Reasons To Rejoice Series

Reasons to Rejoice!

Psalm 33

Introduction:

Look: v.1 – remember the Psalms are songs. Hymns!

Psalm 33 = Song of joy & praise

Quote: “Joy is the soul of praise.” – CH Spurgeon

A praising heart is a joyful heart. Praise to God is the outflow and the overflow of a heart joy. Praise is nothing more than a ringing out of our joy to God!

Story Behind the Psalm:

Psalm 33 = Anonymous – we don’t know who the human penman was… 50 of these Psalms… often called Orphan Psalms! May not know who the human penman was… sure know the Author of the Psalm – Holy Spirit!

Not only do we not know who the penman of the Psalm was… not told the exact occasion in which it was written.

Believe = Psalm written during a time of national crisis… God’s people rejoicing and praising him for a great national victory.

Setting: 2 Kings 19 – during the reign of Hezekiah… Assyrian invaders had surrounded the city of Jerusalem… outlook bleak…Look (33:19) … we know King Hezekiah cried out to God and God answered with a miraculous victory!

Psalm 33 is 1 of only 4 Psalms in the first Book of Psalms (1-41) – call the Genesis Psalms… that has no superscription or divinely inspired title above it… (Psalms 1,2,10)

Interesting = where Psalm 33 is Providentially placed in the Psalter or Hebrew Hymnbook … follows Psalm 32… although probably written at different times by different writers… organically connected or linked together… Jewish people sang them together.

Psalm 32

1 Mercy of God

2 Grace of God

3 Redeemer

4 Pardon

5 Forgiveness

Psalm 33

1 Majesty of God

2 Greatness of God

3 Creator

4 Power

5 Faithfulness

Psalm 33 – opens with a command!

Rejoicing = not a feeling; it is a choice – don’t always feel like rejoicing. Rejoicing is not an emotion but an act of the will. Choose to rejoice.

Psalmist = looked around… Assyrian invaders encircled the city… fear of famine & death… outlook didn’t look so good… made decision I am just going to praise Him anyhow.

Times we look around and don’t see much to rejoice about. Looking in the wrong direction. Looking out when ought to be looking up!

“Rejoice in the LORD” = theme of the song… rest of the Psalm is why we can rejoice.

Psalm 33 = gives us a list of “Reasons to Rejoice!”

TS: We can rejoice in the Lord because of…

I. HIS PARDON!

Look: v.1 – “O ye righteous… for praise is comely for the upright.”

“Comely” = beautiful – nothing more beautiful than a rejoicing or praising Christian.

Adorn our lives with joy and praise… Gal. = fruit of the Spirit.

Christian = you can’t put on anything more beautiful than a joyful spirit.

Most attractive thing about the Gospel of Jesus Christ – people can see it!

“Righteous & upright” = describes a person who is right with God – saved – know the blessedness of forgiveness in Psalm 32

Disciples… went out on an evangelistic endeavor… returned rejoicing … even the demons were submissive to them.

Jesus = don’t rejoice in the fact that the demons obeyed you… rejoice because your names are written down in heaven!

Rejoice = my sins are gone! Name written in heaven!

II. HIS PERSON!

Look vv.2-3

Psalmist pulls out all the stops… fires up the orchestra (v.2)… brings in the choir (v.3)

“New Song” = a song that has never been sung before – 7 in the OT… 6 of them are found in the Psalms.

Each day brings new heights, victories, new understandings of our God… lead to new songs of praise that have never been sung by us before!

vv.4,5 – times our rejoicing and praise is selfish in nature. Praise God for what He has done for us rather than who He is to us.

When last time that you just rejoiced and praised God for who He is?

A. Right (4-5a)

Righteousness of God flows out His holiness. Our God is a holy God!

Holy God deserves and demands for us to be a holy people!

1 Pet. 1:15

God is right. Word is right. Works are right! Everything about our God is right and holy.

B. Just (5b)

“Judgment” = has to do with God’s justice!

May not see it now but there is a day coming when God’s justice will prevail on the earth. Set the wrongs right!

Revelation 15:3,4 – “And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.”