The title of the message this evening is Blessed. Blessed is the nation. Blessed is the nation. And it's tempting to just wanna just run down to verse 12 and just look at that verse. But there's so much, there's so much leading up to that. So let's look beginning with verse one.

And we read, rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous. This instruction, rejoice in the Lord. Rejoice in the Lord. We read that here in this passage and throughout God's word. Paul writing to the Philippians, he spoke these words. He said, rejoice in the Lord always. And then he said this, he said, and again, he repeated it, he said, again, I say, rejoice. Over in Isaiah 61.10, it says, I will greatly rejoice in the Lord. My soul, my most inner being will be joyful in my God. For he hath clothed me. clothed me with the garments of salvation. He's covered me, covered me with a robe of righteousness. As a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with jewels."

I rejoice. And listen, this is spiritual joy. This is a rejoicing in the heart, rejoice in the Lord, not in a righteous appearance, not in our own conceit and our own pride, not by the deeds of the law, not in ourselves. God's word is clear. There's none righteous. No. No, not one. But aren't we thankful that there are those who are made righteous by the obedience of the Lord Jesus Christ? Those who are made the righteousness of God in Him. And under a sense of that grace, under a sense of that mercy, that work of grace in the heart, We're to live soberly. We're to live righteously. We're to live godly. And for these reasons, we have great reason, great reason to rejoice and be glad.

If we read on here in our text, it says, praise is comely. That means it's suitable. It's beautiful. It becometh, it's comely, it's seemly for the upright. That's the right thing to do. Praise is becoming of the believer. It's our duty. Consider for a moment just some of the mercies and the favor that we have received of Him. Doesn't that make sense that we would praise God, from whom all blessings flow?

Listen to the words of this hymn.

Praise Him, praise Him. Jesus, our blessed Redeemer.
For our sins, He suffered, He bled, He died.
He's our rock. He's our hope of eternal salvation.
Hail Him, hail Him, Jesus, the crucified.
Sound His praises, Jesus, who bore our sorrows.
Love unbounded, wonderful, deep, and strong.
Praise Him, praise Him, Jesus, our blessed Redeemer.
Heavenly portals loud with hosannas ring.
The Lord Jesus, our Savior, reigneth forever and ever.
Crown Him, crown Him, prophet, priest, and king.
Christ is coming over the world victorious.
Power and glory unto the Lord belong.

Rejoice in the Lord. Praise Him.

Verse two in our text, let's read on. Praise the Lord with harp. Sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings. Sing unto him a new song. Play skillfully with a loud noise. For the word of the Lord is right. All that he has ordained. It's good. It's just. It's excellent. He's just in condemning the wicked, and he's just in acquitting believers on the account of Christ his Son, on the account of Christ's perfect righteousness.

Turn with me to Romans chapter 9. Hold your place there in Psalm 33. Romans 9. Look at verse 20. Listen to this reply here. Romans 9 verse 20. But, O man, who art thou that replyest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, why have you made me thus? Hath not the potter power over the clay of the same lump to make one vessel unto honor and another unto dishonor? What if God, willing to show his wrath and to make his power known endured with much long-suffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction."

Earlier in that text, back there in the Old Testament, God told Moses, he said, I'll have mercy on whom I'll have mercy. I'll have compassion on whom I will have compassion. And in both cases, He's right. The Lord's right. He's just in all that He does.

And when you consider just a few things written in Scripture, consider these things. All men are lost and dead in Adam. Scripture says that. It says, wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. All men are lost and dead in Adam. Men by nature do not love God. We love ourselves by nature. But men by nature do not love God. In John 3.19, Scripture says this, this is the condemnation. Light is coming to the world. And men loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. Men count the things of God. is foolishness. Scripture says that the wisdom of this world is foolishness.

Consider those things, huh? Lost and dead in Adam, a people who by nature do not love God, a man by nature that counts the things of God is foolishness. What grace What kindness, what love, what long-suffering that God would show mercy to any. And yet He does. The Word of the Lord is right. And all His works are done in truth. All of His works. His works of creation. His works of providence. His works of grace. All done in truth.

Spurgeon wrote this, he said, God writes with a pen that never blots. He speaks with a tongue that never slips. He acts with a hand that never fails. Bless his name.

Well, back to our text, back here in Psalm 33. Look at verse 5. Psalm 33, verse 5. It says, he loveth righteousness and judgment and the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord. Do we ever stop and consider, just for a minute, the goodness of God? The goodness of God that all creatures partake of. Scripture says this, He maketh His Son to rise on the evil and the good. Is there anything more beautiful than a sunrise? It rises on the evil man and it rises on the good man. He sendeth his rain. Oh, how refreshing, especially in a dry time, a little bit of rain is. He sends his rain on the just and on the unjust. Of His goodness, His grace, the grace of God manifested to His people through the Lord Jesus Christ.

Matthew 10, beginning with verse 29, we read this, Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? I read somewhere that a sparrow is about the most worthless bird that there is. Two of them sold for nothing. And yet not one of them falls to the ground without our Father. And then he goes on to say this, the very hairs of your head, all of them, numbered, fear ye not. Are ye not of more value than many, many sparrows."

The goodness of the Lord. The hairs of our head numbered with these words. Is that not assurance of the Lord's love for his people? That they'll never truly be in any real danger? or suffer any harm while we're under His care and protection. The hairs of our head, numbered, and He knows each one.

Well, back to our text here again, Psalm 33, verse 6. Here we read of the God of creation. He is the God of creation. Look at verse 6, it says, By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth. In the beginning, in the beginning was the Word. And the Word was with God. And the Word was God. And the same was in the beginning with God. And all things, all things were made by Him. And without Him was not anything made that was made.

Paul writing to the Hebrews, he said this, he said, through faith We understand that the worlds were framed, how? By the Word of God. So that the things which were seen were not made of things which do appear. And if we go all the way back to Genesis, what do we read? In the beginning, God created the heavens in the earth.

I used to think that was something we needed to debate. But it isn't. This is all that we're told concerning the original creation. And this isn't an argument. This isn't meant to be an argument to prove the existence of God. His existence is declared and it's declared as a fact to be believed. In the beginning, God created. It's a simple fact, isn't it? If we can use the word simple, it's a simple fact and it's a fact stated and it's a fact to be received without question By faith. All by the word of the Lord. A word. A breath. A breath could do that. It's easy. It would be just as easy for God to create this universe as it is for a man to breathe. Actually easier. because we can't take a breath without Him. It's in His hand. Think about that. It's in His hand. Our breath is in His hand.

Back in Job we read, in His hand is the soul of every living thing, and listen to this, the breath of all mankind. Remember back in Ezekiel, Ezekiel 37. Just turn there with me, Ezekiel 37. Ezekiel 37, look beginning with verse one. The hand of the Lord was upon me and carried me out in the spirit of the Lord and set me down in the midst of the valley which was full of bones and caused me to pass by them round about and behold, There were very many in the open valley. And lo, they were very dry. And he said to me, son of man, can these old, dry, dead bones live? That's a good question, isn't it? Can that which is dead live? And I love this answer. Oh Lord God, thou knowest.

And again, he said unto me, prophesy upon these bones and say unto them, oh ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones, behold, I'll cause breath to enter into you. and ye shall live. And I'll lay sinews upon you, and bring flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and ye shall live. And ye shall know that I am the Lord. So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to his bone, and when I beheld, lo, the sinews and the flesh came upon them, and skin covered them above.

But listen to the problem. There was no breath in them. And he said unto me, prophesy unto the wind, prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith the Lord God, come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. And I prophesied as he commanded me. And look, breath, life came into them. And they lived and stood upon their feet, an exceeding great army.

Only life can come from God, the God of creation. Well, look in Psalm 33 again, back in our text. Verse seven. He gathereth the waters of the sea together as a heap. He layeth up the depth in storehouses. Rain, hail, snow, the clouds of heaven above, in Noah's day, the great fountains of the deep, all which the Lord opens and closes at his pleasure. Verse eight, let all the earth fear the Lord. Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. All the inhabitants. of the world. All men that dwell upon the face of the earth stand in awe of Him with fear, with irreverence. He's God. He's Almighty God.

In Ecclesiastes 12.13, God's Word says this, let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. Let's just get right down to it. What is it? Fear God. Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.

Let's read on, verse nine. He spake, and it was done. He commanded, and it stood fast. He's the God of creation, of all creation.

And then, beginning in verse 10, we read of the God of providence. Look at verse 10. It says, the Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to naught. He maketh the devices of the people of none effect. I don't know if you remember back there in the Old Testament, but Haman had built this great set of gallows to hang a man on that he just absolutely despised. He was going to hang Mordecai on him. That's not how it happened, was it? It wasn't how Haman planned.

But listen, the Lord preserveth the stranger. He relieveth the fatherless and the widow with the way of the wicked. The way of the wicked. It may last for a little while. but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down.

Verse 11, counsel the Lord, standeth forever. The thoughts of his heart to all generations, the purpose and decree of God, they're all his. They're eternal. They relate to all things that He's done in providence and in grace. The Lord doeth all things after the counsel of His own will. It's in Him that we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will.

That's true in the government of this world and all that takes place, and it's true in the salvation of man. He's chosen people unto eternal life according to his purpose and according to his decree. And that's true of, listen, not just his choosing of them, but their redemption, their calling, and ultimately their glorification.

King Nebuchadnezzar, he said this. He said at the end of the days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted up mine eyes unto heaven, and my understanding returned to me, and I blessed the Most High. And I praised Him who liveth forever and ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, whose kingdom is from generation to generation. And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing. But He, Almighty God, the God of providence, He doeth all things according to His will in the armies of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can stay His hand or say unto Him, what doest thou?

One more verse here in our text. Look at verse 12 of Psalm 33. Listen, we read of a God who is worthy of all worship and all praise, the God of creation, the God of providence. And here we read of the God of grace.

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. a chosen generation, a holy nation. They're described as a peculiar people. And the Lord is their God. Again, not only as the God of creation and providence, but as the God of all grace. God is their portion. He's their exceeding great reward. and as such they shall not want for any good thing.

" We have no need to fear evil. A people on the heart of God, a people who cannot be separated from the love of God. Our names, Scripture says our names are engraved They're written on His hands. A people that should be helped, strengthened, and upheld by the right hand of His righteousness. A people for whom all things work together for good. Isn't that clear in God's Word? All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose.

Blessed is the nation whose God, God the Father, God the Father who chose you, chose His people to Himself. He loved you. laid up all good things for you in Christ. He gave his only begotten Son for you, for his people. God the Father.

Blessed is the nation whose God, God the Father. Who else? God the Son. God the Son who became our surety and our representative and undertook all things. deaths, suffering, pain for our good. He stooped down to assume our nature. He lived before God as our substitute, our representative to work out a righteousness for his people. He died on the cross as our substitute and purchased our souls from divine justice. Where is he now? Seated. at the right hand of the majesty on high, where he ever lives to make intercession for his people.

Blessed is the nation whose God, God the Father, God the Son, and then God the Holy Ghost, who gives us faith and repentance, who gives us the hope of eternal life, The gift of eternal life itself. And he preserves and keeps his people in all things. Comforts his people, instructs his people. Takes the word of God and applies it to our hearts.

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. And then just listen here. And the people, the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. Who are we talking about here? A people whom he hath chosen. This isn't all mankind, but it's a peculiar people. It's a people whom the Lord hath chosen out of this world to be his. Chosen in Christ from before the foundation of the world. The Lord's portion. His own inheritance.

And listen, He's given His people. We're His inheritance, but He's given us an inheritance. And that inheritance is incorruptible. It is undefiled. It fadeth not away. We know about an inheritance, don't we? But we don't know, this is the inheritance. Anything we inherit on this earth, it's gone. An inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you.

Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord, and the people whom he hath chosen for his inheritance.

All right. Isaac, come lead us in a closing.