A Call to Praise the Lord
Shout for joy in the Lord, O you righteous!
Praise befits the upright.
Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre;
make melody to him with the harp of ten strings!
Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts. Psalm 33:1-3 ESV
The Psalmist calls the God’s people to exuberant expressions of worship using verbs like; shout for joy, praise, give thanks, make melody, sing and play skillfully. Loud shouts of joy accompanied by musical instruments are appropriate expressions of praise unto God. This describes the lively & enthusiastic expression of worship that you might see at some churches with modern worship music. Or you may see this kind of passion expressed at a football game. If people can shout joyfully & passionately at a sporting event for their team, then we ought to be able to get that excited & expressive about our great God. The Psalmist says it is fitting for the upright to praise the Lord in this way. When you go shopping for a new shirt or pair pants, you look for something that fits you well and if you find a good fit of you buy it and wear it. Like a well-fitting shirt, pair of pants, shoes or outfit, it is fitting for the saints who have been redeemed by God to praise & worship God extravagantly.
I heard of Christian man from Africa who was visiting a traditional church in the U.S. During the sermon this man would give a strong “amen” and “hallelujah” periodically. His expressions of worship were much more enthusiastic than the church that he was visiting. After a while one of the deacons in this church he was annoyed by his expressions and approached him in the pew where he was sitting, requesting that he quiet down. The man replied “sir I am just praising the Lord” and the deacons replied promptly with “we do not praise the Lord here”. Sadly this is true for many churches they “do not praise the Lord” in way that the bible exhorts God’s people to. Let’s look at how the psalmist exhorts us to praise and worship God.
How are we to worship?
· V1-Joyfully. Joy & rejoicing should be basic characteristics in our worship because we love & treasure God. Charles Spurgeon said “Joy is the soul of praise”. Our rejoicing in the Lord in worship reveals that He is our Treasure, He is our Hope & He is our God. A joyful worshipper brings glory to the God who has made the worshipper glad, by His mighty works (Psalm 92:4).
· Those who have been made righteous by faith in Christ ought to be the most joyful & extravagant worshippers on the planet.
· V1b-Praise God for who He is and what He has done
· V2a-Give thanks to God for what He has done
· V2b-Make melody to Him
· V3a-Sing to Him a new song
· V3b-Play skillfully for Him
· V3b-Shout loud & joyfully to Him
· V8-Fear the Lord & Stand in awe of Him
God’s Word is Right & True
For the word of the Lord is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness.
He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord. By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host.
He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap; he puts the deeps in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!
For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. Psalm 33:4-9 ESV
The 1st reason that David gives to praise God for the Word of the Lord. “The word of the Lord is upright” and by it He made the heaven & the host of heaven. The very first thing we are told about God in Scripture is that He speaks and He made everything with His Word. His Word is powerful (Psalm 29, Hebrews 4:12) and by it God not only created all that is but currently sustains all that is by the word of His power (Hebrews 1:3). God spoke through the prophet Isaiah saying “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever. (Is. 40:8 ESV) and “My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11 ESV). David who was a man after God’s own heart loved & treasured greatly the word of God. The longest Psalm and chapter in the bible is an expression is an expression of His love for the word of God (Psalm 119). Those who worship God in “spirit & truth” love God’s word and take heed to it. The word of God gives us many reasons to worship God and it fuels the passionate praise of the true worshipper. In the NT Paul exhorted the Colossians to “let the word of Christ dwell richly” in them teaching and admonishing one another in psalms hymns and spiritual songs (Colossians 3:16).
God’s Work is Faithful, Righteous, Just & Good
…all his work is done in faithfulness.
He loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord
Psalm 33:4-5 ESV
God’s creative work & governing work are faithful. He didn’t just wind up the world like a clock and let it go. God has been faithfully governing and caring for His creation as a Faithful Creator. And the work that he has begun in us He certainly will be faithful to complete (Philippians 1:6) and he is currently working in His people to will and to do His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). God is working to bring about His will on the earth. “The Lord works righteousness and justice for all who are oppressed” (Psalm 103:6). God loves righteousness & justice which are also the foundation of His throne. Everything God does is right, just & good. Never has God comprised His righteousness or justice. The earth is filled with the goodness of God. God’s goodness is displayed in the even the little details of life on earth. Through the sunrise with birds chirping, through the rain that nourishes the ground, plants and animals. David said “For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy.”(Psalm 92:4). He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and merciful. (Psalm 111:4 ESV)
God’s Will Prevails
The Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples.
The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations.
Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
the people whom he has chosen as his heritage! 33:10-12 ESV
God frustrates & nullifies the plans of the peoples but His plans stand firm. Why do the nations rage & plot in vain? The Lord sits in the Heavens and laughs (Psalm 2). This is what the Apostles quoted in reference to the Jewish rulers plotting against Jesus and having Him crucified. (Acts 4) If you want to read more on glorious biblical truth see Isaiah 40-46. Isaiah 40:8 says that God’s words stand forever. What God has said will come to pass. This is a humbling & comforting truth. It is humbling because it directs us to align our wills & plans with what he has revealed in His word and trust in what He has in store for our lives. Our times are in his hand (Psalm 31:15). This is why James exhorts us to have say “if the Lord wills” over our plans (James 4:13-14), because we can make plans but ultimately we are not in control. God is! He is the Alpha & Omega, Beginning & the End and knows the future holds. This should be comforting for us because God’s plans are very good (Jeremiah 29:11). God is worshipped in Heaven for this very reason. “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.” Rev. 4:11 (ESV). The book of Revelation does a glorious job of revealing Jesus as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who is Sovereign over human history.
God Watches Over His People
The Lord looks down from heaven;
he sees all the children of man;
from where he sits enthroned he looks out
on all the inhabitants of the earth,
he who fashions the hearts of them all
and observes all their deeds.
The king is not saved by his great army;
a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.
The war horse is a false hope for salvation,
and by its great might it cannot rescue.
Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,
on those who hope in his steadfast love,
that he may deliver their soul from death
and keep them alive in famine. Psalm 33:13-19 ESV
Nothing gets past God; He sees all and knows all. “The eyes of the Lord are in every place beholding the good and the evil“(Proverbs 15:3). One day he repay those who practice evil and in righteousness He will judge the earth (Acts 17:31). His eyes are on the righteous and His ears are open to hear their prayers (Psalm 34:16). Everything the child of God faces in this life is Father-filtered. Nothing comes our way unless it is first permitted by God. Saints we can rest assured that our God is mighty to save, He is able save and he will deliver us but even if he doesn’t we will not worship any other god (Daniel 3:17-18).
Charles Spurgeon unpacked verse 19 well saying “The Lord’s hand goes with his eye; he sovereignly preserves those whom he graciously observes. Rescues and restorations hedge about the lives of the saints; death cannot touch them till the King signs his warrant and gives him leave, and even then his touch is not so much mortal as immortal; he doth not so much kill us as kill our mortality.”
One great delight I have as a father is taking my son Carson to the playground. I get much 
delight from seeing him enjoy the playground and unleash his boyhood. Because my son is about 18 months old I keep a close watch on him and filter what he is doing and where he is at. I do my best to protect him from harm and give him my help when needed. I do lovely watch over my son but my watching over him is imperfect because I’m imperfect and limited to what I can do. The Almighty God our Father keeps a perfect watch over you and me and He knows what is best for us and filters everything that comes our way. God is sovereign over creation, in history and in your life. You can trust Him at all times and rest assured that He is in control.
Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield. For our heart is glad in him,
because we trust in his holy name. Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,
even as we hope in you. Psalm 33:20-22 ESV
Here is the link to the sermon I preached on Psalm 33:
http://citychurchintl.org/connect-with-cci/english-sermons/
Here is a new song titled Sovereign by Chris Tomlin:
For The Gospel's Sake 