1. This Psalm begins with an appeal for the Lord's people to sing unto Him. 2. The writer continued by showing why the Lord deserves such praise. a. (vs.4) "The Lord is great." b. (vs.5) He is the Creator -- He "made the heavens." c. (vs.6) He possesses honor, majesty, strength, and beauty. d. (vs.10) He reigns, and He judges His people righteously. e. (vs.13) He is coming one day in judgment. 3. In our lesson we are showing from the New Testament why Christ deserves our praise today.
Discussion:
I. LET US BEGIN BY POINTING OUT WHERE CHRIST IS LOCATED
A. After His resurrection, Jesus ascended to heaven (Acts 1:9-11). B. In heaven He is at "the right hand of God exalted" (Acts 2:33). C. Now that we know where Christ is located, . . .
II. LET US POINT OUT 5 REASONS WHY CHRIST DESERVES OUR PRAISE
A. First, Christ deserves our praise because He is the head of the church. 1. The Bible teaches that Christ is the head of the church in Colossians 1:18. 2. As the head of the church He has a perfect law (James 1:25). 3. We are to submit to Him (Colossians 3:16-17). B. Second, Christ deserves our praise because He is our mediator. 1. The Bible teaches that Christ is our mediator in 1 Timothy 2:5-6. 2. A mediator is one who intervenes between 2 parties to make peace. 3. To illustrate, Moses mediated on behalf of the Israelites (Numbers 14:11-20). 4. Christ, who gave Himself for us, is our mediator with the Father. C. Third, Christ deserves our praise because He makes intercession for us. 1. The Bible teaches that Christ intercedes on our behalf in Hebrews 7:25. 2. Intercede: to plead or make a petition on behalf of someone else 3. When we pray, we pray to the Father through Christ (John 16:23b). 4. As we pray, Christ makes intercession in that He pleads on our behalf. D. Fourth, Christ deserves our praise because He is our High Priest. 1. The Bible teaches that Christ is our High Priest in Hebrews 3:1. 2. Christ is a perfect High Priest (Hebrews 7:26). 3. He is able to empathize with us because He became a man and faced our temptations (Hebrews 2:17-18; 4:14-16). E. Fifth, Christ deserves our praise because He is our advocate. 1. The Bible teaches that Christ serves as our advocate in 1 John 2:1-2. 2. Advocate: one who pleads another's case before a judge 3. To help us appreciate this: a. John said he wrote certain things to help Christians avoid sin. b. Unfortunately, we do sin (1:8). 4. When we sin we have a very special advocate with the Father. a. He is called "the righteous." b. He is "the propitiation for our sins." c. We are very blessed in that the One who gave Himself as a perfect sacrifice for our sins also pleads our cases before the Father.
Conclusion:
1. We have seen from the Scriptures that: a. Christ is the head of the church b. Christ is our mediator c. Christ makes intercession for us d. Christ is our High Priest e. Christ is our advocate. 2. The fact that Christ fulfills these roles should lead us to: a. sing unto Him and offer praise to Him continually b. serve Him faithfully every day.