Open with me again to Psalm 145. Psalm 145. Our message with the
brethren that met just a moment ago was the same psalm. We were in this same psalm. And
the title was taken from the end of verse 10. Thy saints shall bless thee. Thy saints shall bless thee. We looked at the great privilege
of being able to gather together in the house of the Lord. David,
after he went through such a long time, a long span of not being
able to gather in the house of the Lord, Saying, how long Lord,
we read all those Psalms as the heart, the deer, pants after
the water brooks, my soul is thirsting for you. How long before
I can come back and appear before you? And then the Word finally
came to him that it's time to go back. And in Psalm 122, he
said, I was glad when they said unto me, let's go to the house
of the Lord. So glad. What a great privilege it is
to be gathered together in the house of the Lord to bless His
holy name. We ought to enter into that more
now than we ever have. Verses one and two in this Psalm
say, I will extol Thee, my God, O King, and I will bless Thy
name forever and ever. Every day will I bless thee and
I will praise thy name forever and ever. Extol, bless, praise. That means I will exalt, I will
kneel before, that's what bless means, and I will boast of, that's
what praise means, thy name, who you are to your people. and what you are to your people
and how you are with your people. David said, I will extol and
bless and praise thy name forever and ever. Forever and ever. That's what we endeavored to
do in that last message just a moment ago. That's what we're
going to endeavor to do in this message. I'd like for us to just
admire who the Lord is. Just who he is, just look at
and enjoy and admire who he is and what he is for his people.
Here's the title of this message. The Lord is. That's the title,
the Lord is. Now let's read down through this
chapter and then we'll come back and see the places that say the
Lord is. Verse one says, I will extol
Thee, my God, O King, and I will bless Thy name forever and ever. Every day will I bless Thee and
I will praise Thy name forever and ever. Great is the Lord and
greatly to be praised. And His greatness is unsearchable. One generation shall praise thy
works to another and shall declare thy mighty acts. And I will speak
of the glorious honor of thy majesty and of thy wondrous works. All men shall speak of the might
of thy terrible acts, and I will declare thy greatness. They shall
abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness and shall
sing of thy righteousness. The Lord is gracious and full
of compassion, slow to anger and of great mercy. The Lord
is good to all and his tender mercies are over all his works.
All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord, and thy saints shall
bless thee. They that speak of the glory
of thy kingdom and talk of thy power, to make known to the sons
of men his mighty acts and the glorious majesty of his kingdom. Thy kingdom is an everlasting
kingdom, and Thy dominion endureth throughout all generations. The
Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that
be bowed down. The eyes of all wait upon Thee,
and Thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest Thine
hand, and satisfieth the desire of every living thing. The Lord
is righteous in all His ways and holy in all His works. The
Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon Him, to all that call
upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of
them that fear Him. He also will hear their cry and
will save them. The Lord preserveth all them
that love Him, but all the wicked will He destroy. My mouth shall
speak the praise of the Lord and let all flesh bless his holy
name forever and ever." Now, everything we just read was good
news. He did say that that all the
wicked he will destroy, but everything concerning God's people that
we just read was good news. I believe this verse of scripture
sums up everything that we just read. After reading that, this
is the conclusion that we have to come to. Look with me if you
would at Psalm 73. Psalm 73, verse 1, it says, Truly
God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart.
Truly God is good to Israel. He truly is. After reading who
and what the Lord is for His people, that's the only conclusion
we can come to. God is good to Israel. And before we go any further,
that's what I want us to understand. God is good to Israel. The Lord
is good to Israel. Israel means God's people. God's chosen people. elect people. Spiritual Israel. Romans 9 verse
6 says, They are not all Israel, which are of Israel. Meaning
just because a person is born in the nation of Israel, that
doesn't make that person a child of God. And that's important
to know because just because a person is born in America,
that does not make that person a child of God. That's what most
people believe. Well, everybody here is a child
of God. What does make a person a child
of God? Whether a person is Jew, Gentile,
male, female, bond-free. What makes a person a child of
God? What the word refers to is Israel,
the seed of Abraham. Look with me if you would at
Galatians chapter 3. Galatians 3 verse 16, it says, Now to Abraham and his seed were
the promises made. He saith not unto seeds as of
many, but as of one, and to thy seed which is Christ. Over in
verse 26, it says, You are all the children of God by faith
in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been
baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There's neither Jew
nor Greek, there's neither bond nor free, there's neither male
nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you be
Christ, then are you Abraham's seed and heirs according to the
promise. So who are all these promises
to? Who is this word written to? Who is God good to? Every person that has been given
to Christ. Every person in Christ. All who belong to Christ. Truly, God is good to those who
are in Christ. Alright, now go with me back
to Psalm 145. We'll see who the Lord is. and what the Lord is to every
soul in Christ. Verse 3, this is the first place
where it says the Lord is. Verse 3 says, Great is the Lord. The Lord is great. The Lord is great. Psalm 111
says, His works are great. Psalm 117 says, His kindness
is great. Psalm 138 says, His glory is
great. Great is the Lord. David said, That's why I will
extol Him. That's why I will bless Him.
That's why I will praise Him. It's because great is the Lord
and greatly to be praised. And His greatness is unsearchable. He's great, and He's worthy to
be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable. Oh, the unsearchable riches of
Christ, the works of Christ, the kindness of Christ, the glory
of Christ. The Scripture says it's past
finding out. It's unsearchable. It's just
unsearchable. His greatness. I love this poem
or this song. It says, God moves in a mysterious
way. And He does. His people don't
understand His ways. His ways are not our ways. God moves in a mysterious way.
His wonders to perform. He plants His footsteps in the
sea and rides upon the storm. He creates the storm and then
rides upon the storm. Deep in unfathomable minds of
never failing skill, everything He does is perfect. Deep and unfathomable minds of
never failing skill, he treasures up his bright designs and works
his sovereign will. You fearful saints, fresh courage
take. The clouds you so much dread
are big with mercy and shall break in blessings on your head.
Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, but trust him for his
grace. Behind a frowning providence,
he hides a smiling face. His purposes shall ripen fast,
unfolding every hour. The bud may have a bitter taste,
but sweet will be the flower. Blind unbelief is sure to err
and scan His work in vain. God is His own interpreter and
He will make it plain." Everything that He does. His unsearchable
greatness. It's past finding out. The Lord
is great in everything He does. The end of verse 6, David said,
I will declare thy greatness. I'll declare thy greatness. He
said one generation will tell it to the next. The greatness of the Lord. Verse
7 says, They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great
goodness. and shall sing of thy righteousness."
One generation will repeat to the next, the Lord is great,
the Lord is good. All of his righteousness. Okay,
here's the next, the Lord is. Verse eight. It says, the Lord
is gracious. That means freely giving. It means favorable. The Lord
will show favor to. Who will he show favor to? He
said in Exodus 33, I'll be gracious to whom I'll be gracious. Who
did he say he would be gracious to? Every soul in Christ. Every soul that he hides in the
rock. And that gracious rock is Christ.
That's what he gave. That's what he provided. I love
that story that I've told you before of Lucy Simpson, her telling me about the rock,
this rock that God provided, graciously provided. She said Moses and the children of
Israel, they're out in the wilderness, They were all whining and complaining,
and don't we all. Through all this pandemic, meaning
through all of God's sovereignty, through all of God's purpose
and order, I find myself whining and complaining. I've been comparing
me and everybody to the children of Israel. And that's what they
were doing, whining and complaining after all of His provisions and
everything. And they said, we're so thirsty.
She was saying, they're just so thirsty. So Moses prayed to God and God
said, Moses, strike the rock, which is the law smiting Christ. And she said, you know what came
out of that rock? Living water. And the Israelites drank and
they drank and they were so satisfied. And she said, do you know who
that rock was? That rock was Christ. And she said, do you know what
that rock did? It followed them wherever they
went. And it did, and He does. That's His graciousness. That's
His free provision to all of His people. The Lord is gracious. Verse 8 says, The Lord is gracious
and full of compassion. The Lord is full of compassion. He said, I'll be gracious to
whom I'll be gracious. I'll have compassion on whom
I'll have compassion. Who will He show compassion to?
Every soul in Christ. Every soul given to and brought
to Christ. Look at this beautiful example
of the Lord's compassion for His people. Go with me to Mark
chapter 1. Mark 1 verse 39, it says, And He preached in their synagogues
throughout all Galilee, and cast out devils. And there came a
leper to Him, beseeching Him, and kneeling down to Him, and
saying unto Him, If Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean. And
Jesus moved with compassion. I just love the thought of that.
moved with compassion, put forth his hand and touched him and
said unto him, I will be thou clean. And as soon as he had
spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him and he was
cleansed. That's what the Lord is for his
people. When we go to Him crying and begging and pleading, needing
help, that's what the Lord is for His people. He is full of
compassion. He is full of love for His people. Again, I love this song. Could we with ink the ocean fill,
and were the skies of parchment made, and every stalk on earth
a quill, And every man ascribed by trade to write the love of
God above would drain the ocean dry. Nor could the scroll contain
the whole, though stretched from sky to sky." I could never describe
it. The love and the compassion. The Lord is great. The Lord is
gracious. The Lord is full of compassion. Look with me back at Psalm 145. Verse 8 says, The Lord is gracious
and full of compassion, slow to anger. The Lord is slow to anger. Aren't you so thankful for that?
That's a reason to bless Him and praise Him and extol Him. He's slow to anger. What that
means is He's long-suffering towards sinners. He's patient
with us. He is so patient with his people.
Look with me at Psalm 103. Psalm 103 verse 8 says, The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy. He will not always
chide, neither will He keep His anger forever. Verse 13 says,
Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth
them that fear Him. For He knoweth our frame, He
remembereth that we are dust. Isn't that so tender? Who does he remember that for? Every soul that's found mercy
in the blood of Christ. Don't turn back, but that's the
next thing that our text said. It said the Lord is of great
mercy, which is wonderful news. Psalm 25 says, My iniquity is
great. My sin is great. Great iniquity
requires great mercy. Well, the Lord is great in mercy. So great in mercy. John Newton
said to William Jay, William Jay walked in and said, Brother
Newton, did you hear that the Lord saved that old sinner, that
old sinner in town, that just worthy, worthless, Filthy, rotten
sinner. He said, I'll never despair of
anybody since the Lord saved him. John Newton said, I'll never
despair of anybody since the Lord saved me. Great iniquity
requires great mercy, and the Lord is great in mercy. Verse 10 right here in Psalm
103 says, He hath not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded
us according to our iniquities. He spared us the reward of our
iniquities by rewarding our iniquities to Christ. He dealt with Christ
after our sins. And that's what the Lord is to
his people. He is their substitute. He's their Savior. Look back
at Psalm 145. Verse 9 says, The Lord is good
to all. The Lord is good to all. Who
is He speaking of specifically when He says all? The end of verse 13 says all
generations. His greatness and His graciousness
and His compassion In His patience, in His mercy, He's going to extend
it to all generations. Aren't you so glad for that?
Your children? Aren't you so thankful for the
promise that the Lord will extend it to all generations? Specifically, it says in verse
14, the Lord upholdeth all that fall. That's who He's going to
extend it to. He raiseth up all those that be bowed down, all
who've fallen because of their sin. All who are bowed down and
broken over their sin. Verse 15 says, it's the eyes
of all that wait upon thee, all who are looking to thee. Thou givest them their meat in
due season. That's who He feeds, that's who
He sustains. Verse 17 says, The Lord is righteous
in all His ways and holy in all His works. Righteous means right. It means lawful. It means just. Holy means that's all that He
can be. He's holy. It means He must do what's right.
He must do what's just. And in what the Lord has done
for His people, because of what Christ did for His people, all
of His people can see that the Lord is. He truly is great. The Lord is gracious. The Lord
is full of compassion. The Lord is slow to anger. The
Lord is of great mercy. The Lord is good. The Lord is
righteous. The Lord is holy. And there's
one more listed in this psalm, verse 18. It says, The Lord is
nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon
him in truth." The Lord is near every soul in need. Every soul in need. I pray that
the Lord will make me to be in need in whatever way that has
to come about. I truly, I don't, I'm not praying
for trials. I don't, we've been through a
very difficult time, so to speak, but in whatever way the need
be, I pray the Lord would cause me to see my need. That's what
I pray. I pray that the Lord would cause
me to, to really cry out to him. truly have a desire to praise
Him and to glorify Him and to extol Him. I pray that He will
show me my need of a substitute. I pray that He'll show me my
need of mercy. I pray that He'll show me my
need to have Him stand in my place before God. Can you imagine
standing as you are before God? in all of our deadness, all of
our lack. Well, the Lord is near all who
are in need. He's nigh unto all them that
call upon Him in truth, truly from the depths of the heart.
Verse 19 says, He will fulfill the desire of them that fear
Him. He also will hear their cry and
save them. The Lord preserveth all them
that love Him, but all the wicked will He destroy. And that's all
those who do not need Christ and do not believe on and cast
their all on Christ. My mouth shall speak the praise
of the Lord, and let all flesh bless His holy name forever."
Let all flesh bless His holy name because of God's grace,
because of what He has done, because of His unsearchableness.
Let all flesh bless His holy name forever. I just read this
to the previous service. This is so good. This is the
true reason to bless and praise and extol the Lord. It says, there is a holy God
that I cannot please, but Christ did. There is a holy law that I cannot
keep, but Christ did. There is a perfect righteousness
that I cannot earn, but Christ did. There is a convicting record
of sin that I cannot erase, but Christ did. There is a great
judgment that I cannot endure, but Christ did. There is an eternal
death that I cannot rise from, But Christ did. And if He has
been made to be my all and in all, He will raise me up with
Him at the last day. We have so much to be thankful
for, don't we? So much to be thankful for. Thank
God the Lord is our God. We praise, we bless, we extol
Him for who He is. All right, let's all stand together.