Psalm 150 // 23 August 2026

Rachel

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SPEAKER_00 0:05

Well, good morning. I love how God works because I don't really need to preach anymore. Um, Stuart, did you get a hold of my sermon or something? Um, basically, you know, what was on my heart is something around uh modeling what it is to be a follower of Jesus and how that actually creates in us health, which is interesting, and how that kind of came out in what you were sharing as well, and not to stop despite how we are feeling or what is going on in our lives. So we're gonna dig into that now, but you've basically heard it already, which is exciting because sometimes we've got to hear it more than once, don't we? Uh but we are on a series looking at praise today, and uh looking at psalms, sorry, and we're gonna focus in on praise. Uh, but I am really excited because I love the book of Psalms like a lot. Um, I don't know if you've noticed during praise and worship, but um, I can get a bit excited. Yes? Has anybody seen that? To the point where if you were sitting near me today, you may have laughed because I got so excited, in fact, that I went like this to lift up my hands to the Lord and I whacked my daughter in the face. Sorry, Ollie. Um, but yeah, I love the Psalms and how songs and worship and poetry and things like that, which you see in the Psalms, can really connect us. It connects me, at least viscerally, to who God is. And I just love what that can do for us personally and also when we come together corporately. Um, the book of Psalms, I think, is really interesting, right? Because it was designed the way that we see it in our Bibles today at a very specific time in history, okay. So the Israelites were in exile, okay. They didn't have a building like this to come together. Their temple had been destroyed, okay, and they were in exile in a place called Babylon, all right. So they weren't in a place that was familiar to them. Everything had kind of been taken away. And the Psalms were put together, right, as this modern day, maybe what we would call like a prayer plan or a Bible plan for the Israelite people to take with them wherever they were. It's really cool. So if you want to look into that more, there is a video you can watch online, the Bible Project. Anyone heard of that? So they do some great videos of just explaining the books of the Bible in really amazing and in-depth way, but with visuals. So if you're like me and you like that sort of thing, the Bible project and look up Psalms, okay? Right. For today, though, we're gonna make our way to the very, very end of the book. So don't get confused. We are still gonna look at Psalms this afternoon, but I'm actually gonna look at the last psalm in the book, okay? So it's Psalm 150, and we're gonna read that in a minute. So if you've got your Bibles and things like that, you can grab them out. Uh, but it's clumped together, Psalm 150, with the last five kind of uh chapters in uh Psalms, okay? And it there's a reason for that because there's a pattern that you notice in those five psalms, okay? They start and finish with what is translated now as hallelujah or praise, okay? Praise to the Lord. It flows quite nicely from last week. Thank you, Scott, for prepping me from what Stuart said as well today, and also from our worship. So thank you to our worship team. Um, so praise the Lord, kind of this idea of starting and finishing with praise the Lord. Right at the very end of the psalm that we're going to look at today, it says this let everything that has breath praise the Lord. So, can you do me a favor right now? So, over here, if you can just double check, do a welfare check for your neighbor. Are they breathing? Just double check? Yeah? Okay. Over here, kids as well. You're included. Check your neighbor. Are they breathing? There's a thing you can do, kids, okay? Take a deep breath in, right? And then put your hands up near your mouth and big breath out. Did you feel some hot air? Yes. I heard a yes over here. Good, luckily. Right? That means you are breathing. Youth, you're breathing, yes? As well? Yes. Okay, so you're included in this as well. Everything that has breath, praise the Lord. So we are all included, and this message today should be relevant to us all because we all have breath. Yes? And if I do my job right. But before I dig in, I want to say something which I think is really foundational, and especially something when you are talking around things like celebration and praise. Okay. Dave, very honestly today, came forward and said he's a bit tired. Yeah. Bit tired from you know being having to do a lot of work for his son this week, and he's come in feeling tired. Uh, for others in this place, I wonder how you came into the church today. You may be struggling for different reasons. Any parents in the house? We've had four weeks of school holidays. Yay! We may be feeling tired too from that. Okay. Maybe uh you're actually going through really difficult time. Maybe there are health challenges that you are facing. Uh, maybe there are struggles of the mind. Anxiety is a really prevalent thing in our society today, and we are not exempt of that as Christians. Okay, so wherever you find yourself today, you still have breath and you ignore, you're not exempt of, you are not disqualified to be in this place and understand what it is to praise. Okay, even out of that place can be really powerful, and we're going to look at that today. And actually, another really cool thing about the Psalms, all right, it's split into two categories. You either have songs of praise, it's about 50-50 in the book of Psalms, right? So songs of praise, and the other 50%, guess what it is all about? Songs of lament. It's interesting. And this was like used as a prayer journal, as a prayer kind of plan for Christians at the time. So isn't that interesting? So praise and lamenting are equally represented in the book of Psalms. So don't be qualified disqualifying yourself if you find yourself struggling today. Actually, I think there's something really powerful about doing good, like what Stuart said, about remaining on the path in spite of the difficulties that we face or in how we're feeling. I also don't know about you, but I love a plan. Okay. So for those that find it helpful, for the rest of our time today, I'm going to quickly tell you what we're going to do. So the first thing is we're going to delve into the actual scriptures. Yes? We're going to look at Psalm 150, look at the words in it, okay, because this is Scott's theology study Bible. Look how big that is. The words in this book are really powerful. And so we're going to delve into that and we're going to see how they help us, okay? The second thing we're going to do is we're going to actually look at some psychology. Okay. We're going to look at what praise and gratitude does to our brains. You're going to find out something. I love psychology. And I really see God's hand over his actual design of humankind, actually, and that the principles that are in this Bible and how they benefit us as human beings. They make us healthier as human beings. And then the final thing we're going to do is I'm going to do something really brave, and you're going to be really brave as well. Is I'm going to finish by inviting our young people, especially, all right? Okay, but also those who might be struggling. And I want to pray over us and our minds as a church family. Can we do that together at the end of this service? That your minds, young people, and those that are struggling, would be protected, that your brains would continue to grow to praise God, to continue to do good through whatever you face in this life. And that ultimately, like what Stuart said as well, you would be models of what it is to follow Jesus even in the midst of trial and to praise God even when you don't feel like it. Because that is showing people out there what it is to follow the most amazing person, um, God, who is the creator, who is um our father, who makes everything better. Amen. So let's jump in. So we're gonna jump a little bit forward and look at a verse in 1 Peter 2, verse 9. But you are a chosen people. Peter is talking to us. You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness and into his wonderful light. So this verse emphasizes the identity and purpose of Christians. Peter uses this term and draws it out of a lot of scripture from the Old Testament. Um, it describes the church as a as like a continuation of Israel, okay, now encompassing because of Jesus, because this verse is written after Jesus died and rose again and overcome the power of sin and death. All right, so encompassing both Jews and Gentiles. So that is a word for those that weren't Jewish, okay, and all because of Jesus. So we are designed to declare his praises. Let's have a look. So Psalm 150. It starts and ends the same. Praise the Lord, praise God in his sanctuary, praise him in the mighty heavens, praise him in his acts of power, praise him for his surpassing greatness, praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and the lyre, praise him with the timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe, praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with the resounding symbols, and that everyone that has breath, praise the Lord. Oh, beautiful! Well done, Iran. In these short six verses, do you know how many times praise is listed? 13 times. I think the author was trying to put a point across, don't you think? It covers all people in all places for every reason and with every breath. You and I are included in that. Let's have a look. So praise in every place. Verse one praise the Lord, praise God in his sanctuary, praise him in his mighty heavens. So remember, the Israelites at the time had the Psalms at a point in their history where they didn't have a building like this. Yeah? Their temple had been destroyed. And this is a reminder that, yes, praise him in a place like this, praise him in the holy place, but also praise him everywhere in all of creation. That's what it's talking about when it says in his mighty heavens. So if you reduce praise to only singing on a Sunday morning, you're missing out on what God can do in your life. So there's our first little tip for the day. Our second one, praise him for every reason. Verse 2. Praise him for his acts of power, praise him for his surpassing greatness. All the songs this morning, they sang about this, didn't they? It's not about what we're going on, uh, what's going on in our lives, but it is about who he is and what that does for us in the midst of our trials. God is powerful, he is surpassing, he is all-knowing. So if you are worried about the future, guess who knows what's going to happen? God does. He overcame the power of sin and death for you through Jesus Christ. It says once and for all. And we are reminded here that praise is our response to both God's power and also his graciousness towards us. Because we can be messy, yes? Human beings. Like Dave said, we don't always come in feeling excited to praise, and yet God is always the same, always deserving of our praise. So the third one, praise with every expression. This bit I love because you get to like just go a bit go a bit wild with the with music and with movements. Okay. So in verse three and uh up to five, you you hear all about these beautiful instruments that are used to worship God. How cool was it? All these instruments up on the stage worshiping God this morning. But not everyone here plays an instrument, yes. However, to God, your praise is like that. And it includes all people. So when you look at this with the sound of the trumpet, with the harp and the lyre, which is not someone who doesn't tell the truth, it's an instrument. Praise him with the timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipes, the clash of the cymbals. It's not a one-man band, okay? This is all people in all different ways praising God. Let everything that has breath. And it reminded me of when John saw the future in Revelations, and I want to just quickly name that. So in Revelation 7, verse 9, how cool is this? Think about this right now. After this, so he's looking forward and he's seeing an image in his mind. I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count from every nation, every tribe, every people, every language. So God does not discriminate. It is for all people standing before the throne and before the Lamb, they were wearing white white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands, which again leans into this idea of purity that Stuart mentioned just before. And they cried out in a loud voice, Salvation belongs to our God who sits in the throne and to the Lamb. And then not just human beings, it's the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, Amen, praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God forever and ever. Amen. So special, isn't it? And we have that as a tool, as a weapon for our own lives. It's so powerful. Our last one, praise with every available breath. Verse six says, I don't even need to look at it. Everything that has breath, praise the Lord. Every living being is called and actually designed, which is what we're going to look at next, to worship and praise God. We are actually designed for it. So just think about that for a moment. You are designed for praise and worship and for gratitude towards the King of Kings. The psalm begins and ends with its original form of hallelujah, which echoes this idea of continuous praise. So for us to start and finish with praise. So what does this mean for our amazing brains? Okay. Firstly, to name, I love psychology and I love how uh our brains work. It's something probably my entire education has looked into. Um, especially, I think it started when Elijah was forming in my belly, and I just wanted to understand his brain and how it was growing and developing and the difference that I could make and Scott could make on his developing brain, in even while he was in my tummy, how we talked to him could change how he began his life. It's so amazing, isn't it? I now work for an organization called Kids Matter, and it's founded by psychologists as well. And what we do is we partner with local churches and communities to reach out to the most disadvantaged. Okay. And our ultimate purpose is that all children would be raised in strong families. It's really important and it always moves me. The earlier the intervention, the more likely a child is able to engage socially, emotionally, and physically healthier lives. And actually, what I'm going to show you is that the principles of scripture can help us to do that and can help us to grow spiritually, physically, emotionally, and socially healthy lives. Okay, we are running out of time. Okay. So for a moment, think about this. So algorithms, right? We see a lot of them in social media today: TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, right? Your brain works a bit like that. Okay. What you repeatedly pay attention to, okay, becomes easier to notice and repeat. And actually, social learning theory also says that we learn by watching others. So modeling this is also really important. Again, leans into what Stuart was saying. But in this exact same way, when we choose to focus on God, on who He is, if we start our day and end our day with praise and gratitude, what that does, it's so amazing. There is a scientific likelihood for your brain to develop specific algorithms, right, that can make praise a formed habit. How cool is that? Sorry, I think it's cool. Positive psychology studies, I want to read this properly, are showing that structured and repetitive practices of gratitude yield scientifically significant reductions in things like depression and anxiety, which are prevalent in our society. These biblical principles are now noticeably and clinically showing to help heal our brains. Okay, what a weapon that we each hold. It's almost if a loving creator designed us this way. Maybe. So I want to speak now to people here who might be struggling and who have found maybe praise or the topic of praise difficult. I don't know what you are going through today, but I do know what it feels like to be in a service like this and really struggle. Yeah. Even after fully coming to a knowledge of Jesus Christ, because I'm a human being who goes through stuff too. Yeah. I know what it feels like, even though I love praise and I love jumping around and wiggling my hands. Watch out if you're standing next to me. I love that. And yet I know what it feels like to not be able to get the words out to sing to Jesus because I'm hurting so much. So for those that are worried or fearful or are suffering, for those that have maybe in this house today, depression or anxiety, if you were in that boat, I want to acknowledge you today, first and foremost. And I'm not saying either that you shouldn't seek help, okay, for your mind, if you are in anguish. Scott and I have both done that. Just as being human beings, and even after becoming pastors and being leaders, and just as you know, as Christians, we have sought help when we needed it as well. God wants us to be genuine and honest with Him. If you take only one thing away today is this our breakthrough often comes in the practice of praise, right? So the repetitive action of praise, not necessarily the guarantee of change. So that's interesting. Let me say it again. Our breakthrough often comes in the practice of praise rather than the guarantee of change. Now we're coming to a close, and I will get our worship team up now, if that's okay. So if you need more examples of what this can look like in a human being's life, the Bible is full, absolutely full of characters, real life people that have done this. Okay. Joseph was abandoned by his family. Genesis 37, verse 50. He chose to praise, he chose to follow Jesus despite all that, or God despite all of that. For those that might have walls around you or feel like that things are closing in around you. Look at the story of Jericho, Joshua 5 and 6. They sent forth praise warriors ahead, and the walls of Jericho came tumbling down. David before Goliath. That's a good one, isn't it, kids? Yeah. So if you feel like there is something that feels insurmountable ahead of you, choose praise. For those facing what feels like an army before you, like just Jehoshaphat, I always struggle with his name. Read about his story in 2 Chronicles 17 to 20 and choose praise. Paul and Silas were in prison, they were chained, and what did they do? They praised. And it says the chains fell away, and people came to know God that day because of their praise. And ultimately, Jesus, who is our greatest example of all, he made the chu the toughest choice to bring about freedom for you and freedom for me. And that that passage is so powerful. He says, Take this cup, Lord, I don't want it. But he said, What? Your will be done, not mine. Read about that in Luke 22, 39 to 44, and choose praise. I don't know if you know of a character called Stephen Bartlett. This is the last thing I'm gonna say. He's a well-known investor, and he's um in on Dragon's Den. You know the person? He has a podcast called The Diary of a CEO, and he interviewed Wes Huff, okay, who's a Christian theologian, and he said something really interesting. He said to Wes, I've interviewed a few Christians and I've noticed a trend. I love how he said that. I've noticed a trend about you Christians. There's something different about you, there's a security in you, there's a peace that you hold. And it is something that all human beings are striving for. How powerful is that? And I started to get excited and my faith started to stir. What would it mean for Dover and for the surrounding areas here if we were people that were known for that? Despite the struggles that we face, despite how we're feeling, despite sickness, that we would start and end our day with praise, that we would model what it looks like to be a follower of Jesus. Yeah? Even in the midst of difficulty. And so if you will stand with me today, I feel really, really challenged to call forward our young people first and foremost. So I hope you were listening. So, youth, our pathfinders, especially because your brains are still forming. So you can come forward in a moment when we sing. Also, for those that might be struggling because of the things that are going on in your life, God wants to impart in you and strengthen you so that you can model what it is to follow Him in the midst of trial. And I believe that He's got a gift for you in this house today. So as we sing, young people, even children, if you want, you can ask your parents and they can come forward with you. And I've asked Pathfinder leaders, youth leaders, if you will come forward now, just to be ready for them as well. That we will pray for you, pray over you, that God would strengthen your mind in Jesus' name, that you would model what it is to follow Jesus, to start the day, to end the day with praise, and that God would move mightily through you because of that practice. Let's worship God now. Thank you.