Well, good morning, if you're able. You can open up your Bibles not to the Book of Romans, though there will be plenty of allusions to it. But as we take a little bit of a break during Advent season, we're going to look this morning at the Lord's goodness to his people and how it should evoke praise as we anticipate the return of Christ in Psalm 148. So, if you're able, turn in your Bible to Psalm 148. If you have it on your phone, you can find it easily. If you have your Bible, kids, Psalms is near the middle. And then when you found Psalms, keep scrolling or keep turning till you get to Psalm 148. And when you found it, please stand for the reading of God's word together. Hear now the reading of God's precious word. Hallelujah. Praise the Lord from the heavens. Praise Him in the heights. Praise Him, all His angels. Praise Him, all His hosts. Praise Him, sun and moon. Praise Him, you stars of light. Praise Him, you highest heavens and you waters above the heavens. Let them praise the name of Yahweh. For he commanded, and they were created, and he established them forever and ever. He gave a decree, and it shall not pass away. Praise the Lord from the earth, you great sea creatures and all deeps, fire and hail, snow and mist, stormy wind doing his word. mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars, beasts and all livestock, creeping things and flying birds, kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth, young men and maidens together, old men and children. Let them praise the name of Yahweh. for his name alone is exalted. His majesty is above earth and heaven. He has raised up a horn for his people. Praise for all his saints, for the people of Israel who are near to him. Hallelujah. Let's pray. Father, we come this morning with various needs. Some come with joyful hearts, some come with heavy hearts. Our prayer this morning is that you would so open up our eyes to see your glory, not only in creation, not only in providence, but most especially in redemption. And Father, I pray that as we view and see you through faith in the Scriptures, the command, the twelvefold command to praise you will not be burdensome, that it will become natural or perhaps better supernatural. And Father, I ask even this morning that you would forgive us for how little we do praise you, not only with our lips, but even our lives. And I pray that as we leave here, we would leave resolute, afresh, by faith, to seek to live all of our lives to the praise of the glory of your grace. And so, Father, please open up your word that we might behold wondrous things of you. You say that the unfolding of your Word gives light. And, O Father, I pray that the Holy Spirit, in the words of Paul, would be interpreting spiritual truths to spiritual people. Give us the mind of Christ. And, Father, help us to redeem the time during this Advent season. Would you help us to see how the sending of your son into this world to be that horn of salvation for your people was not an afterthought, but has been planned from before eternity. Before there was time, you had planned to bring glory To yourself father in Christ not only from your people But this one who will reconcile all things to himself things in heaven and things on earth How all of these these aspects of the created realm will one day sing harmoniously And father I pray that we would be caught up in this vision and we'd be actually caught up in this praise not only now but Lord help us to see this is our destiny and and help us to wait expectantly, help us to then walk properly, and help us to worship truly. Father, show us Christ this morning. If we just leave here beaten down, that we're not praising as we ought, Lord, it will miss the entire focus not only of the psalm, not only of the Bible, but it'll help us to miss the focus of all of redemptive history, and that is to see Christ, and to worship Him. So show us Christ, Father, we pray. Help us, Holy Spirit. Open up our blind eyes. May we not be like the Pharisees of John 9. May we be like this redeemed sinner who saw you, Jesus, and worshipped you. Help us to do that, we ask. Even this morning, we ask, Father, in Jesus' name. Amen. Please be seated. Well, in his wonderful commentary, Christopher Ashe says this, praise is the fundamental obligation of every created thing. Praise is the fundamental obligation of every created thing. And so it'd be easy for me just to say, this is your obligation. But what I want us to do is to so see Christ in this psalm that we would see it a privilege. And I was thinking of it like this. If I wanted you to praise, say, someone like Connor McDavid, or some amazing symphony, or some kind of amazing food, if I wanted you to enjoy it and to tell others about it, I could command you, legalistically, go and tell everyone how awesome this hockey player is, or how awesome this band is, or how great this orchestral piece is, or how great this dish is. But the best way, actually, in the words of Jonathan Edwards, is that if you really want someone to enjoy honey, you have them experience it. Let them taste honey. And then they will gladly rejoice. And they will, as it were, exult and revel in the goodness and sweetness and beauty and all the complexities of honey. And that's what I want us to do this morning. You'll notice, as we're reading the psalm, that the word praise is used 13 times. It's commanded 12 times, and it's used once as a noun, and that's significant. And I could just say, while the psalmist here commands us to praise the Lord, commands actually all of created order, things in heavens, things on earth, they're commanded, they're obligated, as it were, to sing praise to the Lord. But I want us to see the beauty of what God is doing in restoring all things in the Lord Jesus Christ. Do you remember that five weeks ago I said Romans is all about Paul showing us how God is reclaiming his glory? Psalm 148 is about that. Psalm 148 is showing us that God is zealous for His glory, and He will stop at nothing to reclaim His glory from all created things, things in heaven and things on earth. Now, let's look at the structure of the psalm. This is probably boring to some, but I pray that as we do this, this will incline your heart to something called inductive Bible study. Sometimes we just quickly rip through the text, give me my one thing to do, and I'm on my way. Sometimes there's a beauty to slowing down and understanding that the Spirit of the Lord moved the prophets to write in such a way that we would see that there is wonderful beauty in the orderliness of this psalm, in the symmetry and harmony of this psalm. So it starts, you'll notice I read, and ends with this call to worship, hallelujah. And so often when we say that word, we're directing it towards God, rightly so. However, in the Hebrew, this is a command that the worship leader would give to the gathered people, the chesedim, the chesed ones, the ones whom God has shown his covenant love towards. And so, verse 1a, and then the very last line, are not firstly, as it were, going up to the Lord, they're going out to the Lord's people, and it's a command. Hallelujah. Praise Yah. That's the abbreviated form of Yahweh, the God of Israel. For us in the New Covenant, we see and we worship Him as Father and Son and Spirit, and I'm commanding you, praise Him. Of course, there's reasons to. There's the command to praise Him, but look in verse 5. As this command goes out to heavenly beings, there is an unseen realm. There is an unseen realm right now, commanded to worship Yahweh, angels, and hosts, and all of these things we forget about. They are to praise God. Why? For He commanded. He has given a promise and a command that cannot be revoked, cannot be transgressed, cannot be moved. The command goes not only to those from the heaven, verse 1, notice in verse 7 the command goes to those who are from the earth. Praise the Lord, praise Yahweh from the earth. Why? Well, there's also a reason in verse 13. So you should be putting these things together as you slow down, and maybe you're not reading the Psalms, and maybe you're reading Paul in Romans or in Ephesians, or maybe you're working through Proverbs, but there's sometimes a wisdom in slowing down. Why should those from the earth praise? For, verse 13 says, his name alone is exalted. Why is his name exalted? He has raised up a horn for all his people. Now, we'll get there in time, but I just want you to see that there's beauty in how God has inspired his word. You'll notice that this praise is commanded to not only those from the heavens, but those who are from the earth. which should bring us back to Genesis chapter one. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Have you ever thought about why? The inspired psalmist is telling us, all things have been created in him, says Paul to the Colossians, and for him. Things in heaven, things on earth, visible and invisible, all rulers and authorities, all dominion, all things have been created through Christ and for Christ. Well, let's get into this psalm. The command is yes to hallelujah. The first is to the angelic realm. You see that in verse one? Praise the Lord from the heavens. Praise him in the heights. The realm is the heavens, the heights. Those that fill the heavens and the heights in verse two are his messengers, are his angels, are his hosts. Do you see that? Praise, praise, praise, praise, praise. Five times in two verses. They are to give praise to him. Now, I want you to understand that as we're working through the psalm, praise is more than just singing songs to God. Sometimes you're like, well, how do trees sing songs? Unless you're on some really crazy hallucinogenic jugs, you don't see birds praising God in song, as it were, or mountains singing. They're not having a worship session. Praise of the Lord, yes, is with our lips, and it is with our lives, but even for all these things, it is doing and being what God created them to be and to do. Do you understand that? That God created all things for His glory. And they praise Him, as it were, as they are and do what He has commanded them to be and to do. So what has God created angels to do? He's created them to carry out His work. I meditated much this month on Psalm 103. Turn there for a second. I want to show you. And then I want to show you from Hebrews 1 what angels are to do. Now, the reason why I'm slowing down here is we forget that there is an unseen Rome. That before we were created, God created angels. Look in Psalm 103 verse 20. Bless, very close to the same idea of praise. Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word. What does it mean to praise God? When we come to church, people say, well, that's the praise band. We have our praise, and then we listen to some guy talk, and then we go home. How was worship? The praise time was awesome. Praise is more than just music. But praise is also more than just preaching. You are to praise the Lord, whether you eat or drink, whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God. Or you might say, praise God in all that you do, as you go to work tomorrow, as you study tomorrow, as you change dirty diapers at three in the morning, Nathan. Not Copperts, Takeda, Takeda. Whether young or old, male or female, right, whether you're bond or free, You bless him and you praise him as you what you do his word you carry out his command Obeying the voice of his word in verse 21 bless the Lord all his hosts his ministers They minister to the Lord This isn't just for guys with white collars or guys who carry Bibles around God has created angels to carry out his word. And as we're going to see, I think as we get to Hebrews chapter two, he has especially created us as his image bearers to glorify him, to praise him, to bless him by likewise knowing his word, obeying his word, carrying out his will. Bless the Lord all his works and all places of his dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul. Go to Hebrews chapter 1. And the reason I'm having you go there is because I really think we need to look at Hebrews 2 later, and this way you'll know where it is in the Bible. So Hebrews is right before James and right after Titus. And as the author, whether Paul or Apollos or Barnabas, I'm not sure yet, but I do know that God the Holy Spirit has inspired this. The author, the preacher literally, is seeking to show the supremacy of Christ over all things. And in verse 14, in comparing Christ to angels, The author, the preacher, says this of the angels. Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation? Why did God create angels? He created them to be to the praise of His glory. He created that they would praise Him by doing His word, by obeying His will, carrying out and ministering to Him. Now, God needs nothing, of course. He's not like us. He doesn't need us to feed him. It's not because he gets tired. It's not like me, you know, with my little, my huge man cold, and I get people to do things for me. God's not like that in heaven. I need some help, so I'll create the angels to do all my dirty work, or when I get tired, or when I need some me time. No, God created all things for his glory, and they reflect his worth when they do what he says. Now, we need to see Psalm 148 as sort of moving towards a climax. God did create all things, but on the zenith, on the sixth day, he created humanity. And so we should see, as it were, in the angels, truths for us as well. How did the angels praise him? According to Hebrews 1, according to Psalm 103, according to the Bible, by doing his word. And sometimes we need to be more active as we listen to the preaching of the Word, because if you're anything like me, you've not carried out His will. You've not done His Word as you want. And so I actually praise Him right now, that He's a forgiving God. Because there were many angels who did not do God's Word, did not carry out His will, but actually rebelled. And they find no place of repentance. You can read that in 2 Peter and in Jude. We should be like the angels who fell. But God, in His mercy, has raised up a horn, not for the fallen angels, but for the fallen sons of Abraham. He has raised up a horn of salvation for His elect. who have not done His Word, who have not obeyed His will. There will be plenty of reason to praise Him. Well, the psalm continues. Not only is the triune God to be praised by volitional creation, it's also to be praised by inanimate creation. Sun and moon, right? Do we see the sun singing songs? No. Do you see the moon singing songs? No. What about the shining stars? No. They praise him by doing what they were commanded to do, and that is to reflect light. Praise him, you highest heavens, and praise him, all you waters above the heavens. When you go back to Genesis, God creates space, and then he fills things. So he creates the heavens, and the highest heavens, and he puts the angels and the hosts there. He creates, as it were, the heavens, and he puts the sun and the moon there. Why? To show his handiwork. Does anyone know Psalm 19.1? You can turn there. How does the sun bring glory to God? How does the moon praise him? By declaring the glory of God. The heavens are declaring the glory of God. The sky above is proclaiming His handiwork. Day to day, God is pouring forth His speech. God is showing His handiwork, His wisdom, His glory in the sun and the moon, the sun that brings us warmth, the moon that helps the seasons remain. And so the command of the worship leader here is not firstly to us, it is firstly to the heavens. Praise the Lord from the heavens. Everything is included and everything is given him a reason in verse 5. Why are the heavens and the heavens of heavens? Why the firmament above? Why the heavenly host? Verse 5 says, for or because he commanded and they were created. This is what we saw last week in Romans 1, the effectual call. When God speaks the word to command, it happens. Go back to Genesis again. This is a musing or a meditation resulting in praise and glory upon the word of God. This is what we should be doing as we're reading the word of God. Psalm 8, David is reflecting upon God's glory and creation and he sings a song. The psalmist here is reflecting upon God's glory and creation and he's singing for us a song. Why should you praise the Lord this morning, even if you're not a Christian? Because God commanded, and you were created. This is a why, of course. Throughout the decades and centuries, the schools fought tenaciously to remove the doctrine of creation from the schools, and they replaced it with the satanic, deceptive lie of evolution. You know why the world so loves evolution? Because it so hates God, to whom homage and praises do. If there is no Creator, there is no Commander. But the psalmist says here, there is a Creator, and His Word is powerful. and his word is effectual, and his word carries out the purpose for which it was sent. It does not, in the words of Isaiah, return void. And so, kids, I want you to understand that in a very real sense, yes, you were conceived, right, in your mother's womb, that you are the product of your father and mother, but Psalm 139 says it actually traces further back. Because only God can open up the womb of someone like Sarah, or of Rebecca, or of Ruth. And if you're sitting here, living, breathing, ultimately, God commanded, and you were created, that God is the one who actually knit you together in your mother's womb. And you would say, well, I'm not a Christian. I'm not gonna praise him. You are obligated to. He is your creator and he is your Lord. Whether you bow your knee or not, you owe him homage. And if you do not give him homage, this horn who brought salvation into the world is returning to put all of his enemies under his feet. So today is that day. Today is the day of salvation. If you hear his voice, bow your knee to this one who created you. Bow to this one, as we're going to see, who is sustaining you. So the choir in the heavens, they praised the name of the Lord because he commanded. The sun did not create itself. There's no such folly as a big bang unless, as Tyler told me a couple weeks ago, there was a big bang. God spoke and bang, things happened. But God commanded, and if you study the sun or if you study the galaxy, it should blow your mind. Just like if you look at the intricacy of a wonderful painting, you don't revel in the painting, you revel in the mind of the painter. If you listen to a wonderful song with the intricate harmonies, you don't say, that song is awesome, how it created itself. No, you worship and praise, you give homage and credit and glory to the one who created it. And if you look at the Grand Canyon, or if you even look at the complexities of some of you studying biology or biochemistry, all these things are glorifying God. And they testify that He is the Creator who is all-powerful. Verse 6, they also testify that He is the Sustainer who is all-powerful. Do you see that in verse 6? Praise Him because He spoke, He commanded, and they were created. And He sustains them. I already quoted Colossians 1, where it says that all things were created in Christ, in the Son. They have been created through him and for him. But you know what Hebrews 1.3 says? All things right now, they're being upheld, sustained, you might say, by the word of Christ's power. Isn't that amazing? Have you ever thought why those planets that orbit the sun and how this happens in all the galaxies? And if Christ took one second of a rest, if his word, as it were, returned void, not only would things not have been created, they would not be sustained. This is all about the Lord Jesus Christ. He created all things. Why have you not dropped dead here this morning? Because Jesus Christ is sustaining you. You might not believe it. But this is what the word teaches, that he is upholding even the life of angels. He's upholding the life of you this morning, even if you're his enemy. Why? Because he's not willing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. And so as you're driving home and you see the northern lights, or you marvel at the beauty of the moon which reflects the glory of the sun, trace them back to the Source, to the Creator, and to the One who sustains all things by the word of His power. He gave a decree. Now, this is important. Because in Hebrew, there's often parallelism in poetry. And so if you're one of those crazy people like me who like writing in your Bibles and circling and putting lines all over the place, write a line from the word decree and go to verse 14. He's raised up a horn. God's word does not return void. He is not like me. I make a promise, and some of you, tragically, have experienced it. Sometimes I forget. Sometimes I don't carry through. Mostly unintentionally, hopefully not too much intentionally, but God's not like that. Just as he gave a command to all of those heavenly, as it were, starry hosts, Right? He gave a limit to them, a boundary, you could translate this. He gave a decree, a command, limits. And all of those planets, they don't deviate even one degree from around the sun, otherwise everything would implode. He gave a decree and shall not pass away, or if you have the footnote, it might not be transgressed. God has given a decree not only to those heavenly hosts, he has given a decree to his elect people. And as sure as the sun rises, metaphorically speaking, he will bring or lift up a horn for his people and for the unification of all things. So, let's go back to how this psalm is organized. It starts with this hallelujah. And it starts with all that is in the heavens. In the beginning, God created the heavens. Why? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory. God created the heavens, the heavens of heavens, and all that fill the heavens for his glory. And so, if you're talking with some atheistic blasphemer, and they're marveling at all the planets and all these things, glorify God, who spoke them effortlessly into existence. Psalm 8 says, with his finger, he put all those stars in place, and by his powerful, sustaining, sovereign word, he keeps them, and they don't deviate, but carry out all his will for them. So praise him from the heavens. In verse 7, praise him from the earth. This is what you call a merism. heavens and earth and everything in between. It's not enough that just the people of God praise him. All things from the earth also are to give him praise. You great sea creatures in all deeps, what in the world is that? It's showing God's sovereignty, that He is powerful even over all of these things that bring fear, all of these forces of chaos that bring anxiety to the people of God. God has them on a leash. Most likely, if you read commentators, they're thinking of the sea creatures like Rahab and Leviathan. Just as the Jews back then sometimes were fearful of the stars, which were, as it were, pagan gods, which they weren't, they were also fearful of those things that lurked in the sea. Even they are to praise God. Why? Because He sovereignly created them. Go and read that in Job. Behemoth, Leviathan. God created them like little toy ducks. When your kids have a bath, that's Leviathan to God. All of these forces of chaos that terrify God's people, He created them for His praise too. And as the sovereign creator and Lord of them, He rules over them. Praise Him. Praise Him fire and hail, snow and mist. Did you know that? The snow this morning, God sent to praise Him. It carried out His will. Maybe to frustrate you because you had to drive a little slower, or maybe you washed your car last night and it was to give you humility and to remember you're not on the throne. But God sends it. He sends fire and hail, whether for good or for ill, he sends it all. Stormy wind, stormy ruach, fulfilling his word. So as the snow is falling, it's not singing the doxology, but it is glorifying him, it is praising him, it is doing what it was created to do. And I keep repeating that because that's how we are to glorify God. We have been created to glorify God by doing what he's created us to do. And that's more than singing songs. Yes, singing songs. But being the best preacher you can be, being the best mother you can be, being the best daughter you can be, being the best veterinarian you can be, being the best doctor you can be, Mountains and hills, right, more marisms, mountains and hills and fruit trees and all cedars, beasts and all livestock, creeping things and flying birds, everything. Nothing is out of the purview, nothing escapes God's creative purposes. Think about that. Next time you hear the birds singing, they're giving God praise. Why? Because God created them with those beautiful voices, unless they're a magpie or a crow. But even those filthy, detestable, unclean fowl, they praise God. Even that magpie eating the roadkill off the side of the road, it's doing what God created it to do. Verse 11, we move more climactically to the sixth day. God created mankind, Adam, in his own image. Male and female created they in his image. Why? That they might praise him. It's just not the birds and the bees and the mountains and the hills and the mango trees and the bean poles and everything has been created, but most especially mankind, kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth. Why does the psalmist mention them? Because just like in the first section and here in the second section, things that would oppose God and his purposes will praise him. Surely even the wrath of man shall praise you. The kings of the earth that are mounting against the Messiah, right? Go to Psalm 2. Why are they meditating on a vain plot? The kings of the earth, rather than bowing their knee, they are scheming against the Lord and against his Messiah. And yet they will give praise to God in their redemption or in their damnation. The command goes to Donald Trump, and it goes to the sheiks in the Middle East, and it goes to all the dictators in North Korea and China. It goes to Putin. It goes to our dictator here in Canada. It goes to our premier. It goes to all. Praise him. How? By ruling the way you should, in fairness and equity. This is the church's prophetic call, is to call on everyone and everything to praise the Lord. The tree, it's praising the Lord, that's not the problem. It's the self-will of fallen humanity that will not praise God and do what he has created them to do. Young men and maidens together, old men and children, no one escapes. You could say, well, I'll praise him when I hit 12. No, everyone. All things have been created, not just boring adults, but you children as well. God commands you to praise the Lord this morning. He has created you, he is sustaining you, and most gloriously, he has sent a horn into this world that you might be saved. So, look at verse 5 and compare it with verse 13. All things in heaven and on earth are created to praise Him. Why? For He commanded and they were created. He sustains them. That's verse 5. Verse 13 and 14 say the main reason that all of heaven and earth, and most especially humanity, should praise Yahweh is because His majesty is above earth and heaven. Prove it. Now, you see His majesty in the heavens, but if you want to see a majesty that supersedes, transcends the heavens, you see it in the culmination of this psalm, in verse 14. Horn. What? What in the world is a horn? Well, I know what a horn is. It's something that protrudes out of some mammals. But in the ancient Near East, it was used of power. If you break off the horn of your enemy, you defeat them. If the horn is lifted up, it's sort of like this, yes, I destroyed you. And so it was a picture of power. And it came to be used especially of kingly power. Right? A king and his dominion going over and conquering another king in his dominion. And when he conquered that other king, he broke off that king's horn. You can see this especially in Daniel 9 and 10. Right? Horns are broken off in the book of Revelation. It's the picture of defeat. And the one whose horn is raised up or exalted is a picture of triumph and of victory. And so what the psalmist is saying here is that all things, and most especially humanity, is to praise God for His majesty is above earth and heaven. And His majesty comes down from heaven into earth in the form of a horn. Well, who or what is this horn? Now, a lot of commentators think that it's the horn of Israel, namely God is gonna give them victory. And yes, that is why we should praise God, because He has given His people Israel victory. But this horn is not just a victory, it is a person. Where do you get that from, Pastor Ryan? Well, this is what you call Hebrew parallelism. He has raised up a horn for his people. Praise for his saints. So you see that? If you're drawing lines, his people are his saints. His saints are his Israel who is near him, okay? The horn is praise. So how do you praise someone? And all throughout the psalm, who gets all the praise? Yahweh, 12 times. Hallelujah, praise Yahweh. So this is just how I think. The one time the word praise is used not as a command, it should still go to Yahweh. So this horn is Yahweh. Where do you get that from? Well, we could go to Psalm 89 or Psalm 132, but this is an Advent sermon. And so I'm gonna have you turn rather to Luke chapter one. Some of you kids hopefully will remember this, who are studying the gospel of Luke in quizzing. And let's hear what the Holy Spirit says, who moves Zechariah to see. It's in verses 69 and 70, but let me start in verse 67. Who or what is this horn? What becomes the praise of God's people? How is God's majesty exalted above earth and heaven? It's in this horn. And John's father, Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel. This is so from the book of Psalms. For he has visited and redeemed his people. What does it say in verse 69? And has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David. This is the Messiah, right? So you can read it in Psalm 89 and Psalm 132. You can read about it in 1 Samuel. But all throughout the Old Testament, the heavens and the earth are longing for this individual, this seed of Adam, this seed of Abraham, this seed of David, who would be raised up and bring defeat against the seed of the serpent, against the head of the serpent. And so here is Zechariah, right? They're mourning in exile, as it were. They're sitting in deep darkness. And he's filled with the Holy Spirit, and he's praising the Lord for doing what? For raising up a horn of salvation for us. In the house of his servant David, as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old. The psalmist is a holy prophet from of old. And so going back to Psalm 100, I think that helps us understand how God is achieving and procuring, and as I would say, reclaiming His glory. That in the exalting, the lifting up of this horn, all things in heaven and on earth will praise Yahweh. So it's interesting, as you're gonna read, hopefully, the birth narrative of the Lord Jesus Christ, there's a lot of singing in there, isn't there? Where does the singing start? It's the heavenly host, and they're praising God, because now they realize what God is doing in the sending of this Son, this One who is going to become a horn of victory, of salvation for His people. They're praising God, because this horn is going to reverse what sin has brought into the world. This is why the heavenly hosts are singing praise. They're with the shepherds. They gather around Joseph and Mary, and these heavenly hosts are praising God. Yes, they're messengers, but they're also declaring what God's purposes are. Let them praise the name of the Lord, for His name alone is exalted. How has God most exalted His name? Yes, in creation. Yes, in providentially sustaining all things. But you know how God has most exalted His name? In the sending of His Son, which we celebrate this Christmas season. How do we know that God is zealous for the fame and glory and praise of His name, which has been besmirched, has been exchanged, we're gonna see in the Book of Romans. They did not see fit to retain God in their minds. So what does God do? He should have judged all of us, all of humanity. But rather He sends His Son into the world to reclaim the glory that is due Him. We're always exchanging the glory of the immortal God for other things. And God sends His Son into the world that He might get His glory as He is due. And so as you're celebrating Christmas this season, realize that this is God's purpose not only to redeem a people for himself, but to reclaim glory in the earth and in the heaven. I'm going to show you that in two other passages. But if you want to see God's name most glorified and exalted, it's in raising up a horn. This is resurrection language. Praise for all of his saints. That's not a good translation. It comes from the word chesed. all of God's covenant people, to which I would ask you this morning, are you one of God's covenant people? I'm not asking if you were baptized as a child. I'm not asking if your parents read the Bible now and then. I'm not asking if you come to Sunday school. And those things are great. Well, infant baptism I don't think is great. But all these other things are great. But that's not what makes you one of God's chesed ones. You become one of his covenant people by faith in Christ, by seeing that the horn God has exalted through and above the heavens, that you bow your knee to him and you give homage and praise to him for which God created you and redeems you to do. This is praise. What is the praise of all the saints? Yes, the sun and all of its radiance and beauty and majesty. Yes, and the flowers, which I hope will come sooner than later. Yes, and the beauty of creation. But the ultimate praise for his saints, for his covenant people, is Christ, the one who made the sun, who makes and sustains the animals, the one who came into this world to die for our sins. Why do we offer our hallelujah to the Lord? Because of this horn. Now, go to Colossians chapter 1. I'll finish here and in Hebrews 2. I was going to go to Ephesians 1, but you guys know I've been going there a lot lately. This is God's plan, not just to save people. It's to unite all things for his glory and praise. See, we often make the word all about us, but you need to understand there's an unseen realm. There's all kinds of things going on, as it were, behind the scenes. Verse 15, who He, Christ, is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. That does not mean that He was a created being. It means it's all His. So the heavens and the earth, all creation of Psalm 148, it's His. It was created in Him and for Him. Do you see that in verse 6? For by him, or literally in him, all things were created in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. That's the heavenly host of Psalm 148. They're created for Christ, by Christ. All things have been created through Christ and for Christ, and He is before all things. In preeminence, not only in time, but in preeminence. And in Him, all things hold together. See, this is why God sent His Son. Because without Him coming in and reclaiming and restoring the glory of God, all of these things were not so. He is before all things and in him all things are holding together. Remember when it says, and he gave decree and it shall not pass? Christ is holding together the cosmos right now. And he is the head of the body, the church. I think Paul is sort of moving on the same trajectory, that Christ has come into the world to restore the glory to his name in the things in the heavens and on earth and most supremely in his church. his redeemed people. He's the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead. This horn has been lifted up. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell. Now look at verse 20. And through Christ, Through the incarnation of the Son, through his perfect life, through his substitutionary, atoning work on the cross, and through his triumphant, victorious resurrection and ascension, it says, and through Christ to reconcile to himself, what does it say? All things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. There's a cosmic redemption. I'm not saying universalism. But Jesus did come to die for his people, but he also came to reconcile all things to himself, things in heavens and things on earth. You ever like, what in the world is going on? I thought he just came to die for sinners. He came to reclaim the glory of God in the heavens and on earth. Christmas is way bigger than we think. We're a part of it if we belong to Christ, but there's cosmic, uh, what's the word I'm thinking about? Implications to Christ's coming. Lastly, Hebrews 1 and 2, and then we'll close. I promise, we've got to get to the table. But I want you to see this because I want to instill into you hope. As you're turning to Hebrews, as I can hear you turning to Hebrews, Psalm 148 is looking to the future, and it is urging us on in the present to yearn for this. Okay, so we see in chapter 1, Christ is better than all things. But listen in verse 5 of chapter 2. The preacher says, it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. It has been testified somewhere. Psalm 8. What is man that you are mindful of him, or the son of man that you care for him? You made him, for a little while, lower than the angels. You have crowned him with glory and honor, putting everything in subjection under his feet. Now, in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At the present, we do not yet see everything in subject to him. But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. So what is he saying here? That Christ came into the world so that all things would be subjected to him. And then he says, but we don't see all things subjected to him. So what's going on here? We're longing as a suffering people for Jesus to return, to put everything under his feet, like Psalm 110 says, like 1 Corinthians 15 says. And so Christmas, yes, is all about Christ restoring and reclaiming God's glory on earth and in heaven. And we're longing now for that to come to pass when he returns. Okay? So when you're celebrating Christmas, praise God that he has raised up this horn of salvation, that he has raised up praise for his saints. for the sons of Israel who are near him. And as you remember what God is doing, give him praise. He is returning, and so I would encourage us all to live in such a way that is befitting of that. Well, let's pray, and we'll turn to the table. The table reminds us that Jesus has come. Jesus has died. Jesus has been raised. But it also reminds us that Jesus is returning. that you're longing for what you saw in Psalm 148. You're longing for that harmony of heaven and earth, for these choirs to be united as we sing praise to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. And this table reminds us that it's not yet, but it's coming. Okay, and I want to just strengthen you. I want to give you encouragement and endurance to remind you that Jesus is returning. And one day, Psalm 148, it will be perfectly fulfilled in a new heavens and a new earth. And so my encouragement is you continue to hope for that. Continue to live in light of that hope as we await. Father, only you by your sovereign spirit can bring a blessing to just what was said. Only you can make certain things clear or even convictional through that hash of the last hour. But Lord, that's why we put our trust in you and not in a preacher. And we would ask that somehow, someway, by the power of the Holy Spirit, we would hope that we would be groaning and longing for this heavenly chorus to be united with this earthly chorus, as all things praise Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And even as we see in the book of Revelation, yes, you are praised as creator and a sustainer But oh, how you are praised for the sending of this lamb who was slain and by his blood has redeemed for himself a people from every tongue and tribe and nation. Father, there are many who are hurting and discouraged, many here probably who don't feel like praising you. But Lord, you have given us a horn to be our praise. And would you help us to turn away from the pains of the present? Would you help us, Lord, to see you have given a decree. Your word will not return void, that Christ will return, that all things will be united afresh in him. Heaven and earth will become one when he returns. And so, Lord, please, just so work in our hearts and so navigate them and help us to hope against hope. Help us to groan well. Help us to see our future is not one of futility, but one of perfect praise. What no eye has seen or ear heard, nor has entered into the heart of man, the things that you have given us in Christ. Help us to yearn for that day of days when he returns and reclaims what is duly his. Praise and laud and honor and glory and power and wealth and wisdom and might and majesty. Oh God, help us to yearn for that day. And as we partake of the bread and of the cup, help us to remember Jesus is coming back and all things will be well. Father, I pray, save your elect, strengthen your elect, sustain your elect, we ask in Jesus' name. Amen.