And our first scripture reading this morning will be from the book of Romans, chapter 15, and we'll be looking at verses 1 to 13. Romans 15, verse 1. We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, leading to edification. For even Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, the reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me. For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we, through the patience and comfort of the scriptures, might have hope. Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, receive one another just as Christ also received us to the glory of God. Now I say that Jesus Christ has become a servant to the circumcision for the truth of God to confirm the promises made to the fathers. and that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy, as it is written. For this reason, I will confess to you among the Gentiles and sing to your name. And again, he says, rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people. And again, praise the Lord, all you Gentiles. Laud him, all you peoples. And again, Isaiah says, there shall be a root of Jesse, and he shall rise to reign over the Gentiles. In him, the Gentiles shall have hope. Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thus far is the reading of God's holy word. Amen. Good morning. It's great to be back here worshiping with you all, and I bring greetings from the Brothers and Sisters in Christ at Reformed Presbyterian Church in Dwaynesburg, some of which are here today, my wife, Katie, and my youngest boys, Wookie and Tom. I'm especially glad to be here this morning knowing that I'm filling in for your pastor who is on vacation. And so I'm going to be talking about praising the Lord. And I want to start with a praise. I was here some time ago, maybe over a year ago. He was not feeling well and he's recovering. And now to know I'm here and he's in full strength and vacationing. Praise the Lord for that. He has answered our prayers in that. Also, you had been praying for us as we were discerning a call to mission to the world, to the missions field, and the Lord has continued to open the doors on that, and we've received a call to go to Barcelona, Spain, and we're in the early phases of raising support for that, so we do appreciate your prayers as we take those next steps. Our portion of scripture this morning is from Psalm 117. As you turn to it and look at it, you'll notice something quite right away, quickly. It's a short psalm. There's only two verses. Now, my boys, when learning about this, thought, wow, preaching only two verses. Maybe it's going to be a short sermon. But I explained to them about the orange juice that we used to drink when I was little. It came in a small can. It was very concentrated. And we would take that frozen can of orange juice, do you remember those? And fill it with water and become a big pitcher of orange juice. It was very concentrated. From that little thing came a lot of juice. Well, in a similar way, from a short psalm, there's a lot to hear from the Lord in these two verses. Let's look at it then. Hear now God's word from Psalm 117. Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles. Laud him, all you peoples, for his merciful kindness is great toward us, and the truth of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord. Thus ends the reading of God's word. Shall we pray? Holy Father, we thank you for preserving your word It's in our language, translated for us. And we thank you for this time to hear from you. Lord Jesus, I pray that you would increase, that your good news would be magnified, that you would be glorified from your word preached. Holy Spirit, we ask that you show us wonderful things from your word this morning. If there is any sin to be alerted to, please reveal them to us. Enable us to confess and forsake those things. Let your good news, your grace seem better and better to us. That your saving grace would heal and comfort us. Oh now we ask that you would sanctify us by your truth. Help us to grow in maturity of faith. Give us a spirit of praise. To you who is worthy of our praise now and forevermore, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, in Christ's name I pray, amen. Well, you've just heard that short psalm, just two verses, and maybe you're wondering, it's talking about a people and nations. It's written from a long time ago. Does it have a message for me this morning? Is there something in it for me? And I can assure you, there is. It's a beautiful psalm with an important message. It anticipates a time that was coming. And boys and girls, you may know about a time that is coming. I bet. You start seeing ads for back to school sales. School supplies show up in the front of stores. The days get a little bit shorter, and you know Whether you're going back to a building or homeschool, school is around the corner. Now, that might be good for you and you're excited, or it might be disappointing. Either way, you know it's coming. Well, in a similar way, this psalm looks forward to something that was coming. Can you tell what it is? The psalm anticipates Gentiles praising the Lord throughout the world. Gentiles would praise the Lord and be part of God's covenant people through faith in Christ, not just a few as in the Old Testament, but from all nations and all peoples and all tribes. This psalm looked forward and anticipated that, and we know this has happened. It happened through Christ. And we saw it play out in history on the pages of our New Testament in the book of Acts as the gospel spreads from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth. We hear it in Paul's letters too. For example, Paul in Ephesians chapter two, he talks about Jew and Gentile being united. Two groups becoming one, the barriers broken down, that wall separating them, that wall dividing them brought down. Many in this room can recall with me the time when there were two Germanys, East and West Germany, and the wall through Berlin in the late 80s, right, came down, two countries separated, became one. But to the Jewish people at the time of this psalm, in their worship, because this was sung as part of ancient Israel's worship. It anticipated something that was coming. Is it surprising to you that Israel, a distinct nation with distinct laws, their own ceremonies, their own worship, different from the nations, they had their own tribes, their own families, their own land, in their worship, would talk about all those others praising the Lord. They were separated from other nations, set apart by God and His grace. And yet, in their worship, they are told that the nations are called to praise the God of Israel, the covenant God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Those people are to praise the Lord for his ways toward Israel. Perhaps it would remind them of God's covenant with Abraham. You can find that in Genesis chapter 12, verses one through three, where there's a promise God makes that through Abraham, all nations would be blessed. Listen to God's promise to Abraham. Now, the Lord had said to Abram, get out of your country, from your family and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation. I will bless you and make your name great, and you shall be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you. And in you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed. So Psalm 117 looked forward to the day when nations would be blessed, when Gentiles would be praising the Lord, united in Christ as God's covenant people. How much more should we praise the Lord, living in these days that we've seen this promise fulfilled? Well, with that introduction to the background of the Psalm, let's consider the message for you this morning. And God's message for you this morning could be summarized this way. Because of the Lord's merciful kindness and truth to his people, you should praise the Lord. Because of the Lord's merciful kindness and truth to his people, you should praise the Lord. And we see this in the call to praise in verse one. the reason for praise at the beginning of verse two, and the response of praise, the last line of the psalm, praise the Lord. Let's first consider that call to praise. Verse one says, praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, laud him, all you peoples. So here in this verse, we have a call to praise. And we can understand the call to praise by asking two questions. Two questions that start with who. Who is to be praised? Who is to do the praising? Who is to be praised? You see that right in the beginning? The Lord. Not just Lord written anyway, but most of your Bibles will have it written in special capital letters, L-O-R-D. Maybe a capital L, lowercase o-r-d. This reminds us that is a translation of what sometimes is Jehovah. Some of your translations may have that. Or Yahweh. That is that name of God, I am who I am, that was revealed to Moses. You can read about it at the burning bush in Exodus chapter three. And it actually points us to a lot of things about the God to be praised. First, this God, our God, is a personal God. He is the creator and ruler of everything, and yet he deals with his people personally and in relationship. He's a personal God. He can be known. Secondly, he is an eternal and unchanging God. When he reveals his name to Moses at the burning bush, the fire continues, the tree not consumed, reminding us that he is an eternal and everlasting and unchanging God, the same yesterday, today, and forever. That name is known as the covenant name of the Lord, a name that's probably particularly interesting to you at Covenant Presbyterian Church. He's holy, and yet he makes a way for relationship with sinners through covenant. He did this first through laws and ceremonies and sacrifices in the tabernacle and the temple, and later and more powerfully through the sending, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, who fulfills the law and offers the perfect sacrifice on our behalf. Well, this God, our God, is the only living and true God. And it reminds us of who we are praising, the true God. All other gods are just man-made idols. And so you can be confident this morning that the Christian God is the true God. You can be confident this morning that the Christian God is not just the God of those who decide to be Christian. but he has authority over all the world. And it is this Lord that is to be praised. And who does our passage say is to do the praising? Praise the Lord all you Gentiles, laud him all you peoples. This term Gentiles was a way to distinguish the other nations from the nation of Israel. the ones not in covenant with God like Israel was. It means all nations, all peoples, a poetic way to say everyone, tribes, nations, all people throughout the world. This might bring to mind the picture that we have at the end of the New Testament. Can you think of it in the book of Revelation? One example, in Revelation chapter seven, verses nine to 10, we have a scene from John's vision of people worshiping. And what is the picture? Listen to how it describes the people. After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people, and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice, salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the lamb. Can you imagine this? That's a picture of who is called here in our passage to do the praising. All peoples, all nations. And what do we mean by praising and lauding? To praise is to express our approval, to express your love, respect, and gratitude, and in the Psalms, especially in song. And we've done that in this service today. And to laud or to extol is to praise enthusiastically. It's taking praise to another level because it's from the heart and it's knowing what God has done for you and who he is, his person and work. And the nations, in fact, all people everywhere, you this morning are called to praise the Lord this way. So having answered those who questions, the psalmist turns the attention to the why question. In other words, the reasons for praise are given. There's really two, but the reason for praise here you see in the beginning of verse two. Hear it again. For his merciful kindness is great toward us, and the truth of the Lord endures forever. So what reasons do you see there to praise? We see two reasons that are closely related. First, his merciful kindness toward his people. and second, his truth that endures forever. That might not be what you expected. Sometimes God is to be praised for his creation and his work, and he is. For example, Psalm 86 9 says, all nations whom you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name. And it gives this reason, for you are great and do wondrous things. You alone are God. He's to be praised for his creation and great works. Sometimes the nations are called to praise God for his authority, declare his glory among the nations we see here. In Psalm 47, we hear, oh, clap your hands, all you peoples, shout to God with the voice of triumph, for the Lord Most High is awesome. He is a great king over all the earth. And so he is praised by the nations for his authority. But here we have a different reason pointed out. His merciful kindness is great toward his people. This merciful kindness is also translated sometimes as loyal love, as steadfast love. It speaks to a love based on his covenant commitment, his oath, his promise. And it's a love that cannot fail. It's a love that cannot die. And so it is great in that sense. It is great toward us. It is great in the sense of power, because that always prevails. It is victorious. And the picture in the Hebrew word is actually a picture of a mighty warrior being great in battle, being great for your side in the battle. Like David was great for Israel against Goliath and the Philistines when others would not go forward, he went forward. This merciful kindness is powerful because of the reliability. You can count that what he promises he will do, he will fulfill. And this is worthy of your faith and therefore your praise. His merciful kindness is great on your behalf toward you. And the second reason related to that is the truth that endures forever. Now we live in a world which challenges the truth these days, don't we? A world that questions if there even is an absolute truth. We might even hear that the truth can change with time. Or what might be true for you isn't necessarily true for me. Have you heard these things? Well, God's word says there is truth. It's his truth, and it endures forever. It doesn't change. And thinking about that truth, One theologian named Herman Bavink, he used to teach of God's truth in three helpful ways. First, he taught that God's truth is true in terms of reality. That is to say, God is really true. He's the real God compared to false gods, man-made idols that are not real. Have you ever taken a trip to New York City and on the sidewalk you see things being sold? Sometimes you see watches. Think of a fancy watch that you may know of. You might be able to say, wow, it's really expensive, but here I can get it for next to nothing. It looks like it. It's similar, but it turns out to be a fake. It doesn't last like the real one. It's similar, but it's not the genuine thing. They may appear similar, but they're not the real one. Well, in a way, so it is with God. Our God is the only one living and true God. Now, secondly, he taught that God's truth is true in terms of accuracy, that God is true because he knows all things and his words are free of any error. fully accurate. Very few would probably hear a debate that one plus one is two, because we can count and test that to be accurate. But in the same way, God's word is accurate, and we can trust his word to be true and without error. And then there was the third sense that he taught about, which is the closest one to what we have in our passage. That's why in some translations, the truth of the Lord endures forever is also called the faithfulness of the Lord. Because in this way, God's truth is true as in it is faithful. Can you think of a saying of someone who we trust? What do we say about a person that we can trust? that they are true to their word. And so God is consistent with his words and his actions. He is true to his word. And this truth is the truth that we are to praise him for. It endures forever. So we have these two reasons to praise merciful kindness and the truth truth that endures forever and often in the Old Testament, these two things are closely related. For example, the two ideas echo what we have in Exodus 34.6. Moses writes, and the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, the Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the third and the fourth generation. And how did Moses respond? In verse eight it says, so Moses made haste and bowed his head toward the earth and worshiped. Later, when Israel would face difficult times, mostly due to their lack of faithfulness to the covenant, the people would be pointed back to the fact that the Lord is merciful and true and remains faithful to his promises. And so if we have not remained and no one since Adam and Eve has been faithful to God because of sin, And yet, where is this merciful kindness and truth most evident to us? It is most fully realized in the Lord Jesus Christ. This was the gospel message of the Apostle Paul. You heard it read to you earlier in the service from Romans chapter 15. Paul quoted a lot of Old Testament passages in that reading. but one of them was Psalm 117. Paul quoted this Psalm as part of his letter to the Romans, where he was encouraging them to support his mission. And he wrote, for I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the Jews on behalf of God's truth, so that the promises made to the patriarchs might be confirmed, and moreover, that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy as it is written, therefore, I will praise you among the Gentiles. I will sing praises of your name. Again, it says, rejoice, you Gentiles, with his people. And again, Psalm 117, praise the Lord, all you Gentiles. Laud him, all you peoples. And again, in Isaiah, it says, the root of Jesse will spring up, the one who will arise to rule over the nations. In him, the Gentiles will hope. All nations, all peoples will hope in the root of Jesse, the Lord Jesus Christ. Do you see that connection to Christ here? Christ is the hope of the nations, and that is why they will praise God. In Galatians 3.8, it says it a little more clearly. Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith. and announce the gospel in advance to Abraham, all nations will be blessed through you. So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith. It is the gospel of Jesus Christ that's the ultimate blessing of the nations. In Christ, the merciful kindness, truth, and faithfulness of God have been most powerfully demonstrated, both to Jew and Gentile, so that all might praise him for his love. It is this good news that is proclaimed this morning. Repent and put your faith in Christ, and if you have, be encouraged, you can trust him. Well, the psalm doesn't end here. Having called the people to praise and given these reasons, there's a last line. That last line, praise the Lord, contains a renewed call to praise, to action. It calls for a response of praise. Now, you might know, even if you don't speak, Hebrew or read Hebrew, you might know this one, praise the Lord is hallelujah. Here we have the call, not only to the nations, but this morning directly to each one of us, to each one of you. In what ways do you praise the Lord? What do you praise him for? In its most simplest form, it's writing PTL in a text sometimes, or an email online. Praise the Lord. Simply typing it. Or maybe we say it automatically after something good happens. Praise the Lord. Especially after answered prayer. And this is good. We should do these things. But consider that there is something deeper here as well. There's something more powerful, and that is considering the covenant faithfulness of our Lord. So it's not only praising for an event that took place at one time in our lives, but it's something more powerful and enduring. And our praise the Lord's, while they're good, they might not be enough to draw others to Christ They might not strengthen us as much in the Christian life, but this can. There is something that can do that in our lives. It's recognizing in our heart, in our words, that God has been good to us in Christ. God has been good to you in Christ. He has been most merciful and kind in sending Jesus. And we can be certain of it because it is founded on the promise from God whose truth endures forever. And so you are called to a response of praise. What a privilege to praise the Lord. God has demonstrated faithfulness to Israel, and he has revealed Christ's salvation to us, the blessing to the nations, and he seals it by his Holy Spirit. So we've covered all of the psalm. We've looked at the call to praise. We've looked at the reason to praise. And we've considered the response of praise. Now let's finish our time in this passage by considering a few applications. Here are at least four ways to praise the Lord for his merciful kindness and truth this week. First, Praise the Lord for his grace to you. Praise the Lord for his grace to sinners. As I mentioned before, all since Adam and Eve were born as sinners and have sinned, but nevertheless, God extends his mercy and truth to those who turned away from him. Praise the Lord that Jesus, you can praise the Lord for Jesus Christ, praise him for his faithfulness, and going to the cross and taking on the wrath of God. Praise him for the grace in this. And praise the Lord for his unbreakable commitment to his people. Praise the Lord for his unbreakable commitment to his people. This tells you that on a personal level, if you are in Christ, that relationship will never be broken by God. It reminds you that he will never leave you or forsake you. He has you in his hand and you will not slip out of it. There's a great picture of God's love and faithfulness to his people in Isaiah chapter 49. It describes how God is to his people even though they break covenant. Listen to these amazing words. It will sound a little bit like our passage. Isaiah 49, starting in verse 13. Shout for joy, you heavens. Rejoice, you earth. Burst into song, you mountains, for the Lord comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones. But Zion said, the Lord has forsaken me. The Lord has forgotten me. Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has born? Though she may forget, I will not forget you. See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands. Your walls are ever before me. Praise the Lord for his covenant commitment to his people. Thirdly, praise the Lord for his word that you can trust. Because you can be sure his words are true and faithful, they can be your guide in life. If you're anxious, perplexed, you can be sure Holy Spirit has something to guide you in his word. And so reading your Bible, you can be sure that God's word will prepare you for what you face each day. Now in the Albany area, we are known as a people in this capital district to be one of the least biblically minded people in the United States. Oh, what a treasure that is being ignored. Ignoring the very thing that we can trust most to guide us. And then lastly, as we think about God's mission of his kingdom to the nations. Praise the Lord for the opportunity to participate in his work of redemption through the church. Praise the Lord for the opportunity to participate in his work of redemption through the church. This can be through your own personal testimony and witness. Let your praise of God's faithfulness, your praise of God's truth, point others to the Savior. This can be as you work in fellowship and partnership with your brothers and sisters here in the church. This could even impact your thoughts about missions. And so you might consider your involvement in missions, praying for missionaries, and finding ways to assist them in their ministries, it will ultimately be a blessing to you. All this from a little psalm, two short verses, with a grand message. So this week, be sure to praise the Lord for his merciful kindness and truth that endures forever, and pray that the nations will do the same. Let's pray. Father, we give you thanks and praise for your word to us that we can trust. Let it be our guide. Give us faith in Christ. Holy Spirit, show us wonderful things from your word this week and give us a spirit of praise. Give us concern for the nations and help us to fix our eyes on Christ. Amen.