Today’s Scripture

Psalm 138       Genesis 18:16-33            Colossians 2:6-19               Luke 11:1-13

 

Hymn “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty”  LW 444 

 

            How exciting it is to sing hymns as “Praise to the Lord.”  How many of you sometimes feel like you just cannot sit still when we sing this hymn?  How about, “Onward Christian Soldiers?”  I always feel like getting up and starting marching to that hymn.  Note that in this section of the hymnal, these are hymns of praise and adoration.  Martin Luther writes in his explanation to the second commandment regarding the use of God’s name, to “call upon it in every trouble, pray, praise and give thanks.”   Today’s Psalm, 138, is a Psalm of praise and a Psalm of prayer.  Please turn to page 5 in your bulletin and follow this Psalm through today’s message.  Feel free to make notes if you wish.

            Psalm 138 is attributed to David.  It is the first of a set of eight Psalms.  Psalms 138 and 145 are Psalms of praise that enclose six prayer Psalms.  That is for you to take note as you use the Psalms in your daily prayers.  It is a Psalm of praise for God’s saving help against threatening foes.

            Verses 1 and 2 (read the verses) These verses are a statement of adoration and praising God for his love and faithfulness.  Think of the outline for prayer, A-C-T-S.  “A” is for adoration.  We begin our prayers adoring God, giving him praise for who he is.  Jesus instructs us to call him our Father in Heaven.  Other introductions to prayer include, “Almighty God,” “Eternal God,” “Loving Father,” “Merciful God.” 

            We are called to praise God with, “all of my heart.”  Remember how we are to love God, “with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”  God does not want you to hold anything back as you praise him, as he holds nothing back for you.  His love is perfect and unending love.  He faithfulness is perfect, never letting you down for even a moment.  He is always there beside you, holding you up in all times of blessing and in times of trouble alike. 

            “Before the Gods I will sing your praise.”  The gods of today are interesting as power, wealth, possessions, activities and entertainment consume us.  Even before them we can sing God’s praise.  Singing his praise leads us to know again that all things of this earth are his gifts to us, not gods to consume us a Satan would have us live. 

            Verse 3,  “When I called, you answered me;  You made me bold and stouthearted.”  How comforting and strengthening to know that God always answers, that he always takes time to hear.  Remember his words regarding prayer to us in Isaiah 65:24, “Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.”  God has already answered your prayers.  Think of your prayer for daily bread and think of the grain fields abundantly growing next year’s food supply already.  The cotton fields and wool from sheep are always there for your clothing.  A common fault is when one already knows the answer, he will cut you off.  But God still takes time to listen you out.

            We see that in today’s account in Genesis.  God knew what he was going to do with Sodom and Gomorrah.  But he was patient and heard Abraham out just the same.  He does the same with you.  There is no request too large, no request too small or insignificant for him to listen to you.

            Verse 4 is all about evangelism.  The kings around David were not God- fearing kings.  They were of their own religions and false worship.  Yet David prayed for them.  He prayed for his enemies, that they not be lost nor their people as well.  This prayer is for all leaders to know God, and to praise him as we know him too.  “…when they hear the words of your mouth.”   This is how anyone comes to know God, by hearing his word.  [Romans 10:17}  “Faith comes through hearing the message, and the message I shearsd through the word of Christ.”  Also, [Romans 10:14] “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in?  And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard.  And how can they hear without some preaching to them?”  We are God’s messengers to those who do not believe both here at home and throughout the world.  People cannot and will not believe unless they hear God’s word.  It is up to you and I to bring that word to people in Immanuel’s neighborhood.  We also, like David, pray for our enemies, that they come to know God’s love in Jesus and live in that joy and peace.  How important it is to elect Christ-loving persons in all levels of government to advise and counsel all leaders with God’s word.

            Verse 5 is another statement of praise and faith in the almighty God and in his eternal and heavenly glory.  God’s glory is great, it is beyond all we know and understand here on earth.  We are humble to stand before him, but only do so by his grace as he calls you to be his dear child.

            Verse 6 tells how loving God is.  Think of belonging to a Country Club or other special group of people.  What do you need to do to be included in that group?  (wait for replies)  Yes, you must meet their standards.  If you do not live up to those standards, you may not be a member.  God is perfect.  God is holy.  God lives in heaven.  But he looks down on those who cannot attain his holiness.  Think of the Pharisee and the tax collector.  The Pharisee was so proud of himself as he declared, “Am I glad that I am not like that guy over there!”  His joy was complete in himself.  But the tax collector, “Lord, have mercy on me a poor, lousy sinner.”  From Psalm 51 God speaks to us, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”  Blind Bartimaeus, the ten lepers, the woman who washed Jesus’ feet, all came to him knowing they did not deserve his love, but trusted God’s heart above their own. 

            As we read verse 7 we see God’s almighty hand guiding your ways at all times.  It takes us to Psalm 23, “though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, your rod and your staff they comfort me…you prepare my table in the presence of my enemies, my cup overflows.”  Note that you only walk through the valley of the shadow of death, God delivers you from even that greatest fear.  He prepares a table, our Lord’s precious body and blood that has already saved you.  He delivers that table even as Satan tempts and tugs and pulls at you all the way to this altar.  God’s right hand is Jesus.  Psalm 98 states that his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.  Jesus is God’s “right hand man,” having conquered sin and death for you.

            Verse 8, “The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me…do not abandon the works of your hands.”  When God created the world and all thing, he did so by saying, “Let there be…” and there was.  But when he made man, he took dirt and formed man with his own hands.  He was deliberate.  When you make something with your own hands, forming it, stitching and sewing it, cutting it from wood or shaping it from metal, you cherish what you made.  God formed you with a purpose, to be his dear child now and in eternity.  He wants you.  His purpose is for you to declare his love and his glory to others so they will come to salvation too.  It is through your good deeds, it is through your prayers, it is through your support and taking part in proclaiming the Gospel to others in many and various ways.  God wants his purpose fulfilled and has made you as an instrument to achieve that means.

            Abraham’s conversation with God in today’s reading tells how confidently you can pray too.  God had already made Abraham bold and confident enough to speak to God, as he has made you too.  Abraham also confessed his not being worthy to speak to God as he said, “I am nothing but dust and ashes,” yet he knew he could speak to God and he would listen.  Abraham was no dummy, knowing that there were not fifty let alone ten faithful people in Sodom.  God knew too, but he took that time to listen Abraham out.  God knew he would save every faithful person there, even if there were as few as four, no only three as we later find out.  (Lot and his daughters as his wife turns back to the evil life she knew). 

            Speaking to God in prayer – Jesus gives us what we know as the Lord’s Prayer.  All petitions are listed in the Matthew account.  As we begin with, “Our Father in Heaven,” Luther reminds us that God invites us to speak to him, to come to him in all the confidence we would our earthly fathers.  We know and have the confidence as David shows, that God I almighty, God loves those faithful to him, and God wants the best for his children, eternal life for him, and he wants that for the foreign kings as well.  As David prayed for his enemies, we too are to pray for our enemies, “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” 

 

            A prayer of praise as we conclude the Lord’s Prayer, “For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, for ever and ever.  Amen.”  This phrase of praise and acclamation is not in the Luke or Matthew accounts of the Lord’s Prayer.  It is not in Luther’s original Small Catechism either.  But to the word, “Amen,” Luther writes, “This means that I should be certain that these petitions are pleasing to our Father in heaven, and are heard by Him; for He Himself has commanded us to pray in this way and has promised to hear us.  Amen, amen, which means, ‘yes, yes, it shall be so’”

 

            God’s word regarding prayer and praising him:

 

            Psalm 50:15     Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you will honor me.

 

Psalm 15:29:  The Lord is far from the wicked but he hears the prayer of the righteous.

 

Psalm 103:2-3  Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits – who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases.

 

Ephesians 3:20-21  To Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever.  Amen.

 

1 Timothy 1:17  To the king eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever.  Amen.