All Nations, Praise the LORD Forever!

Psalm 117

Speaker: Dr. Cory Gonyo, Preaching Elder
Purpose: to live a life praising the Lord because His truth is everlasting!

1. A Testimony to the LORD’s Life-Long Lovingkindness

2. The LORD is Worthy of Praise from All Nations! (Ps 17:1)
        The LORD’s Plan to Save All Nations in Jesus Christ!
        Romans 15:7-13, esp. v 11 quoting Ps 17:1
        Galatians 3:8-16

3. Why? Because of the LORD’s Lovingkindness and Everlasting Truth! (Ps 17:2)
       The LORD’s “Lovingkindness” refers to His faithful covenant love
        The LORD’s Everlasting Truth
        Psalm 119:160 – the whole and every part!
        Matthew 4:4 – Man shall live by every word from God!
        Matthew 24:34-35 – heaven and earth will pass away, but Jesus’ Words will not!
        John 17:17 – Sanctified by the everlasting truth of God’s Word
        1 Peter 1:24-25 & Isaiah 40:6-8 – the Word of the LORD endures forever!
        The LORD’s truth cannot and will not fail, forever!!!

Life-long praise flows from knowing the LORD’s great love and everlasting truth!

The Majestic, Matchless, Mighty Messiah
Psalm 110

Purpose: To revel in the supreme glory of Christ our Messiah

1. Jesus, the Majestic King (Psalm 110:1-3)
        Sovereign, Authoritative, Dignified

2. Jesus, the Matchless Priest (Psalm 110:4)
        Unique, Peerless, Unequaled

3. Jesus, the Mighty Warrior (Psalm 110:5-7)
        Dominant, Correct, Complete

In Jesus, we have the hope of both justice and mercy.
Revel in the glory of His name!

The LORD’s Great Salvation

Psalm 105

Purpose: to praise the Lord Jesus Christ, the Passover Lamb of our Salvation

1. Praise YHWH, Tell Others! (Ps 105:1-6)
        6 commands toward YHWH
        2 commands toward others

2. YHWH Makes His Promise! (Ps 105:7-11)
        Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
        See Genesis 12:1-3; Galatians 3:8-9

3. YHWH Protects His Promise (Ps 105:12-15)

4. YHWH Inaugurates His Promise (Ps 105:16-23)
        Joseph in Egypt

5. YHWH Provides His Passover, His Wonders Exalted! (Ps 105:24-36)
        The Greatest Salvation Event of the OT
        Moses, YHWH’s Plagues, and Passover Remembered!

6. YHWH Fulfills His Promise! (Ps 105:37-45b)

7. Praise YHWH! (Ps 105:45c)

8. Jesus Christ is Our Passover Lamb!
        The Greatest Salvation Event of All Time!
        Jesus, the Lamb of God (John 1:29, 46)
        Jesus Christ is the I AM, is YHWH (John 8:24, 58)
        We are bought with the Precious Blood of the Lamb (1 Peter 1:17-19)
        Jesus Christ, the Heir Who Purchases the Nations with His Blood (Rev 5:6-10)

Praise the Lord Jesus, the Passover Lamb of our Salvation

Turn to the Rock of Our Salvation

Psalm 95

Purpose: Come to the LORD, our Creator and Savior, with praise and thanksgiving and do not harden your heart with doubt and sin.

1. Praise to the LORD of Salvation (Psalm 95:1-2)

1. Praise to the LORD of Creation (Psalm 95:3-6)
        Exodus 20:3; Genesis 1; Romans 8:22

1. Praise to the LORD Our Shepard (Psalm 95:7a)
        Corinthians 6:20

1. Repent and Turn to the LORD of All (Psalm 95:7b-11)
        Exodus 17:3; Matthew 7:21-23; Hebrews 3

Bless The Lord
Psalm 103

Purpose: to praise the Lord in all things and for all that He has done for us.

1. Praise the Lord Personally (Psalm 103:1-5)
      With all our being, give praise to the Lordd
      Remember the benefits that the Lord provides for
      those who belong to Him.

2. Praise the Lord Corporately (Psalm 103: 6-19)
      God shows love, compassion, and grace to His
      people.
      Man is here today and gone tomorrow, but God is
      eternal and sovereign over all. 

3. Praise the Lord, His Angels (Psalm 103: 20-21)
       Servants of the Lord who do His will.

4. Praise the Lord, All Creation (Psalm 103: 22)
      Everything created by God, even the stones cry
      out.

5. Praise the Lord!
      A call for all created things to unite in praising the
      Lord.  

We must not forget all that the Lord has done and has provided; we must love and praise Him with all our hearts, minds, souls, and strength.

Everlasting God

Psalm 90

Purpose: to live our lives in the light of eternity

1. Everlasting God (90:1-2)
        The Lord is the everlasting Creator and Ruler of the Universe

2. Temporal Man (90:3-6)
        Dust (Genesis 2:7; 3:17-19; Psalm 103:14)

3. God’s Pervading Judgment (90:7-9)

4. Man’s Fleeting Life (90:10-11)

5. The Lesson Learned! (90:12-17)
        Teach Us to Number Our Days!
        Store Up Treasures in Heaven (Matthew 6:19-21)
        Trust the Lord’s Salvation, in God’s Time (2 Peter 3:7-10)
        Life is a Vapor, Make it Count! (James 4:13-16)

Life is so short and goes by so fast, we must live in light of the eternal God!

No Better Place
Psalm 84

Purpose: To encourage the believer that there is no better place to be in all of time and space, than the presence of the LORD.

1. The LORD Our Stronghold (Psalm 84:1-4)

2. The LORD Our Sustainer (Psalm 84:5-8)

3. The LORD Our Shield (Psalm 84:9)

4. The LORD Our Satisfaction (Psalm 84:10-12)

In the presence of the LORD, we find more than we ever need or could ever desire.

God, Our Portion Forever
Psalm 73

Purpose: God really is good to His people. Even though the circumstances of this life might shake our confidence, when we enter into God’s presence for guidance and comfort, we find that He amply supplies everything that we need.

1. Circumstances Give Rise to Questions. (Psalm 73:1-12)

2. Questions Drive Us into the Presence of God. (Psalm 73:13-20)

3. God Takes Us by the Hand and Resolves All Questions. (Psalm 73:21-28)

Stephen’s Ultimate Testimony

Acts 7:54-8:3

Purpose: to rightly see salvation in Jesus Christ as our greatest treasure, even unto death

1. The Reaction (7:54)

2. The Final Testimony (7:55-56)
       Trinitarian!
       The Holy Spirit
       Jesus is Alive
       At the right hand of God

3. The Sentence Carried Out (7:57-58)

4. The Ultimate Testimony (7:59-60)
       Luke 23:34
       Revelation 6:9-11; 12:11

5. The Blood of the Martyrs is the Seed of the Church (8:1-3)
       We must expect the Lord to grow His church through all means!
       Murderer turned Missionary: We are introduced to Saul/Paul, author of 13 NT books

Nothing will stop God from advancing His gospel of salvation to all the nations!

The Burning Bush and the Burning Church
Exodus 3:1–12 / Acts 2:1–4

Purpose: To remind the Church that the same Holy Spirit of Exodus and Acts still burns in us today.

1. God’s Presence — The Fire That Draws (Exodus 3:2–4)

2. God’s Holiness — The Ground That Trembles (Exodus 3:5)

3. God’s Mission — The Voice That Sends (Exodus 3:7–10)

4. God’s Spirit — The Flame That Stays (Exodus 3:12; Acts 2:1–4; Romans 8:11)

5. God’s People — The Church That Burns (Acts 2:3–4; Exodus 3:12)

God's fire in Exodus and Acts isn’t just a symbol of power—but of presence, purpose, and promise—and to remind the Church that the same Spirit still burns in us today.

God’s Promise Rejected
Acts 7:39-53

Purpose: To show the Need for People to Repent and Believe

1. A Failure to Be Faithful (Acts 7:39-43)

2. A Failure to Understand (Acts 7:44-50)

3. A Failure to Recognize the Redeemer (Acts 7:51-53)

Jesus Christ is the messiah and fulfillment of the law and true temple. Repent and place your trust in him.

God’s Promise Kept

Acts 7:17-38

Purpose: not to miss God’s way of salvation through Moses in the past, and in Jesus now!

1. From Abraham to Moses, God Kept His Promise (Acts 7:17-29)
       God’s promise to Abraham (7:17)
       God’s people in need of a Deliverer (7:18-19)
       Moses born, lovely in the sight of God (7:20)
       Moses arises in Egypt (7:21-22)
       Moses kills an Egyptian (7:23-24)
       Moses, God’s Deliverer Denied (7:25-28, esp. v. 25’s key theme!)
       Moses Flees Because of their Denial (7:26-29)

2. God Calls Moses (Acts 7:30-34)
       God came down to rescue them! (7:34)

3. The Deliverer: Abandoned by Men, Approved by God! (Acts 7:35-38)
       Jesus is the Prophet Like Moses (see Acts 3:18-22, Peter’s 2nd Sermon)
       Moses Taught You a Deliverer Would Come! (7:38)

In order to be saved, we must receive the Deliverer Jesus Christ, sent by God Himself!

God's Promise of Redemption
Acts 7:1-16

Purpose: To show that God has a plan for a people of His own possession.

1. God Promise Initiated (Acts 7:2-5)

2. God’s Promise Unchanged (Acts 7:6-10)

3. God’s Promise Sustained (Acts 7:11-16)

The promise to Abraham, explained by Stephen, is both a picture of His providential work in the Old Testament, and part of His greater promise of redemption to the world.