Everlasting Kingdom (By: Chris Barnes)

Text: Psalm 145

OBSERVE:
Verse 1-2: The psalmist opens by stating his determination to praise God daily, and enthusiastically forever. God is his King and thus deserves his worship. The focus here is on God’s name, which refers to his nature as well as the reputation garnered by his works.
Verses 3-7: It is beyond human ability to grasp God completely, but his people can know enough to pass down the accounts of his great acts from generation to generation. His past acts establish a tack record that builds up the confidence of his people.
Verse 8: Through his great acts, God reveals himself as gracious, compassionate, patient, and loving.
Verses 9-13: God’s kingdom is described as glorious and everlasting. God’s kingdom is not restricted to Israel but extends to the whole world.
Verses 14-21: The psalm celebrates God who keeps his promises and helps those who are vulnerable. The psalmist once again declares his commitment to praise God and then calls on all God’s creatures to join him.

INTERPRET: This is the last of the acrostic songs in the Psalter. The psalm is a hymn that extols God as King and as the One who provides for his vulnerable people. It draws on God’s great acts and celebrates his everlasting kingdom as the motivation for praise. All the earth is to praise the Lord who provides for his creatures.

In verses 5 and 6, there is an interplay between they in colon a and I in colon b, which refers to the previous generations informing the psalmist of God’s great acts and the psalmist responding with praise.

Christians using this prayer know that Jesus is the Messiah, the anointed King, whose great acts in the past are his death and resurrection. He has established God’s kingdom among us, and we look forward to his return to reign over all creation.

APPLICATION: Psalm 145 is a psalm in which David specifically gives five distinct characteristics of God, and they all begin with the letter "G." These characteristics include:

• God's Greatness (v. 1-6), which is so great that it is beyond our imagination.
• God's Goodness (v. 7-10), which is so good that Jesus taught that nothing else can be considered good.
• God's Glory (v. 11-13), which gives us a glimpse of the divine Kingdom.
• God's Guarantee (v. 13), which reminds us that God’s promises are guarantees.
• God's Grace (v. 14-21), which is sufficient for any circumstance.

​All these characteristics of the Everlasting King should give us peace in the present and give us extreme confidence for our future. They should shape our priorities and motivate us to serve and praise our King in everything that we do. God’s Kingdom is everlasting, and so is it’s King. Let every creature praise his holy name (Jesus), for ever and ever. Alleluia, Amen!

PRAYER: Dear Father, help me not to be in love with this present world. Enable me to live for the sake of your everlasting kingdom. Help me come to the defense of those who are attacked wrongly or who need defending for your sake. Stand by us, dear God, and give us the strength to live for you and to proclaim your word fully, as it deserves. Rescue us from the lion's mouth. Rescue us from every evil and save us for your heavenly kingdom. Be with our spirits. Grant abundant grace to us in every way. To you be the glory for ever and ever. Amen.

SONG: Everlasting God – Chris Tomlin