Welcome to the Kerwin Baptist Church broadcast today. Our desire is for the Word of God to be spread throughout the world so that all may know Christ. Join us now for a portion of one of our services here at Kerwin Baptist Church, located in Kernersville, North Carolina. The Lord, this chapter begins and ends. With praise ye the Lord.
By the way, our life should begin and end. with praise ye the Lord. See, life really begins at salvation. And if you've never been saved, today is the day of salvation. But if you have, your life began the moment you put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ.
Your spirit. was revived. A spirit that had been dead but was regenerated. and you are now alive with Christ. Praise ye the Lord.
But we don't just praise Him when we're born. We don't just praise Him while we live. We praise Him till the very end. And this chapter talks about it.
Now, Psalm 145, we believe that David probably wrote about the time that he. had faced Goliath. And obviously, the book of Psalms was a hymn book, obviously. But Psalm 146, 147, 148, 149, and 150 are all psalms of praise. They were songs that were sung individually, but they were also on special occasions songs that were sung back to back.
And we're going to deal today with Psalm 146 in just two areas, really, our praise and our trust. And so we're going to take a break in all that we do right here at the beginning of the year, and we're going to take a Sunday and we're going to praise. And I want to encourage you at the end of the message, we're going to give you a chance. To praise. Let's pray.
Lord, I love you. Thank you for all that you've done. Please bless us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Number one today in Psalm 146, our praise. Look at verse 1. Praise ye the Lord. Now he gets a little bit more specific. Notice next we see the center of my praise.
He says, Praise the Lord, O my soul. Our soul is the center. Of our praise. Listen to me, the soul can praise even when the body can't. The soul can praise even when the mind doesn't want to.
Our soul is what has been redeemed in salvation. Our soul is eternal. Satan can attack my body. He can oppress my mind. He can influence my attitude.
He can even empty my wallet, but he can't touch my soul. And I want to encourage you today, your soul and my soul, if you've been saved by the grace of God, we have much to praise God for. The center of our praise. By the way, a lot of people only praise when they feel like it. They only praise when they're around other people that praise.
It's not about the mind, it's not about the will, it's not about the emotions. It's our soul, it's who we are. We have much to praise God for. Notice, secondly, not just the center of my praise, but the continuance of my praise. What does he say in verse 2?
While I live, Will I praise the Lord? That means this, while I live, I have something to praise God for. Are you alive today? Lord, I hope so. If you're not, raise your hand.
We'll call an ambulance. If you're dead, raise your hand. I don't see any hands. I didn't say if you feel dead. I mean, if you are dead.
What does it mean? It means if I'm alive, I should be grateful.
Now y'all are getting a little bit slow this morning.
Now we're gonna have to pick this thing up. The slower you get, the slower I get. Yeah, that's right, yeah. There goes Terry. What is he saying?
If I have breath. I'm blessed. Yeah, you're right. Yes, sir. No, the Bible says for me to live.
is Christ. Number three, I want you to see the commitment of my praise. Not just the center of my praise, my soul, not just the continuance of my praise, my life. But notice 30, he said, I will sing praises unto my God. Notice this, while I have any being.
That means at the very end to the very last breath. I am going to praise God. Listen to me. This is praising God to the very end. This is praising God till you take your last breath.
This is praising God in the deathbed. in the hospital bed. This is the body breaking down, the heart giving out, the lungs shutting off, but praising God to the end. May I say something? Oftentimes it's one of the hardest places to praise.
But I'm going to tell you something. I've watched a lot and there, you know. One thing that you think about, I'm just so thankful for how God used him here all these years and all that we, you know, what he did. I can't tell you how many boys and girls probably got saved, buses that he's driven, buses that he's captained, and all these different things. And there's probably 70 to 80% of this church you have no idea you never got to meet Burtis Hampton.
Bertis was one of our deacons. But I'm going to tell you something. I watched Burtis faithfully serve God through trials, through losing children, through everything. I watched him faithfully serve God for years. And it got down to the very end.
He began to lose his eyesight. He began to go blind. Then he began where he couldn't breathe, and his blood counts were down. And I remember Burtis pulling oxygen tanks into the services. I remember it got so bad at the end that Burtis is pulling oxygen tanks and somebody's pulling Burtis because he couldn't see.
I've sat in the house where he couldn't breathe and I've talked to him, but I'm here to tell you, Burtis didn't just praise God when he had the energy to run the bus. He didn't just praise God when he was able to be here in church. When he had oxygen, when he couldn't see, when he couldn't talk, when he couldn't breathe, while he still had being, he praised God. That's a commitment. I hope you and I are committed.
to praise God that way. Praise ye. The Lord. As part of this songbook, we have the first stanza of the next Five chapters. He talks about our trust.
Who do you trust? Who have you put your trust in? Who are you dependent upon?
Now I'm going to preach on praise today, and this is every little line of a verse, and I'm going to give them to you. And if you can't praise at the end of this, then your appraiser is broke. I want you to notice first, he gives us the frailty of man. Look at verse 3. Put not your trust in princes.
Number one, he says this, man's authority is limited.
Now, why does he bring up princes? Here in the next phrase, he brings up just men in general. But he says here first: listen, don't trust in princes. You see, princes are individuals that they have position, they have resources, they have wealth, they have clout. Princes have authority on earth, but God has authority in heaven.
Man's authority is limited. They might be princes, but he is king of kings and lord of lords.
So let me just tell you right now: if you have any of your dependence and any of your trust centered on anything earthly or human, you are in for a disappointment. Man's authority is limited. Notice a second, he said, man's ability is limited. He said, nor am the Son of Man. That's humanity.
Notice what he says. In whom? There is no help. Listen, man's authority is limited, and can I tell you something about us? Man's ability is limited.
There is no real help. Man's ability is limited, man's resources are limited, man's wisdom is limited, man's knowledge is limited, everything about man is limited, and everything about God is limitless. God can help you when men can't. God can direct you when men don't know what to do. God knows the future, man doesn't.
God knows your limits, men don't. It means this: you better put your trust in something a lot bigger than a person. You better put your trust in something a lot more stable than circumstances. Man's authority is limited. Man's ability is limited.
Notice number three: man's age. is limited. Look what he says in verse 4. His breath goeth forth. He returneth.
to his earth. You see, when you put your trust in an individual, They might die. Man's time is limited. Man's breath is limited. But can I tell you who doesn't die?
God doesn't die. Can I tell you who is eternal? God's eternal.
Now I want you to notice this last phrase. I thought this was good. He talks about man dying. Notice what he says. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth in that very day.
That very day. His thoughts Perish.
Now, I tell you, I might read it wrong, but I'm going to tell you what I thought about that. I can't tell you how many conversations I've had with people.
Some of you here, Nick, we've had these conversations about heaven. What's this going to be like? What's that going to be like? Why did this happen on earth? Why is God allowing this?
Why is this whatever? Can I tell you something? I believe with all my heart after I read this verse that the day that we die, the day we're done here on earth, and by the way, when you're saved, you don't see death. You only see the shadow of death. God defeated death.
So in Psalm 23, David says, I don't have to face death. All I have to face is what looks like death to everyone else. It's just a shadow. It can't hurt you. It's not real.
Absent from the body is present with the Lord. But I believe that the moment we take our last breath on earth, our thoughts pass. Perish. It's not gonna matter! All these things that I'm going to ask God to explain to me.
You probably aren't even going to care when you get there. You won't even remember it when you get there. Our thoughts are all going to be... on him. He says, the frailty of man, don't trust man.
Listen, man's authority is limited, man's ability is limited, even man's age is limited. But he doesn't just give us the frailty of man. Last, he gives us the faithfulness. of God. I want you to notice number one And I love this.
He shows us the help that he gives. Look at verse 9. Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob. For His Help. The faithfulness of God.
That means the help that He gives. Jacob was a deceiver. Jacob was a trickster. Everything Abraham had came from God. Everything Isaac had came from Abraham.
But everything Jacob had, he got himself. He manipulated. He tricked. He didn't get it from God. He didn't even get it from dad or grandpa.
He got it all through his own means. And before it was all said and done, Jacob had everything but one thing, and that was the blessing of God. And Jacob finds himself in the middle of the night wrestling the angel of the Lord. And he says to that angel, I'm not going to let you go. Until you bless me.
Somewhere in the middle of that night. God became Jacobs Help. Jacob had always been his own help. But let me tell you something about the God of Jacob. He gives help.
See a lot of you and a lot of us think we can help ourselves. But let me tell you something about the faithfulness of our God. It's the help that He gives. Notice number two: it's the hope that He is. Look at verse 5.
Whose hope? is in the Lord his God, not just my help. My hope. Let me say this: God doesn't give us hope, He is our hope. Quit asking God for hope.
If he's your Savior, you already have hope. Ask him for the ability to see what you already have. Listen to me, you don't need to find hope, you just need to find God. He is our hope. Notice number three, we see the power that he has.
Look at verse 6. Which made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that therein is. He made heaven, that's everything above us. He made earth, that's everything that we're on and beneath us. He made the sea, that's all oceans, all bodies of water.
And notice that, and all that therein is. Everything in the heaven, everything on the earth, everything in the sea, God made it all. He is that kind of power. You better trust that. Can I tell you something?
Man didn't make, man didn't make the heavens. Can I tell you something? Man didn't make, man didn't make the earth.
Now man's trying to ruin the earth, but man didn't make the earth. Can I tell you something else? Man doesn't make, he doesn't make the sea. In fact, there is like 70% of our oceans has never even been seen by an individual. It's too deep for us to even get to.
That's who we're talking about. The power. Notice this, which keepeth truth Forever. the power that he has. Notice number four, we see the justice that he executes.
Look at verse 7, which executeth judgment for the oppressed. You know, our judicial system might be messed up. There might be judges and politicians that are corrupt at times. I know that's hard to believe. But aren't you glad I don't have to rest on their judgment?
Aren't you glad they're not the final authority? Real judgment is going to be executed by God. Justice here on earth. might have you oppressed. But God says, I'm going to execute judgment.
Four. The oppressed. Notice number five, we see the supply that he provides. Look what he says here in verse 7, which giveth food to the... To the hungry.
Don't even get me started on how God has provided for me. And every one of us could stand up and take all day to tell everyone else how God has provided for you. Let's not get stuck on all the provisions we think we don't have. Let's have some praise today for the provisions, if I can get it out, for the provisions that God has given. If you got a car in that parking lot, you're blessed.
Half the people on this world don't have any means of transportation. If you have clothes on, we're blessed. Yeah.
Some of you didn't even get that. I said, if you have a car, you're blessed. If you have clothes on, we're blessed. I don't care how you look at it, we're blessed. Keep those clothes on.
The supply he provides. Number six, I want you to see the freedom he gives.
Now, listen, I can make a sermon on every one of these. Aren't you glad I'm not? Number six, the freedom he gives. Look at verse seven. The Lord.
Luceth The prisoners. We become prisoners to a lot of things in life. You might be a prisoner today to bitterness. to laziness. to apathy.
To hurt. even a prisoner to a substance. to an addiction. You may be angry, hurt, even paralyzed by injustices. That have influenced your life.
Can I tell you something? We have people sitting right here in this building that have been in jail. We have people sitting right here in this building. That have been addicted to alcohol. We have people sitting right here in this building that have been addicted to drugs.
Some of you know what it was like.
Some of you remember where you were. And can I say something today? If anybody ought to have some praise for a holy God, it's you. And just because you're sitting here and say, well, I've never tasted alcohol, which I haven't, and I've never even smoked a cigarette, which I haven't. Can I tell you something?
We get prisoners to a whole lot of other things in our life. And let me tell you something about God. If you're here and you're oppressed and you feel like you're in some kind of prison bars that you might have created in your own life, God frees the imprisoned. He sets you free. May I say number seven, the discernment that he delivers.
Look, if you would have verse 8, it says, The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind.
Now, this is a prophetic statement. One of the things that would show when the Messiah is here and that He is the Messiah is that He would be able to open the eyes of the blind. But spiritually speaking, God still opens the eyes of the blind. You and I were blind in our trespasses and sin. We were in darkness till we heard the light of His gospel.
And may I say something? God still opens eyes. Just because you got saved doesn't mean you don't still need your eyes opened. And it's called discernment. And God can help you with that.
Some of you are struggling: what do I do? Where do I go? Do I take this job? Do I not take this job? Do I move here?
Do I not move here? Do I make this move? Do I not do this? Listen, can I tell you something? God will give discernment if you will allow.
May I say number eight, we see the encouragement that he brings. Look at verse 8. The Lord raiseth them. Better bowed down. You don't have to put your hand up.
Anyone here bowed down today? Anybody here a little worn out today? I was talking with a precious lady. It's been coming here to our church as I was coming in, praying. My husband has dementia and some other things and I told her, I said, I'm praying for you.
She says, I need it. You bow down today. You got a load on you today? Has life gotten to you? Has some of the circumstances that have been happening.
Can I tell you something? I might not always know when you go through that, and I might not be able to raise you up when you go through that, and there might not be any individuals around when you need it the most, but you don't need individuals, and you don't even need me. If you have Christ, if you've been saved, can I tell you something? God raises up those that are bowed down. May I say number nine, we see the love he bestows.
The Lord loveth the righteous. Remember, we are not righteous because we had righteousness. We are righteous in the eyes of God through the blood of Jesus Christ. And the fact that the God of creation loves. Us.
I could spend all day on that. Number 10, I want you to see the protection that he offers. Verse 9, the Lord preserveth. The strangers. That word preserve means to keep alive.
protection You know how much protection God probably gives you and me that we never, ever see. Look, I mean, I'm not trying to be dramatic, and I'm not trying to be like just overly. And we can make a point on everything and say, you know what, you ought to be up here at this offer. I'm not here to guild anybody or manipulate you. I don't preach so people will come to the altar.
And listen, this altar, I've heard people say, well, the altar is a worship of man. Listen, this altar ain't a worship of man. We better make sure that's right, real clear. This altar is to worship God, and this altar is for you to publicly say to God: I'm going to humble myself, get there. I believe that I've got a decision to make.
You can make it in your seat, you can make it here, just make it. But I will tell you this, all of us probably, if we were honest, ought to get in this altar and we ought to praise God for about six hours for all the accidents, all the things that didn't happen to us.
Well, we want to blame God when one thing does happen. We want to blame God when a tragedy happens. I've sat with people that had unbelievable tragedies and they get mad at God about it and what you want to say is, hey, where was your thanks for the last 40 years until this happened? You didn't thank God for 40 years every day that this accident didn't happen, and the one day it does, now we're mad at God. Can you imagine what God puts up with from us?
How little we appreciate? and how quick we are to get angry. May I say number 11, I want you to see the compassion that he feels. Verse 9, it says, He relieveth the fatherless. And widow But the way of the wicked.
He turneth Upside down. What's interesting right now, you and I would see a wicked generation that seems to be getting everything they want. And then you have people that serve God, gone to church, worked faithfully, paid their bills. They don't have mansions, they don't have boats, they're not famous on movies or anything like that. And what happens?
They get to the point they can't get out. The widows, the fatherless, orphans, different things, we think that they don't have anything. Can I tell you what God says? Hey, those wicked. I'm going to turn them upside down.
But let me tell you who God loves and has compassion for, and it's the ones that you think have nothing. I want you to notice number Twelve. the authority that he possesses. Look at verse 10. The Lord shall reign.
Forever. Even Even Even God. It's not just that God's going to reign eternal. It's personal. Your God.
Yeah.
It's gonna rain eternal.
Now, I love this verse. Look at this verse. O Zion, unto all Generations. God's in charge. He always will be in charge.
He was in charge of my dad is alive. He's in charge of my dad's not alive. He's in charge while I'm here. He's going to be in charge if I'm not here. And may I say something to every generation, guess who is going to be in charge?
God will. Look what it says unto all generations Praise ye. The Lord. Now, I got to tell you what's interesting. I thought, you know, as I was reading, I thought, you know, what about this?
These Old Testament names for God and I decided I'm going to do a little bit of research here and I'm going to look at some of these names and just this one chapter, all these different things that it's given that we're to praise God for. Don't put your trust in man. Man's authority is limited, man's ability is limited, man's age is limited, but everything that we have just seen is limitless. This is who you ought to trust. This is who you ought to depend on.
This is who we are to praise. Praise ye the Lord as it begins. Praise ye the Lord as it ends. Praise God as long as you have being. If you're on oxygen, if you can't see, if you're laying on a deathbed, you just keep praising God because He's going to be king while you are alive.
He's going to be king when you die. And when you take your next step in glory, He's going to be king eternal.
So I thought, well, I'm going to do a little research and I'm going to see here. And so, as I went all the way back down through it, I couldn't believe it. I looked in verse 5 and Happy is he that hath God of Jacob for his help, Jehovah Shama. The Lord is there. I go to verse 5, whose hope is in the Lord is God, Jehovah Rah, the Lord is my shepherd, the power that he has, El Shaddai, Lord God Almighty, in verse 6, which made heaven, earth, and the sea.
The justice that he executes, El Olam, the everlasting God, Elohim, God, El Kwana, jealous. God is jealous. He is going to execute judgment. I go to verse 7, the supply that he provides. Jehovah Jireh, the Lord will provide.
The freedom that he gives in verse 7, the Lord looseth the prisoners. Jehovah Shalom, the Lord is peace. The discernment he delivers. The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind. Jehovah Mechishodim, the Lord who sanctifies you.
The encouragement that he brings. Jehovah Rapha, verse 8, the Lord that heals. The love he bestows. The Lord loveth the righteous. Jehovah Sitkanu, the Lord, our righteousness.
Verse 10, the protection that he offers. Jehovah Nisi, the Lord, my banner. Verse 11, I mean, verse 9, the compassion that he feels. Jehovah Sabbath. The Lord of hosts.
He's our Lord. You go into verse 12, verse 10. The Lord shall reign forever. El Elion, the Most High God. Adonai, my master.
Yahweh, Jehovah. El Olam, the everlasting God. I look at verse 10. The Lord, Jehovah, who it means shall, he is, he was, he always will be. The Lord, Jehovah, shall reign forever.
El Alam, the everlasting God. Even thy God, Adonai, master. El Alam, the most high God. O Zion, unto all generations. Jehovah Shamma, the Lord is there to all generations.
Praise ye the Lord. Jehovah Sabbath, the Lord of hosts. Everywhere you look in here, every name of God, listen, you and I have something to praise God for. We need to get off our little, our little pity party. We need to get, you know, we sometimes sit on a newspaper and dangle our feet.
That's how low we are. Can I tell you something today on a rainy day and an overcast day, and we've had some cold this week and all that. Can I tell you something? We have a lot to praise God for. And I'm asking you today to set aside your trials and set aside your troubles and set aside the thing that always seems to take our focus.
And can I ask you today? Could you praise God a little bit? Can you praise you, the Lord? Praise you the Lord. God's been good to me.
He's been good to you. Let's bow our heads. I appreciate you listening today. I want to ask, not everybody can. But I think there ought to be some, you ought to find a place at the altar today.
The greatest news that anyone can receive is the news of the free gift of salvation found in Jesus Christ. It is our desire for you to know him personally. Would you take a moment to hear this to-day? Every man is born with a sin nature. Romans 3:23 says, For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
No matter how hard we try, We're not good enough to obtain God's glory. or to get to heaven. Because of that sin carries the penalty of death. Romans 6.23 says, For the wages of sin is death. But the gift of God is eternal life for the through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The wages of our sin, or the payment of our sin, only equals death and separation from God. But it's only through God's gift salvation through Jesus Christ that we can accept Him as our Savior. Jesus Christ paid for your sin debt. The Bible says in Romans 5:8, But God commendeth his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. All you have to do is receive Christ.
by faith as your Saviour. Romans 10.9 says That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Verse 13 continues, For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. It's as simple as admitting that you're a sinner believing that Jesus is the only way. and calling upon his name.
Bible says whosoever that's anyone can call upon the name of the Lord to be saved. Have you accepted Christ as your personal Savior? There is no greater day than today to take care of this. Would you accept Christ as your Saviour? If you have any questions, please give us a call at 336-993-5192 or visit our website at Crowin Baptist Church.
Dot com. or visits that person at one of our three service times. We hope you have a great rest of your day. God bless you. Mm-hmm.
