into, and we will sometimes attempt to survive those situations without the Lord's directions or help. However, if the situation persists, or even grows more dire, then children of God will cry out to Him for help, and He delivers us. This deliverance is followed by praise and, sometimes, public thanksgiving. At other times, troubles come because children of God rebel against His revealed word. Note that spiritual rebellion is never done in ignorance. As rebels, we know what we are doing. As we rebel against God, we are reminded that there is no other who can help us in times of despair. So, once again, we cry out in prayer to God for help. Despite our rebellion, God faithfully delivers us from the consequences of our rebellion. Again, we sincerely praise God for deliverance. Some situations arise due to sinful living by children of God. Sinful living causes us to feel the despair of separation from God. Again, God's faithfulness is displayed, and He delivers us from our trouble. All these situations are mentioned by the psalmist. Finally, the psalmist changes his focus from God's continuous deliverance of His children to God changing the fortunes of those who are not His, and who continuously strive against Him. Political positions and worldly wealth do not exempt or shield sinners from God's divine justice. Even the high and mighty cannot escape God's judgment. God brings them down low, and He elevates the poor to high places. This causes rejoicing in those who are in right standing with God. Those who walk, or live, contrary to the will of God will be made mute when they observe the display of His power in promoting the poor and demoting the royalty of this world. The psalmist's conclusion is that those who can perceive these things with wisdom, can understand the grace of God. This is another psalm that extols the excellency of God's track record. This is often summarized today by saying, "If God doesn't do anything else (for me), He has done enough." Anyone who sincerely reflects on God's past display of love, grace, and mercy will readily declare that God is worthy to be praised. Everything God has revealed to us that He has done is worthy of praise. God does not need to be graded on the curve—as if we are qualified to do so! God does all things well Even when we err and go astray, God rescues us from our own calamities. Put another way, God rescues us from our own foolishness. God does not put us in a situation that He does not stay with us through it. From a physical standpoint, God might put His children in situations that seem much more dire than what we get ourselves into. But through those situations, God demonstrates His unfailing love for us. I am reminded of Daniel being placed in the den of lions because he refused to deny his relationship with God. Or when Daniel's friends, the three Hebrew boys, were put in the fiery furnace for the same reason, God allowed them to face punishment for their faith in Him, but He used their punishment to demonstrate that His love for them was more powerful, by far, than any physical punishment they could face. The lions did not harm Daniel and the fire was just as ineffective against his friends. Today, we have our own testimonies. And because of our testimonies, we can praise God for past deliverance! Robert C. Hudson September 17, 2021

Praise for God's Ultimate Justice

October 10, 2021 Background Scripture: Psalm 9; Ecclesiastes 3:16 – 22 Lesson Passage: Psalm 9:1 – 12 I rarely use a sports analogy while discussing an exposition of the Holy scriptures. But that is what came to mind while meditating on Psalm 9. Psalm 9 is a celebration of the ultimate outcome. In Psalm 9, David wrote of praising God and encouraging others to praise God as well. This he did while also writing about his enemies, the wicked, and traps being set for him. How can you praise God in such an environment of turmoil? The answer is based on the ultimate outcome. That brings me back to the sports analogy. Decades ago, there were a handful of dominant teams and everybody else—few games were truly competitive. Most team sports today are very competitive compared to decades ago. That means that during the regular season, and oftentimes throughout the playoffs, all teams lose some games. At the end of the season, one team has outlasted the rest and is declared the champion. That’s the ultimate outcome. At that point, it doesn’t matter how many regular season games or playoff games were lost. The only thing that matters is the ultimate outcome. In fact, throughout the next season, they will be referred to as champions whether they win or lose. When we are the champions, we wear our scars and bruises like medallions. We celebrate despite the disappointments we encountered along the way. I don’t know anyone who likes to lose. I don’t want to know anyone who likes to lose. Losing is tolerable when you are a champion in the end. I believe it was Isaiah Thomas who said, “The only good loser is the person who is used to losing.” I think there is someone else who fits that description. When you know the outcome is fixed and you will be the champion, I believe losing is much more tolerable. That brings me back to David. David knew that the outcome, or ultimate justice, was already fixed. David knew that God always prevails in the end. David knew that the people of God always prevail in the end. Christians forget this sometimes, and we find ourselves acting like sore losers in life. Without spiritual foresight, it can be difficult to praise God when you believe you’re in a losing season. Psalm 9 reminds us of God’s ultimate justice. The people of God comprise a winning team. Children of God will always win in the end. Do Christians lose some personal battles in life? Yes, we do. But we are always winners. Winners sometimes lose, but we always win in the end. Losers may sometimes win, but in the end, losers will always lose. That is the message that reverberates throughout Psalm 9. When Christians know and are reminded about God’s ultimate justice, then we can praise God through whatever may come. God admonishes people everywhere to seek His face. God does not forsake those who seek Him. He is a refuge for the oppressed and the troubled. We don’t need to stay awake at night wondering about traps the enemy is setting for us. In the end, our enemies will be defeated and caught in their own traps. Men may devise plans, but God is the One who determines the outcome. How do people get to know God? One way is for Christians to declare God’s works, or deeds, among people who don’t know Him. We should boldly declare that no weapon formed against us shall prosper. And every tongue that rises against us in judgment shall be condemned by God. This is our heritage, or inheritance as children of God. God establishes our righteousness, and it is therefore eternal. Put another way, in the end we always win, and that is God’s ultimate justice for us. Robert C. Hudson September 17, 2021