World Christian Leadership | Psalm 145 | Praise and Proclaim God's Greatness
We must praise and proclaim the name of God to all nations. This is what it means to be a World Christian.
Psalm 145 is considered the final Psalm of David, his swan song, the last note of the music, the concluding line in the play. It is a song of praise, translating the title of Psalms in Hebrew, where "Tehillim" means praises. While David is the human composer, God is the Great Conductor guiding him, making this the Word of God.
Psalm 145
Great Is the Lord
1 I will extol you, my God and King,
and bless your name forever and ever.
2 Every day I will bless you
and praise your name forever and ever.
3 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised,
and his greatness is unsearchable.
4 One generation shall commend your works to another,
and shall declare your mighty acts.
5 On the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
6 They shall speak of the might of your awesome deeds,
and I will declare your greatness.
7 They shall pour forth the fame of your abundant goodness
and shall sing aloud of your righteousness.
8 The Lord is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 The Lord is good to all,
and his mercy is over all that he has made.
10 All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord,
and all your saints shall bless you!
11 They shall speak of the glory of your kingdom
and tell of your power,
12 to make known to the children of man your mighty deeds,
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
13 Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
and your dominion endures throughout all generations.
[The Lord is faithful in all his words
and kind in all his works.]
14 The Lord upholds all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to you,
and you give them their food in due season.
16 You open your hand;
you satisfy the desire of every living thing.
17 The Lord is righteous in all his ways
and kind in all his works.
18 The Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth.
19 He fulfills the desire of those who fear him;
he also hears their cry and saves them.
20 The Lord preserves all who love him,
but all the wicked he will destroy.
21 My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord,
and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.
Until recently, I served as the Missions Pastor at my church, responsible for building up the saints in understanding the Great Commission. This involved facilitating short-term trips, fostering awareness of God’s global mission, encouraging support for missionaries, and contemplating long-term missions.
The question I tackled was, "Is Every Christian a missionary?" The true answer is no. Not everyone is a cross-cultural Christian who specifically moves to preach the Gospel where Christ hasn't been named (Rom. 15:20).
This concept is often misunderstood in the Church today, as we sometimes confuse Christian missions with Christian service, such as raking leaves in a grandmother’s yard. While caring for the widows and orphans is commendable, we shouldn't conflate it with Christian missions. Otherwise, many Christians may excuse themselves from the Great Commission to make disciples of all nations.
This doesn't mean only missionaries are involved in missions. We are not all being disobedient Christians if we haven't moved elsewhere. Missions is for the entire body of Christ to leverage their lives for the Great Commission and glorify God.
But we need a new definition.
We are not all missionaries, but we can and must all become World Christians.
“World Christians are Christians whose life directions have been solidly transformed by a world vision. They have discovered the truth about God’s plan for the world and what still needs to be done. They leverage their lives for God’s glory through the Great Commission.”
Main Idea: Become a World Christian to praise God and proclaim His name to all nations.
Let’s explore how we become World Christians.
The Resolution to Praise and Proclaim God (1-3)
The Psalmist resolves to praise God forever and ever because He is great and greatly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable.
Who - God, King, Yahweh
He is not just our king, but my King. This is a personal pledge from David, indicating an intimate relationship with God, who called him a “man after his own heart.”
What - Praise, Extol, Bless (2x)
David expresses joy and celebration in three different terms.
When - Forever and Ever (2x), Every Day
This praise is ongoing, not a one-time event.
Why - He is great. This greatness is unsearchable.
The praise persists because God is great, three times great, surpassing human understanding. Recognizing God's greatness, we must resolve ourselves to praise and proclaim the name of the Lord. He is worthy of it.
The Reason to Praise and Proclaim God (4-20)
God’s character and works are the reasons we praise and proclaim God.
Look at the descriptions given by the Psalmist.
His Character
Mighty, Glorious Splendor of Majesty, Great, Goodness, Righteous, Gracious, Merciful, Slow to Anger, Abounding in Steadfast Love, Good to All, Merciful, Glorious, Everlasting, Faithful, Near to All Who Call on Him in Truth
His Works
Mighty Acts, Wondrous Works, Awesome Deeds, Power, Glory, Mighty Deeds, Dominion, Kind in All His Works, Upholds the Falling, Raises the Bowed, Gives Food in Due Season, Satisfy the Desire of Every Living Thing, Righteous in All His Ways, Fulfills the Desire, Hears Their Cry and Saves Them, Preserves Those Who Love Him, Destroys All the Wicked
In Hebrew, this is an acrostic poem, each verse beginning with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet.
We praise and proclaim God because He is everything, His character and works are perfect. He is the I Am.
The Result of Praising and Proclaiming God (21)
Seeing God rightly leads us to proclaim the praise of the Lord, and the Psalmist desires others to do the same.
Because of all this, the Psalmist ends as he began, speaking of the Lord’s praise, praising Him forever and asking God to “let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.”
He doesn't want to worship God alone but desires to speak of God and tell others.
The Psalmist gives us the resolution, reason, and result for becoming a World Christian. A World Christian praises God for His greatness and proclaims this greatness to all nations.
Praise God for His Greatness
Abide in Christ. Treasure God as the treasure hidden in the field. For the joy before us, we should love and praise God.
Jesus lived the life we couldn't and died the death we were condemned to die. He rose again. For our sake, he became sin who knew no sin so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
This is a God worth giving everything for. To follow Jesus, we must deny ourselves, take up our crosses daily, and follow Him.
Proclaim God’s Greatness to All Creation
A heart rooted in treasuring and loving God comes obeying Him.
The Great Commission is not a suggestion but a mandate. Every Christian is tasked with making disciples of all nations.
The question is, “How can I best leverage my life for the sake of God’s Glory by the Great Commission?”
How can I praise God and proclaim His name to all nations?
The “how” will differ with each one of us, but the core is the same for Every Christian. We must praise and proclaim the name of God to all nations. This is what it means to be a World Christian.