1. Merciful and Mighty (verses 1-6)
2. Caring and Compassionate (verses 7-11)
3. Peaceful and Powerful (verses 12-20)

There are some things in this life that are appropriate to do. There are some things in this life that are not appropriate to do.

I remember when our children were small, we had a unique way of teaching them about table manners. We called it, “The Bad Manners Game.” Yvonne never liked this game. But our children sure did. Here’s the game. Someone sitting at the table is selected to go first. He (or she) then, does something that is not appropriate to do while at the table. And then, those around the table identify what exactly is wrong with their behavior. Then, the next person around the table has their opportunity to show off their “Bad Manners.”

During this game, anything goes. Usually, the game begins quite calm. with someone slurping their milk. or chewing with their mouth open. or eating with their fingers. or putting their elbows on the table. But as the game progresses, you begin to see some very funny behavior. people standing on their chairs. or putting French fries up their noses. or sticking their face in their mashed potatoes. or throwing their carrots at their sister.

I trust that you can see now how Yvonne never really liked this game. But our children loved it! They would always would beg that we could have another round. And when we had visitors over, it was quite the adventure. (I think that some families were shocked at the behavior of the pastor and his family).

But it was effective. Our children, through some process, naturally knew what “good manners” were and what “bad manners” were. They knew what was appropriate at the dinner table and what wasn’t appropriate at the dinner table.

Well, this morning, we are going to look at something that is always appropriate. The praise of God is always appropriate.

The title of my message this morning is this: “Praise is Fitting.” That is, it praise is an appropriate thing to do. It is the proper thing to do.

On the human level in the normal day, good manners are appropriate because they are an expression of love toward those around you. You love other people when you say, “Please” and “Thank You.” You love other people when you don’t reach over their plates to get the ketchup. You love other people when you wipe your food off of your face. But good manners are also appropriate at times when you find yourself in the presence of one with authority. When you stand before a judge or police officer, you say “Sir,” and “Thank you” with the utmost respect for them in the moment.

With God, it is somewhat the same. First of all, praise is fitting because of our love towards God. when you recognize how kind God is, praise is appropriate. when you understand his grace toward you in Christ, praise is proper. And when you see the mighty power of God, it is proper to praise him in awe of who his great wonders! Well, we see all of this in our Psalm this morning: Psalm 147.

Last week, we began a short series in the Hallelujah Psalms, That is, the last five Psalms in the Psaltar, Psalms 146, 147, 148, 149, and 150. They are called the Hallelujah Psalms because they all begin and end with “Hallelujah!” We translate this in English with the words, “Praise the LORD.”

My heart and aim for us in working through these Psalms is that we all would gain a fresh perspective on worship through these Psalms. I desire that we would be better at praising the LORD. I pray that we would desire to praise the LORD more than ever before. This morning, we are looking at Psalm 147.

I want to read the Psalm. And as I do, notice the beginning and the end of the Psalm, and throughout the Psalm, how it continually calls us to “Praise the LORD.”

Psalm 147
Praise the LORD!
For it is good to sing praises to our God;
for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.
The LORD builds up Jerusalem;
he gathers the outcasts of Israel.
He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
He determines the number of the stars;
he gives to all of them their names.
Great is our LORD, and abundant in power;
his understanding is beyond measure.
The LORD lifts up the humble;
he casts the wicked to the ground.

Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving;
make melody to our God on the lyre!
He covers the heavens with clouds;
he prepares rain for the earth;
he makes grass grow on the hills.
He gives to the beasts their food,
and to the young ravens that cry.
His delight is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,
but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,
in those who hope in his steadfast love.

Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!
For he strengthens the bars of your gates;
he blesses your children within you.
He makes peace in your borders;
he fills you with the finest of the wheat.
He sends out his command to the earth;
his word runs swiftly.
He gives snow like wool;
he scatters frost like ashes.
He hurls down his crystals of ice like crumbs;
who can stand before his cold?
He sends out his word, and melts them;
he makes his wind blow and the waters flow.
He declares his word to Jacob,
his statutes and rules to Israel.
He has not dealt thus with any other nation;
they do not know his rules.
Praise the LORD!

This Psalm breaks down nicely into three sections. Each section begins with a call to praise the LORD.

Verse 1, "Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting."
Verse 7, "Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; make melody to our God on the lyre!"
Verse 12, "Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion!"

These three verses form the beginning of each section of this Psalm. Each of them call us to praise the LORD. Then, following the call, there are reasons to praise the LORD. because of what God does, and how he deals with us. These reasons only point out how appropriate it is for us to praise the LORD. He is worthy of our praise. Thus, the title of my message, “Praise is fitting.”

I get the wording of this title from verse 1.

Psalm 147:1
Praise the LORD!
For it is good to sing praises to our God;
for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting.

That is, it is proper. It is suitable It is appropriate. It is the right thing to do. Literally, the Hebrew means that it praise is “beautiful” and “delightful.” That’s they the Old King James translates this verse, “Praise is comely” “Comely” means “attractive” and “beautiful,” such that you want to come and see. That’s what praise it. It’s a lovely thing. It’s a beautiful thing. That’s what praise is. It’s beautiful and appropriate.

Further, verse 1 tells us that praise is good and pleasant. It’s wholesome. It’s nice and satisfying. It’s fitting. “Praise is fitting.”

The rest of the Psalm is committed to drawing us into the praise of God, by seeing his goodness and his grace, and by seeing his power and his provision. In fact, almost every line of the Psalm tells us something about the LORD and what he does. They either focus upon God’s goodness or his greatness.

The idea of the Psalm is simple: The Psalmist puts forth who God is, and we ought to be drawn in by his beauty, and come to worship him and sing praises to him! It’s much like a great piece of art, that attracts people from all over the world to come and see.

Take, for instance, the Mona Lisa, this half-length portrait was painted by Italian artist, Leonardo DaVinci in the early 1500’s. It is the most famous painting in the world. It has been on display in the Louve in France since 1797. It is the most valuable painting in the world. The value of the painting is north of a billion dollars! (That’s why if you go and see it today, you must look at it through bullet-proof glass).

The Mona Lisa is the most visited painting in the world. Over ten million people flock to Paris each year to see the painting. And why do they come? They want to see the greatness of the work of art. They want to see the wonders of the painting. They want to see the teasing smile upon her face. They want to set their eyes upon the most valuable painting in the world.

And when it comes to the worship of God, much is the same. We come to see the wonders of his grace! We come to acknowledge the greatness of his power. It is fitting for us to praise the LORD.

OK, so let’s look at the first things that the Psalmist tells us about the LORD. First of all, he says, the LORD is ...

1. Merciful and Mighty (verses 1-6)

In this section of the Psalm, we see this beautiful combination of God’s attributes. Yes, he is mighty. But he combines that might with mercy. Unlike the rich and powerful of our world today, who often combine their might with meanness, we see here that the LORD, in his might, is merciful.

We see his mercy in verse 2 and 3.

Psalm 147:2-3
The LORD builds up Jerusalem;
he gathers the outcasts of Israel.
He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.

This takes us back to Israel, to God’s people, the Jews. The LORD chose to make a mighty people of Abraham, The LORD gave them a place to live and worship, the city of Jerusalem. It’s the city that God built for these people. And in that city, the LORD gathered his people. Verse 2 (and some other verses in this Psalm) have led many to think that these Hallelujah Psalms were written during the days when the Jews returned from exile. This is during the days of Ezra and Nehemiah, when the people who were scattered, and considered to be the castaways, were brought back to Jerusalem to worship the LORD.

Now, whether that’s when these Psalms were written or not, they were certainly used during this time. The message here would have resonated with their hearts. He cares for those who are cast away, and left to be oppressed. He cares for them so much that he brings them back into the land. He restores their city for them.

We see (in verse 3), that "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." This is what God does in his mercy. He toes to those who have broken hearts, He cares for those who are wounded.

Do you remember when Jesus walked upon the earth? He didn’t gravitate toward those who were strong. He cared for the weak. He ate with the tax collectors and sinners, those who needed healing in their souls. When the religiously righteous Pharisees expressed their disapproval for Jesus going to such outcasts (verse 2), Jesus replied, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Matthew 9:12-13).

Such is the character of God, that he is merciful toward those who need mercy, whose hearts are broken, and who are wounded in their sin. Here’s the hope of the gospel, that we come to God, not because we are strong, but because we are weak. we come to God, not because our hearts are full, but because our hearts are broken and we need healing. And God, in his great mercy, takes us in and heals our wounds.

Are you brokenhearted today? Has life disappointed you? Has your spouse forsaken you? Have your children gone astray? Have you lost loved ones to death? Are you facing financial hardship? Then, God says, “Come.” Jesus says, “Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). God is merciful. He will receive you.

God is also mighty. We see this is verses 4 and 5.

Psalm 147:4-5
He determines the number of the stars;
he gives to all of them their names.
Great is our LORD, and abundant in power;
his understanding is beyond measure.

I cannot think of a more appropriate illustration of these verses than the James Webb Telescope. After a thirty years of development at a cost of more than $10 billion dollars, the James Webb Telescope was launched on Christmas Day (2021). It took a month to enter its orbit at the second Lagrange point, a million miles from the earth, away from the sun. It took five more months to cool down and calibrate its instruments. Only a few weeks ago (on July 11-12, 2022), NASA published the first images from the telescope.

My favorite image so far is known as “Webb’s First Deep Field,” It’s an image of galaxy cluster SMACS 0723.^[1]To give you a perspective of the scope of this picture, imagine taking an index card, poking a hold in the card the size of a grain of sand. then, hold that index card at arm’s length. and look through the hole. This is what you would see: galaxy cluster SMACS 0723. The image is cluttered with stars and galaxies. You can see a few stars in this image, they have the lens flares on them. But everything else that you see are galaxies. Each of those tiny dots are light coming from galaxies, comprised of hundreds of billions of stars. Scientists can’t even number all of the stars in this picture, let alone all of the stars in the sky.

Yet God has determined the number of stars in that location of our universe. He has given all of them names (verse 4). The amazing thing about the James Webb telescope is that we are seeing stars and galaxies in the universe that we never saw before. If (and when) we have a more powerful telescope, we will continue to see more and more and more of power and glory of God! Indeed, "Great is our LORD, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure" (verse 5). This is all mind blowing.

Yet, this God, who is so mighty, is also merciful.

Psalm 147:6
The LORD lifts up the humble;

Yes, the LORD is powerful. But he isn’t just concerned with himself. He looks to the humble (and brokenhearted), and will lift them up. "7 He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap" (Psalm 113:7). The LORD looks to the one who is "humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at [God's] word" (Isaiah 66:2).

But those who rebel, and continue to exalt themselves, God will take them to the ground, and cast them out.

Psalm 147:6
he casts the wicked to the ground.

The wicked have shaken their fists at him. The LORD will subdue them in the dirt. They are cast to the ground because they have refused to do what is fitting: the praise the LORD (see also Revelation 16:8-11).

Well, in verses 7-11, we have another call to praise the LORD. In these verses, we see that the LORD is 1...

2. Caring and Compassionate (verses 7-11)

The Psalmist begins this section by calling us to praise the LORD.

Psalm 147:7
Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving;
make melody to our God on the lyre!

He calls us to do so with music. This is what often comes to mind when we think of praising the LORD, we think of singing. We think of a worship band. We think of praising the LORD as synonymous with our singing time on Sunday morning.

Now, indeed, singing and making melody to God is a way that we praise the LORD, but it is far from the only way. Next week, when we look at Psalm 148, which is filled with commands to praise the LORD. (In fact, the command comes a dozen times in 14 verves), yet, never once does it mention music. Praising the LORD doesn’t always include music.

There are many ways to praise the LORD. Simply saying, “Praise the LORD!” is one way. You can pray silently and praise the LORD. You can praise the LORD with your body, a finger pointed into the heavens can give praise to God.

Now, having said that, singing is a big way that we can praise the LORD. We will see this in Psalm 149 (verse 1). We will especially see this in Psalm 150, which speaks of many musical instruments that come together in the great orchestra of praise. So, singing isn’t the only way to give praise to God, but it is one way.

Here, we are called to "Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; make melody to our God on the lyre!" Do you do this? When you come to church on Sunday morning, do you sing? Do you sing praise to God? Now, I know enough about church and people, particularly men, to know that some people don’t sing when they come to church. But you should. If for no other reason, than this Psalm calls us to sing, "Sing to the LORD" (verse 7).

There may be some of you who come to church and don’t sing. (I don’t know who you are, because I stand in front, and I look forward to those leading us in singing, and I don’t know if there are any of you who don’t sing). But I would encourage you to sing. I would encourage you to sing with your whole heart to the LORD. If nothing else, verse 1 tells us that "It is good to sing praises to our God." Not only are you commanded in verse 7 to praise the LORD, but praise of God is commended in verse 1. (Perhaps you might even want to pick up a music instrument, 7 make melody to our God on the lyre!

We see more reasons to praise the LORD in verses 8-9, which focus upon God's care for his creation.

Psalm 147:8-9
He covers the heavens with clouds;
he prepares rain for the earth;
he makes grass grow on the hills.
He gives to the beasts their food,
and to the young ravens that cry.

These verses talk about how God gives rain upon the earth, to make the grass grow, that the animals might eat. This shows what sort of care God has for his creatures. He provides us all with rain, that gives food, that gives us life. Ever since the creation of the world, the LORD has done this. He has provided the heavens with clouds to give rain to the earth.

This is a testimony to the goodness of God. Do you remember when Paul went to Lystra, to the pagan people of that city? Paul preached to them of how kind and caring God was to them. He told them to turn away from their idols and toward the Lord. Then he described the patience and goodness of God with these words: "In past generations he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways. Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness” (Acts 14:16-17). In other words, rain and fruitful seasons are a sign of God’s care for his creation.

Now, we are living in a time, when the clouds are drying up. We have some large reservoirs in the west that are at record low levels: Lake Mead, Lake Powell. Some people will say that this has been caused by too many carbon emissions, which has brought about global warming. Others will argue that we are merely in a warming trend, that hasn’t been caused by human intervention. The debate goes on and on. But this Psalm says that the ultimate cause of the lack of rain out west is the LORD! This is because God controls the weather. Do you know the difference between the weather man and God? The weather man predicts the weather, but God causes the weather.

Psalm 135:6-7
Whatever the LORD pleases, he does,
in heaven and on earth,
in the seas and all deeps.
He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth,
who makes lightnings for the rain
and brings forth the wind from his storehouses.

God can shut up the heavens for years. And at his command, it can rain again. He did this in the days of Elijah. Elijah prophesied, “As the LORD, the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word” (2 Kings 17:1). And it didn’t rain for three years, until Elijah gave the word, and there was rain.

There are times in the Bible when the lack of rain is a sign of judgment that God brings upon a people. When Solomon dedicated the temple, he prayed, "When heaven is shut up and there is no rain because they have sinned against you, if they pray toward this place and acknowledge your name and turn from their sin, when you afflict them. Then hear in heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people, Israel, when you teach them the good way in which they should walk, and grand rain upon your land, which you have given to your people as an inheritance" (1 Kings 8:35-36).

Perhaps, if our nation would repent and pray, then God might send rain to those in the western United States. He is certainly capable of doing so. Farmers regularly pray for rain. We should pray for the LORD to grant rains out west. We should pray for our nation to turn back to the LORD. Whether or not the lack of rain has come because of judgment, it is always appropriate to pray for our country. He is caring. He gives rain (verses 8-9).

God is also compassionate. We see this in verses 10-11.

Psalm 147:10-11
His delight is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,
but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,
in those who hope in his steadfast love.

Here, again, is the gospel, loud and clear. God doesn’t expect us to be strong in order to come into his presence. We don't need to be strong to come into God's presence. God is not impressed with the strength of man. God doesn't look at the great leaping ability of those in the NBA and say, "Wow!" God doesn’t look upon us all and take in the powerful. In fact, just the opposite.

Remember when you were young and had a pickup game of kickball? Two captains were selected from the group. Who did they pick? They would pick the best players to be on their team. When God is the captain, he looks for the worst players. He choses them to be on his team. Paul writes the following words to the church in Corinth:

1 Corinthians 1:26-31
For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

Salvation comes, not to the strong, but to the weak. Salvation comes to those who cry out to the LORD! and boast in him, not in their own strength or great wisdom. Your only hope in life and death is Christ alone, Christ alone! Everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved. "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9). Your only hope before the LORD is not your righteousness. But the mercy and compassion and grace of God.

Look again at verse 11. "The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love." God looks with pleasure toward those who fear him. God looks with pleasure toward those who hope in his steadfast love. That is, God is pleased with those who have come to an end of themselves, and have thrown themselves upon the love and compassion of God, upon his steadfast love. We saw this last week in Psalm 146:5, "Blessed are those who help is the God of Jacob." God is pleased when people come to the end of themselves and seek help from the Lord.

Is this you? Is God taking pleasure in you this morning? Do you fear him? Are you hoping in his steadfast love? Or, are you trying to be strong for the LORD as your grounds of hope? Are you trying to be good enough for God? You might as well jump to the far distant galaxies, than to be justified by your goodness before the LORD. Oh, church family, hope in the Lord. He cares for you. He is compassionate.

Finally, let’s turn to our third point: It comes in verses 12-20. Again, it begins with this call to praise (verse 12). Then, it gives reason for our praise to God, in verses 13-20. We have seen how God is (1) Merciful and Mighty (verses 1-6); and (2) Caring and Compassionate (verses 7-11). And now, we see that God is ...

3. Peaceful and Powerful (verses 12-20)

Psalm 147:12
Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!

Again, the point is the point of the Psalm. It is fitting for Jerusalem to praise the LORD. (verse 12). It is fitting for Zion to praise the LORD. Again, this takes us back to Israel. It takes us back to the physical city of Jerusalem. Zion is the mount where Jerusalem was. The Psalmist was calling these people, the Jews, to praise the LORD.

The application here would have been particularly appropriate for the Jews who returned to Jerusalem after 70 years of exile in Babylon. They had returned to the land, but it was not secure, as the walls were initially not strong. The reality here is that God is the one who makes it strong.

Psalm 147:13-20
For he strengthens the bars of your gates;
he blesses your children within you.
He makes peace in your borders;
he fills you with the finest of the wheat.
He sends out his command to the earth;
his word runs swiftly.
He gives snow like wool;
he scatters frost like ashes.
He hurls down his crystals of ice like crumbs;
who can stand before his cold?
He sends out his word, and melts them;
he makes his wind blow and the waters flow.
He declares his word to Jacob,
his statutes and rules to Israel.
He has not dealt thus with any other nation;
they do not know his rules.
Praise the LORD!

Again, this is the point of the Psalm. It is fitting for Jerusalem to praise the LORD. It is fitting for Zion to praise the LORD. One big reason why we give praise is because the LORD, in his power, brings peace. Verse 13 tells us that he “strengthens the bars of your gates.” This is written to Israel, long before guns and tanks and jets and bombs. The walls of the city were the protection for the people. They were often built on the hill, that you might have to ascend the hill before breaching the wall. The gates were the most vulnerable parts of the wall. But God strengthens the bars of the gates. That is, he protects you. He brings peace into the borders of the city. "He makes peace in your borders" (verse 14). This is what I mean when I say that God is "peaceful." He brings peace.

Not only does the LORD bring peace from the enemies who would try to attack, but he also gives peace in the hearts of his people. Verse 13 says that the LORD 13 “blesses your children within you." he idea here is children, within the walls of the city, safe and sound, with their bellies filled. "He fills you with the finest of the wheat" (verse 14). This is how God brings peace. He blesses. He satisfied with food.

He cares for his people, providing for them their every need. "My God will supply all your needs according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus" (
Philippians 4:19). It is fitting to praise this God who brings peace.

The LORD can do with his power. Teddy Roosevelt was famous for saying, "Speak softly and carry a big stick." This is what God does. He brings peace, because he has a big stick in his hand. He is powerful. In verses 15, we see the power of the word of God. He speaks and creation follows suit.

Psalm 147:15
He sends out his command to the earth;
his word runs swiftly.

This is what God does. He speaks and his creation falls into line. What God says will take place. In this case, he commands all of the water droplets to head to the hills to form the snow packs, which melt into the rivers. which provide food for his people. This is what verses 16-19 speak address.

Psalm 147:16-18
He gives snow like wool;
he scatters frost like ashes.
He hurls down his crystals of ice like crumbs;
who can stand before his cold?
He sends out his word, and melts them;
he makes his wind blow and the waters flow.

If you are familiar with Israel, you know that their water comes from Mount Hermon in the north. It snows in the heights of the mountain. As it warms up, this snow melts and runs into the Jordan river. This is very similar to the case of the snow pack in the Rocky Mountains, which melts and provides the Snake River with its water flow. Eventually, this water is used by those in Arizona.

This is the power of God. He commands the water and it snows. The crystals sit on top of the mountain until God says, "Melt!" Then the water melts into the river to provide water for the people that provides food.

God's word goes out and is obeyed by his creation. Then, we see his word in verse 19 that is a little bit different.

Psalm 147:19
He declares his word to Jacob,
his statutes and rules to Israel.

This is not the word that goes out to creation. This is the word of God that is written down. This is the Scriptures. This is the law. This is the Old Testament. This is the prophets. And God has sent this word to Jacob to tell them of his statutes and his rules.

Have you ever thought about what it would be like for us not to have a Bible? Lots of people in this world don't have Bibles. But they still know about God because he has made himself known through his creation (Romans 1:19-20; Psalm 19:1). Through the creation, God shouts that he exists. His word goes out and provides for his creatures. But without the word of God (i.e. the Scriptures), they don't know about Jesus. That's why people go out to the nations: to tell them about Jesus.

This is the idea of the last phrase of verse 19. He has given his "statutes and rules" to Israel. That is, he tells us of what he expects of us. The Scriptures tell us the ways we should walk and the consequences if we don't. The Scriptures tell us of our need for a Savior. These are all advantages and benefits that were given to the Jewish people, which was unique among all the nations.

Psalm 147:20
He has not dealt thus with any other nation;
they do not know his rules.

This is the blessing of the peace that the LORD gave to the nation of Israel, that God's revelation came to them! Now, at the cross of Christ, we see that this blessing has expanded to all nations. And we are privileged now to receive the blessings of God's word to us. We have Bibles in our home! If you are anything like me, you have too many Bibles in your home. But that's the blessing that comes to us: the word that was only for Israel has now come to us!

All we can do is what the Psalm says at the end:

Psalm 147:20
Praise the LORD!

Praise the LORD we have his word. Praise the LORD that he gives us peace through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Well, I began this morning by telling you about our bad manners game. I told you of how we did things which were inappropriate to do at the dinner table. We have an opportunity this morning to celebrate the Lord’s Supper. It’s like we are at the Lord’s table. And there are appropriate ways to eat of this table.

It’s a time of remembrance. So, let’s remember the gospel. So, we ought to remember the gospel at this time. It's clear here in Psalm 147. Consider the following verses:

Psalm 147:2
The LORD builds up Jerusalem;
he gathers the outcasts of Israel.
He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.

As we come to the table of the LORD, we rejoice that he gathers the outcasts and heals the brokenhearted. It's those who are invited to the dinner table.

Psalm 147:6
The LORD lifts up the humble

This is our hope in remembering Jesus, that the LORD lifts up the humble. We must be humble.

Psalm 147:10-11
His delight is not in the strength of the horse,
nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,
but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him,
in those who hope in his steadfast love.

As we remember Jesus, we remember that we are hoping in his steadfast love. We are hoping in his death for us. We are hoping

Psalm 147:19-20
He declares his word to Jacob,
his statutes and rules to Israel.
He has not dealt thus with any other nation;
they do not know his rules.
Praise the LORD!

We rejoice that the word of God came to us, telling us of how Jesus came and died on the cross for our sins, in our place. We trust that God won't punish us because he already punished Jesus in our place. This is what makes us righteous before him.

A second way to come to the Lord's table appropriately is to check our hearts. In 1 Corinthians 11, we are told to examine our hearts before we eat or drink of the cup, lest we eat in an "unworthy way." That is, in a way that has bad manners at the Lord's table.

Are you really trusting in the Lord? Is the unconfessed sin? Are you walking with the Lord? Does the message of praise that is fitting ring true with you? Are you proud? (verse 6). Are you seeking your own righteousness? This supper is for those who have trusted in Jesus. As you eat and drink, you are proclaiming that your trust is in the Lord.

This sermon was delivered to Rock Valley Bible Church on July 31, 2022 by Steve Brandon.
For more information see www.rockvalleybiblechurch.org.

[1] You can see the image here: https://www.nasa.gov/webbfirstimages.