First Presbyterian Church s1

First Presbyterian Church Rev. Michael J. Imperiale Salt Lake City, Utah November 13, 2016 “The Lord is Near: Call on Him”* Psalm 145:1-9, 17-21 1 I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name forever and ever. 2 Every day I will praise you and extol your name forever and ever. 3 Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. 4 One generation commends your works to another; they tell of your mighty acts. 5 They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty— and I will meditate on your wonderful works. 6 They tell of the power of your awesome works— and I will proclaim your great deeds. 7 They celebrate your abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness. 8 The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. 9 The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.

17 The LORD is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does. 18 The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. 19 He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them. 20 The LORD watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy. 21 My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD. Let every creature praise his holy name forever and ever.

Introduction A pastor friend was telling about a somewhat common pastoral experience. Out of the blue, a young man he hadn’t seen in a few years stopped in. He was obviously troubled and just needed to talk. “I don’t know, pastor... Maybe it’s an identity crisis. I just can’t shake this feeling that I’m nothing... a nobody... just an anonymous speck of dust on this huge planet... I feel totally forgettable...” And all the while, the pastor is thinking, “Man, I wish I could remember this guy’s name!” (been there, done that). Yeah, it’s a difficult thing to be human. There’s a long list of personal troubles that you and I can or will experience; like this young man with some self-esteem issues. There’s depression, anger, fear and worry. Who hasn’t known betrayal or bitterness, temptation or guilt? These human struggles are common for individuals, families, and even nations. Former Utes basketball coach Rick Majerus jokingly said, “Everyone’s worried about the economy this year. Hey, my hairline is in recession, my waistline is in inflation, and altogether, I’m in depression.” We’ve just been through campaigns and elections rife with trust issues and abuse issues. And, by the way, the Bible knows and speaks about all of these problems. As the writer of Ecclesiastes says, “There’s nothing new under the sun.” Yet, the God who created us and seeks to redeem us, cares. Every verse and thought in the psalm we just read tries to express the grace and goodness of the Lord, even in the face of our humanness.

1 I. The ABCs of Praise (vs. 1-7) “I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name forever and ever. Every day I will praise you and extol your name forever and ever.” Something has happened, something God has done inspired the poet/song writer David to begin with praise. “I will exalt... I will praise... I will praise and extol...” And he tells us why! The reason for praise lies in God’s greatness. “Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.” His wonderful works, his mighty acts, his great deeds are the basis for David’s song. As humans, we naturally ascribe praise to other people and things. Who didn’t say “wow” when Grace VanderWaal finished her song “Clay” to win the 2016 America's Got Talent? I roar right along with the crowd when the Utes score a touchdown. We stand and cheer when a loved one performs well (or not so well). God designed us to enjoy greatness, but we miss out on true greatness when we don’t give praise and honor to God for his greatness and all he accomplishes in the world. I can hear the closing chorus in Handel’s Messiah from Revelation 5:13, “Blessing, and honour, glory, and power, be unto him, be unto him who sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever.” David is certainly remembering God’s faithfulness to the covenant. The Lord is perpetually loyal to his covenant people. Going all the way back to Abraham and Moses up to king David’s life (small k for king David, large K for “I will exalt you, my God the King”), the Lord kept his promises. The people of God ever since have read Psalm 145 with the same faith and assurance. In Jewish practice, no Psalm is better known or recited more frequently than Psalm 145. Known by its liturgical title Ashre, this psalm was recited twice in the morning and once in the evening service. It was said that whoever did this has a share in the world to come. In Hebrew, Psalm 145 is memorable since it is an acrostic. Each verse begins with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet: Aleph, Beth, Gimel, Daleth, He; A,B,C,D,E. As you study God's Word this week alone or with family or friend, circle or underline all his great qualities you see. Add them to your prayer journal. Whether you are going through a difficult time, or even-keeled, or things are really good, use the ABCs or a word like P-R-A-I-S-E and spend more time than usual praising God for his greatness being revealed. Give it a try. Do “praise” right now. What would you say beginning with the letter P______? R______? A______? I______? S______? E______? Again, if you are in the midst of difficulty with depression, anger, fear or worry, give praise a try, taking your eyes off yourself and looking to the Lord. Or, if things are going smoothly or well, do the same. Use Psalm 145. He knows our faults, our weaknesses, our sins, and our rebellions, yet He loves us.

2 II. Call on the Lord (vs. 8-9, 17-21) And so, David moves from God’s divine reign to his divine regard, the dichotomy of transcendence and immanence (God way out there in eternity/God right here now). God not only reveals his greatness to us, he also shares His greatness with us. “The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made... The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.”

Gladys Aylward was an English missionary to China. She was forced to flee when the Japanese invaded Yang Cheng in northern China in 1938. She led more than 100 orphans on a 12-day march over the mountains toward Free China. During that harrowing trip, she struggled with despair like never before. She was facing no hope of reaching safety when a little 13-year old girl reminded her of their much-loved story of Moses and the Red Sea. “But I’m not Moses,” Gladys told the girl. “Of course you aren’t,” she said. “But God is still God!” On the twelfth day they reached the Yellow River. There was no way to cross. The children were tired and hungry and growing weaker by the day. But God answered their prayers again as Chinese soldiers happened by and helped the children across. Gladys and the orphans made it through. For many years then in Taiwan, Gladys continued to help orphans. On New Year’s Day in 1970, she fed and bathed an orphaned baby and tucked the child into a crib. Gladys went to sleep that night in Taipei and woke up in Heaven. 3 God has a compassionate love for people. From David in about 1000 B.C. to Gladys Aylward in about 2000 A.D. there have been countless people who have known the compassionate love of the Lord. It says, “The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them. The LORD watches over all who love him.” Conclusion Remember that God has revealed his greatness to us mostly through his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. God revealed his omniscience as Jesus taught and amazed the crowds with his wisdom and knowledge. God revealed his omnipotence as Jesus raised up miracles and mighty works. God revealed his omnipresence as Jesus walked the earth and ascended to heaven, but also promised that he would be with us till the end of the age (Matt 28:20). We see the greatest of the greatness of God in the gospel of Jesus in his life, death and resurrection as he wisely and powerfully conquered Satan, sin, and death. Praise the name of Jesus! So friends, remember Psalm 145: “The LORD is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does.” God reveals his greatness and he shares it with us in his saving grace every day. Shall we pray together? “I will exalt you, my God the King. for great are you, LORD and most worthy of praise. Because you are gracious and compassionate, good to all, near to all who call on you, I will call on you in truth. Hear the cries of your people, Lord, and save us. My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD. Let every creature praise his holy name forever and ever. Amen.”