Psalm 97:1-12 LET EVERY THING PRAISE THE LORD 3-8-08
Today Lord willing we’re going to talk for a little while on, “praising the Lord” and He is surely worthy to be praised, in fact He is the Only One that is worthy to receive praise because He and He alone is the only Wise and True God. We often make appreciative comments about some individual person, but we are not going to praise any man the same way that we praise the Lord.
Ø Before I read our text today let me point out that this Psalm 97 of praise is to do with the millennial reign of King Jesus as He returns to set up His Kingdom here on earth. This praise Psalm has nothing to do with His birth or His 1st coming. We’re going to see here that Israel as well as us today should praise Him.
Listen as I read today’s text found in
PS.97: 1 The LORD reigneth; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad thereof. Everything in it relates to this one truth, i.e., Jehovah reigns in the world. When other monarchs reigned on earth there was always bloodshed and tears and while many of the others have been reigns of heart ache and terror, the reign of Jehovah God, the Lord Jesus Christ, upon this earth will be one of absolute righteousness; for the Sun of Righteousness shall heal all nations from the heartaches of the Tribulation.
Mal 4:2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.
2 Clouds and darkness are round about him: -- Let me point out that clouds are to do with His presents and glory such as it was in the Tabernacle in the wilderness. And smoke is always to do with His judgments. We read of another time like this in--
Exodus 19: 15 And he said unto the people, Be ready against the third day: come not at your wives. 16 And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled. 17 And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount. 18 And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the LORD descended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly.
2b- righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne. Isaiah 32:1 Behold, a king shall reign in righteousness, so psalms 97 is certainly a psalm to do with His reign on earth.
And we need to see and realize that we must exalt and give Him praise and honor Him, you and I that are saved, we don’t want to wait until then to do these things, we need to praise and lift Him high each and every day, He is our Wonderful Lord and Savior, so let us praise Him now and always. Isa 11:5 righteousness shall be the girdle of His loins
3 A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about. Just before the Lord Jesus returns to the earth there’ll be a partial cleansing with fire. Revelation 8 7-10 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up. 8 And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: [perhaps a great meteorite] and the third part of the sea became blood; 9 And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed. 10 And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters-
This past Tuesday my wife and I were coming back from Anderson, and we got caught in a bad rain storm, and as we was nearing home the rain let up for a time and the sun was breaking through a little and there we saw a rainbow in the clouds, I told Margaret that there was the covenant we read about in Gen.9:11-17 that God would not destroy the earth again with water, the next time it will be with fire.
4 His lightnings enlightened the world: the earth saw, and trembled. The lightnings of God, which precede His second coming to earth, are mentioned four times in the book of Revelation. Rev 4:5; 8:5; 11:19; 16:18
I want to point once again two things that are reviled in these verses. First, they are telling us about events that take place just before He returns to the earth in preparation of His Kingdom.
These events will take place at the end of the great battle of Armageddon, before He rules and reign from the throne of David for one thousand years, and let me remind us again that these events did not occur when Jesus Christ came to be born in the stable of Bethlehem, so this PS.97: is for this set time. And second, it should be noted that with each verse there is a progressive worsening of judgment upon the world.
The only hope for this world is the righteous reign of Jesus Christ on the earth. For the Christian living today there is another hope, a blessed hope
Tit 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
I Thess 4:13–18 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.*
15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
And these words are surely comforting words indeed. I tell you dear heart you and I that are saved have a lot to look forward to. The best is still to come, but as long as the devil is running loose on the earth, there will never be any peace, that’s why there will be perfect peace on earth during the 1000 years reign of Christ, the devil will be bound in chains in a place in hell for the 1000 year reign.
Rev.20: 1-3 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. 2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, 3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled:
5 The hills melted like wax at the presence of the LORD, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.
Peter also tells us about this same thing in
2 Peter 3:10-12 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. – and then peter ask a question,
11 Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 12 Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
6 The heavens declare his righteousness, and all the people see his glory.
The heavens declare the glory of God in His creation, and also they will declare His righteous judgments on a wicked earth.
Jesus said in Matt. 24:29-30 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
7 Confounded be all they that serve graven images, that boast themselves of idols: worship him, all ye gods.* some time refer to people who are often looked up to such as magistrates; and sometimes angels. -- All down through the years there have been those who have boasted in their idols, but at this time their boosting will stop. In the days of the Tribulation there will be people that have worshiped the image of the Antichrist and have received the mark of the beast and have fallen down to worship his image. Here is what’s to happen to them,
Rev 14: 9-11 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, 10 The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture* into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: 11 And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
-- and they have no rest day nor night- -- have no rest tells us that these people will never have a single minute of rest, no let up at all, it will be a constant state of torment, and day nor night tells us it will be on going forever. Not to mention the fact of no water, they’ll have their memoir according to LK.16:
8 Zion heard, and was glad; and the daughters of Judah rejoiced because of thy judgments, O LORD. 9 For thou, LORD, art high above all the earth: thou art exalted far above all gods.
In that day all Jerusalem, and all the daughters of Judah, will rejoice and be glad during the millennial reign of Jesus Christ. In that day the Jews will see their Messiah, and King Jesus will be exalted far above all gods; for the presence of God will be fully recognized, and fellowship with Him will be experienced as never before
Zechariah 2:10-12 Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the LORD. 11 And many nations shall be joined to the LORD in that day, and shall be my people: and I will dwell in the midst of thee, and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto thee. 12 And the LORD shall inherit Judah his portion in the holy land, and shall choose Jerusalem again.
Let us be reminded that Israel is now and always has been Gods chosen people, the U.S. is not His chosen people, Iran and Irag or not His chosen people, God has set Israel aside while the Holy Ghost is calling out a Bride for Christ,[the church] but when the last soul it takes to make up the Bride, He will rapture His Bride out of the earth and then turn back dealing with Israel in the Tribulation period.
Paul said in Rom.11:25 –27 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. 26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: 27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
Ezekiel 37:26-28 Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore. 27 My tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 28 And the heathen shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for evermore.
10 Ye that love the LORD, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked. We that are His saints don’t have to worry about ever being lost again, we’re plainly told here that He preserveth the souls of his saints; it’s not the saints that preserves our own souls, it’s God Almighty that has us in His Hand.
Jesus said in John 10:28-30 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and my Father are one.
Ø It reminds me of the story of the old cowboy that was way out on the prairie with his old faithful horse, and as far as he could see in all directions was dried up grass and tumble weed, and a lighting storm came up and the lighting set fire to the dried up weeds, and the fire was coming his way fast because of the wind, so he thought for a minute what in the world was he going to do. So he gets down off his horse and set a fire of his own, and as the fire burned for a little bit he and his horse step over into the place that was burned out, it couldn’t be burned again.
The same can be applied to our salvation, the Lord has already took care of the damning sin problem, and it can’t be burned out again, there’s nothing there to be burned don’t you see.
Jesus said in JN.6:37 & 47 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. -- 47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
11 Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart. 12 Rejoice in the LORD, ye righteous; and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.
And then let me read to us.
Psalm 7:17 tells us “I will praise the LORD according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the LORD most high. - Psalm 9:2 says, “I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou most High - Psalm 29:2 says, “Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness - Psalm 66:4 says “All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah* - Psalm 99:5 says “Exalt ye the Lord our God, and worship at his footstool; for he is holy.”
We were told in Psalm 95 to praise and worship God. We were told in Psalm 96 to praise and worship God. There are at least 63 different psalms we’re told specifically to praise or worship the Lord. All saints should direct our lives to be joyful expressions of worship. Not just our lips and mouths, not just when we come to church and sing the songs and pray, but all our lives should be joyful expressions of worship.
