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OVERWHELMED AND OVERFLOWING Daniel Patz, Lead Pastor Grace Church, Sunday Worship Psalm 145:1-12 January 31st, 2010
Psalm 145:1-12 [145:1]I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. [2]Every day I will bless you and praise your name forever and ever. [3]Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and his greatness is unsearchable.
[4]One generation shall commend your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. [5]On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. [6]They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds, and I will declare your greatness. [7]They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.
[8]The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. [9]The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made.
[10]All your works shall give thanks to you, O LORD, and all your saints shall bless you! [11]They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom and tell of your power, [12]to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
INTRODUCTION This passage brings us to an all-encompassing truth that will do us well if we allow God to cause this text and its truths to consume our lives. WHAT, WHO, WHEN, WHY, HOW? WHAT am I talking about? This passage calls us to a life of extolling or worshipping God. We need to be overwhelmed and overflowing with God. This passages calls us to a giving of one’s self – his whole person to the worship and adoration of God. What does it call us to? - A Diligent owning and overflowing of an obedient joy in the God of the Bible. “I will extol (enthusiastically praise) you my God and king” “I will bless you” “I will pour forth your fame” (7) This passage calls us to an all-consuming life of Godwardness. This person is overwhelmed and overflowing with God. The “worship” or religion is owned by him and he must pass it on to his children. It cannot be contained to one generation. There is absolutely no hint of indifference in regards to his relationship with God – He is joyful, therefore he must sing, pour forth, bless, meditate on, thank, and invite others to do the same concerning God. WHO? This is the King – the physical and spiritual leader of God’s people – David. He is the man of God who is called to be the prime example of all the people of God in how they are to relate to God. But the who here is not related to just the one man – the Psalmist. He extends it when he calls out to others to praise God. Let all flesh bless his holy name. In fact, this passage focuses on the importance of the who passing on the passion to another generation – I call this generational overflow. WHEN? This question highlights the intensity of this passion of David. He answers the question by words like this: “Forever and ever” …”Every day I will bless you…” “Forever and ever” This man is not fickle in his commitment. He has set his face like flint and he has abandoned himself to this calling of owning and overflowing in the joy of knowing God and letting him be known. This is a God that he must praise forever and He is committed to doing it forever. WHY? The Psalm (and so many of the Psalms including the entire Bible) is filled with truths that motivate us and move us to the great passion of knowing and making God known. This passage in particular is filled with the whys of this unreserved worship and adoration. This Psalm says it in so many ways but I think they can be categorized (if we dare) into 2 Main Categories: 1) Who He is 2) What He has done Who He Is This is his nature, character, foundation and Source of all of his works (or what he has done). He does great things because He is great! He is majestic in His glory He is Great with an unsearchable greatness He is Good in all he does He is righteous in all His works – right and fair and perfect What He Has Done Because of who He is, He has done great things! The sun shines forth glorious works of warmth. His works are commendable – we have to pass them on, celebrate them, delight in them to others! His deeds are glorious – you are unsatisfied if you keep them to yourself. He acts faithful and with mercy. He lifts up those who fall and feeds every living thing. He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him. He preserves them but destroys the wicked. His deeds are might! HOW? How Do we Grow to Become so Overwhelmed that We Overflow? It’s ultimately His work but He gives us means in which He does it! By INTENTIONALITY in our THOUGHTS (meditating), WORDS (speaking, teaching, praising, commending, declaring, thanking), and ACTIONS (obedience – fear of the Lord). The overflowing is the obedience that God commands (seen in Deut 6 and Psalm 78). It begins with intentional patterns of THOUGHT that lead to being overwhelmed that lead to the type of daydream that comes from true worship. Thoughts and Meditations Lead to Words of Praise Leading to Obedience and Life MEDITATING on 3 Categories 1. Who God is? 2. What God has done? (in the past and in the present) 3. What God requires? (his commands) Without intentional patterns of thought we will grow dull and forget – just like we read in Psalm 78 – the people who were delivered and blessed by God FORGOT the works of the Lord… This is one of the reasons God established rituals in the OT to remind them of His salvation. This is why we need rituals to remind us of God, His glorious Gospel and the duty He has called us to! PRACTICAL CHALLENGE TO ALL Because our sinful hearts and the fact that we live in a sinful world that is against God – we must be DILIGENT in pursuing an overwhelming and overflowing of joy in God. This was Israel’s great problem (seen in Psalm 78 and warned of in Deut 6). Forgetfulness! We grow dull and dullness leads to forgetting and forgetting leads to forsaking and forsaking leads to death. We must PUT OFF the ways and influences of the world that compete with the overwhelming (owning) and overflowing of our hearts in God. This might mean TV, Movies, Video games, sports, hobbies, novels, cleanliness, leisure, toys, wrong ambitions goals and dreams, family (family idolatry), friends and comfort. Deut 6 – says that we must not serve any other gods – HE is a jealous God! And we must PUT ON! (by intentionality) I want to suggest three ways: 1. Personal Meditation of the Word of God. When I say this I mean the reading of the Word of God on a daily basis with prayer to God. Parents, we need to be on our faces before God every day. We must own it before we can give it! Our kids must see us on our faces before God, men…husbands…fathers. “O how I love thy law, it is my meditation all the day long” – Psalm 119 “And His delight is in the law of the Lord and on it he meditates day and night” – Psalm 1 “This book of the Law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night that you may observe to do all…” (Joshua 1). Get a plan (reading plan) Get a Time (we need routine – they say 13 times is how long it takes) Do it with prayer – We need God’s help Do it with helpers (get accountability and teachers-mentors) It is worth it and essential. Tell me what is more important? 2. Family Worship Couples (without kids) Parents (with children) Singles (with roommates, family, friends) – ask a family in your church What do I mean? A regular time (probably many times a week – almost daily) where you read God’s word (with allowing questions), sing and pray. Involve memorizing Scripture – Psalm 145 (or Psalms) Catechisms – using it to talk about God. Reading Cds, Dvds, picture bible books, etc. So many resources out there for fun activities. Again, this needs to be the overflow of number one. Warnings: - Don’t be long - Don’t be perfectionist – it will be very messy at first - Be patient and persevere – it will become a joy – make it joyful and fun – its great training for other things as well - Let it springboard into other parts of your life. Requires discipline of kids 3. A Book of Remembrance Get a notebook of some kind in which you as a family or individual (singles), record the “works of God” in your life and review them for the purpose of remembering and praising and standing on the promises of God. I think of George Mullers “Answers to Prayers” Ask and expect – pray specifically in personal and family worship. Here are some suggestions: - Acts of provision…food, clothing, bill paid…etc. - Acts of Protection…car accident, no accident… - Acts of Healing… - Acts of Answered Prayer… - Acts of Teaching…through trial – patience, humility - God taught me this Imagine the Affect this will have on you and your kids.
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