Argentine Mennonite Church
Kansas City, Kansas	5-28-17
Praising God for Who He Is
“Oh, That Men Would Praise the Lord”
Text:  Psalm 107: 1 – 8
1Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good!
His faithful love endures forever. 
2 Has the LORD redeemed you? Then speak out!
Tell others he has saved you from your enemies. 
3 For he has gathered the exiles from many lands,
From east and west, from north and south. 

4 Some wandered in the desert,
lost and homeless. 
5 Hungry and thirsty,
they nearly died. 
6 "LORD, help!" they cried in their trouble,
and he rescued them from their distress. 
7 He led them straight to safety,
to a city where they could live. 
8 Let them praise the LORD for his great love 
and for all his wonderful deeds to them. 			NLT
8 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to 
the children of men!						KJV

Introduction:
A.	 Psalm 107 pleas with us to “…praise the Lord…”  But what do we mean when we “praise God?”  How do we do praise when it comes to the Ultimate?
1.	 We sing “praise songs” in our worship service.
2.	We have regular “praise” times in our sharing and testimonies during worship.
3.	We “praise” as we raise our hands during services.
•	Sandy Anthony tells this story:  During a recent Sunday worship service, our congregation sang the chorus, “I exalt thee, oh Lord ...” As I sang, I glanced down at my 5-year-old daughter standing beside me. Her little arms were up in the air and she was singing, “I’m exhausted, oh Lord ...”

4.	We “praise” God when we use the spiritual gifts and abilities that He gave us appropriately to build up His body, the Church.
B.	The Psalmist repeats four times in Psalm 107 – “Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!”   What does this Scripture really mean when it exhorts us to praise God?
1.	 Praise means literally that we ascribe value or worth to God.  Unger notes, “Praise of God is the acknowledging of His perfections, works, and benefits.” 
(The New Unger's Bible Dictionary.)
2.	Praise must necessarily acknowledge the real existence of the One being praised.  When we praise God, we recognize that He is very real, and that He deserves all that we ascribe to Him, and so much more.  Thus, an atheist has no part in praising the One they say doesn’t even exist.
3.	We sing the doxology:
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow.
Praise Him all creatures here below.
Praise Him above ye heavenly hosts.
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
C.	 The Psalmist in 107 was deeply moved, not only to praise God himself, but to lead all who might be influenced by reading and singing this Psalm into His praise as well.  Listen to what He records.

Thesis:  We praise God for His provision, for His Patience, and for His 
providence.

I. Why should we praise the Lord?
A. We should praise Him because He is Good (v1)
1. David, the author of this Psalm of Hope, was a man of praise because 
he had learned of God’s goodness.
a.	It was a good God who gave David victory over the lion and bear while tending his father’s sheep.
b. It was a good God who gave David victory over Goliath.
c. It was a good God who protected David from King Saul.
d. It was a good God who established David as ruler over Israel.
e. It was a good God who gave David forgiveness when He 
committed sin.
2. David’s praise came from a thankful heart for the One who had blessed 
him so greatly.
•	God’s work of creating is done; our work of praising has just begun.
B. We should praise Him because we are redeemed (v2)
1. Once we were in the enemy’s territory
a. We were once in the enemy’s hands.
 Romans 6:16 
Don't you realize that whatever you choose to obey becomes your master? You can choose sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God and receive his approval. 
Romans 6:20 
In those days, when you were slaves of sin, you weren't concerned with doing what was right.
b. What are these scriptures telling us?
2. When you’re in the enemy’s hand, you are slave to sin. (Rom. 7: 25)
3. You are bound to obey your master. The sad reality is that your master 
won’t pay the consequences of sin – you will. (Romans 6:23)
4. Second, when in the hand of the enemy one is subject to his tactics.
a. One of the destructive tactics he uses today is rebellion.
b. He used this tactic on Israel and it worked, so he’s revived it 
again and is now using it in the church.
5. First, He employs rebellion against the Word.
a. He incited rebellion against the Word then.
b. Aaron, a leader in Israel was rejected from entering the promised 
land in Numbers 20:24 because of rebellion against the Word.
6. Then, Satan uses the tactic of rebellion against God principles. 
a. God’s plan for Israel was apparent and articulated.
b. He established them to be a “banner” to all nations.
7. But God’s people have continually rebelled.
a.  The Israelites fell frequently into idol worship.  The outstanding 
example was the worship of the golden calf, under Aaron’s supervision.
b.	However, in Numbers 2:2 God commanded that they fly an 
ensign or standard identifying them with their father’s house.  Each tent flew the banner identifying their tribe and family.  The Tabernacle was located in the midst of the camp.
c.	What a deep spiritual application! The flag and the location of the Tabernacle denoted they were His!
d. Is your flag flying? What do others read on your flag? What does 
the world read from it?
e. Does it say, I’m one of my Father’s Children?” Or does it 
denounce kinship?
8. Many today are rebelling against God’s principles.
a. They identify with Christ, but rebel against being His light.
b. But, God’s principles haven’t changed.
c. Does the banner over our life read, “Christ is my all?”
-He’s my heart
-He’s my will
-He’s my talk
-He’s my walk
-He’s my appearance
-He’s my conduct
d. Your banner must read “SOLD TO HIM” There is a chorus 
which proclaims, “His banner over me is love.”

II. Why should we Praise the Lord?
A.	“For he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.” (v. 9) 
B.	Just who are these people to whom God made this promise?
1.	Those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death – bound in affliction and iron. David was talking about Israel. But, what brought them to this place?
2.	They rebelled against God’s Word and scorned His counsel.
3.	Even in their waywardness, God gave them hope if they would but turn 
to Him.
a. He would satisfy their longing.
b. There is a God-shaped vacuum in each of us. Nothing will fill that 
void but Him. He alone is able to satisfy that longing in our soul.
    c. It is a relationship with Him for which our soul longs.
•	Praise is more than singing, it’s the saint reflecting the life of Christ.

III. Why should we Praise the Lord?
A.	There’s good news if you are held by the gates of brass and bars of iron.  Rebelling against God’s Word & principles, we became enslaved to the enemy.
1.	The psalmist affirms that God has broken the gates and cut the bars split 
the “bars of iron.”
2. When they cried to the Lord, He saved them.
3. He alone is able to still the waves of a rebellious spirit.
B.  He healed them, body and soul.
C.  He has delivered those who we might consider undeliverable:
	1.  He delivered the homeless, giving them a city to live in.
	2.  He delivered the slave, leading them into liberty.
	3.  He healed the afflicted – the sick.  Christ did this extensively during 
His ministry on earth.
4.	 The “storm-tossed” He led to calm, and into a haven.
5.	He restores our sin-sick souls to full fellowship.
D.	 Even in times of rebellion God will forgive sin, as the conditions of repentance are met by His people.
•	Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer’s praise! – 
Charles Wesley
•	On earth join all ye creatures to extol Him first, him last, him midst, and without end. - John Milton

IV. Conclusion -
“Oh, that men would praise the Lord for his goodness and for his wonderful works
to the children of men.”  Four times David repeats this deep appeal.

•	You don’t learn to praise in a day, especially since you may have been complaining for years! New habits take time to develop. But you can begin today, and practice tomorrow, and the next day, until it becomes part of you.
Erwin W. Lutzer