SERMON TITLE: Remember and Respond
TEXT: Psalm 145:1-21 (ESV)
SPEAKER: Josh Hanson
DATE: 2-11-22
You can watch the sermon here.
You can find the sermon notes here.
It’s a joy to be with all of you this evening here at Gateway Church. And — regardless if Gateway’s your home church or if you’re a guest joining us for presbytery — there’s one thing I want you to know. I want you to know that God loves you and that I love you too. No one hears the words “God loves you” or “I love you” enough — so receive these words — you are loved.
Before we get started — a couple of announcements. Tonight we’ll be taking communion together. Ushers will dismiss you by rows to come forward to receive the bread and cup. You’ll eat the bread and drink the cup — while up front — as we have a basket for you to put your empty cup in. If you’d be more comfortable with an individual communion packet — we have those available up front as well — along with gluten free wafers.
We’ll also be collecting a benevolence offering tonight. For our presbytery guests — this offering is for Gateway folks only as this is something we do during our evening communion services as a church. So if you consider Gateway to be your home church — you can give to the benevolence offering in the baskets that are located on the tables — as you come forward — or in the black boxes that are available at the doors as you exit.
Barna Research Group released an article — in November 2021 — titled “38% of U.S. Pastors have Thought about Quitting Full-Time Ministry in the Past Year.” (https://www.barna.com/research/pastors-well-being/) I was in a meeting earlier this year — with some fellow EPC pastors — and we were asked if we had seriously considered quitting ministry in 2021. And guess what? The percentage of hands that went up in the room matched Barna’s research.
Nearly 2 out of 5 senior pastors seriously considered leaving the ministry — not just their church — but ministry altogether — in 2021. And — yes — that’s an increase from 2020 — as Barna asked the same question in January 2021 and — at that time — only 29% of pastors were seriously considering quitting ministry.
In that same meeting — the one I was in earlier this year — we were told of a new trend on the rise where pastor’s spouses are quitting the church. After nearly two years of seeing division in the church and experiencing criticisms of their spouse — many spouses are finding it too difficult and exhausting and painful to show up on Sunday morning. And among spouses — who attended the EPC pastors and spouses retreat last fall — many admitted that they’re struggling with relationships in the church.
Now I know that the last two years have been difficult for everyone. I know that many serving in helping vocations — doctors, teachers, nurses, foster parents, and so on — have especially had a rough two years. But few are talking about pastors and their spouses and how we’re doing. Imagine 40% of doctors or nurses or teachers not showing up for work in the next few months— that’d be a crisis. Now imagine 40% of pastors — in the U.S. — quitting. Imagine all of the empty pulpits on Sunday morning, the missed hospital visits, the funerals and weddings with no pastor available.
Add to all of this that the average age of pastors has been increasing as fewer and fewer younger folks choose pastoral ministry as their vocation. And — at the same time — Barna’s research found that 46% of pastors who are younger — under the age of 45 — seriously considered quitting in 2021 compared to 34% of pastors 45 years old and older. We already have few young pastors and they’re the ones who — right now — are most likely ready to quit ministry.
Now — let’s bring this home to the EPC and what’s going on in our churches — then we’ll turn to Scripture and remind ourselves of some of the resources we have available to combat this pastoral burnout. In late 2017, I did research for my doctoral project on EPC pastors. It was a project done comparing EPC pastors with our U.S. peers in a study done by Barna — the same study Barna’s using to compare pre- and post-COVID pastoral health.
For example, in 2017, 85% of U.S. pastors rated their emotional well-being as “excellent” or “good.” In late 2021, Barna found the percentage had decreased to 60% — a decrease of 25% in emotional well-being among U.S. pastors.
So what about EPC pastors? Well — back in 2017 — we rated our emotional well-being nearly identical as our U.S. peers. Which means that — most likely — EPC pastors have had a significant decrease in our emotional well-being. This is the most significant decrease in our well-being, but not the only decrease. Barna’s found that pastors have experienced decreases in their spiritual well-being, their relational well-being, and their physical well-being. And — knowing what I learned in my study of EPC pastors — these have all declined for us as well.
So what’s my point? Your pastors — and their spouses — are hurting. In fact, if you’re an EPC pastor would you raise your hand. Look around the room. Now listen to these words. Forty percent of the hands raised seriously considered quitting ministry last year.
Back in 2017, I also discovered that around 200 EPC pastors were planning to retire within the next 15 years. That was five years ago — so we’re 10 years away from around a third of our pastors retiring. Five years ago — 57% of EPC pastors mentioned that they had struggled with depression while serving in ministry — I can only imagine what that percentage is today. Yes — we’re all hurting — but know that your pastors and their spouses are hurting too.
So — back to what I said earlier — to my fellow EPC pastors and any spouses that are here — know that God loves you and I love you too. And I pray that for you — and for all who hear my voice — that tonight’s reminder — of things we all know — will bring healing and hope to your hearts and lives — and in our churches — so we’re all faithful in finishing the call to which we’ve been called by God — to be pastors to his people.
So — with that — let’s turn to our passage for this evening and find a sweet sweet reminder for our weary souls.
If you have your Bible please turn with me to Psalm 145. We’ll be looking at the entire psalm — all twenty-one verses — tonight. We’re in Psalm 145. Beginning in verse 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.” (Psalm 145:1-21 ESV)
Alright. Here’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to remind ourselves of who God is. Then we’ll remind ourselves of how we’re to respond to who God is. And — then — we’ll look to Christ — in whom we find joy and encouragement for the weary soul. Again, all things you know — I’m sure — but may you receive this news tonight like the hearing of a retelling of your favorite story that makes your heart glad. May these words cause you to rejoice and give thanks and leave here — less weary — but encouraged because of the love your God has for you.
Let’s begin by remembering who our God is. We’ll begin back in verse 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…[In verse 11 we read…] 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.” (Psalm 145:3-9, 11-20 ESV)
If you’re weary and in need of encouragement — even if you’re not weary and life is great — remember your God. Remember that he’s great and majestic. Remember that he’s done wondrous works and awesome deeds. Remember that he’s abundantly good and righteous. He’s gracious and merciful. He’s slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. Remember that he’s King of an everlasting kingdom and that he’s powerful. He rules over all generations of all times. He’s faithful and kind. He upholds those who are falling and he raises up those who’ve been pushed down. He supplies us with everything we need and satisfies the desires of our heart. Remember that our God is near to us. He hears us. He saves us. And he preserves us. Remember your God.
Now — think about what we just reminded ourselves of about our God. Your God is both the high King of kings — ruling over an eternal Kingdom — and he’s near to you. I wonder how aware you’ve been of his nearness to you. (R. C. Sproul, ed., The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version (2015 Edition) (Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust, 2015), 1000.) How has his presence in your life — the promise that he’s near to you — how has God’s presence been an encouragement to you recently? When we’re weary and exhausted and ready to quit — it’s in these moments that we start to believe that he’s not near — but is far away. But know that the High King of Heaven finds joy and delight in being near to you— in being present with you.
And — he who is near — is great! David says, “God’s greatness is unsearchable.” By that — he means — God’s greatness goes beyond our understanding. For sure — we can have a true understanding of God — but never a complete and exhaustive understanding of him. (Sproul.) That’s what David’s saying. Thus — when we say “God is great” — we don’t really have a clue what we’re saying. It’s like sketching a sunset with only a pencil. (Illustration idea from Daniel Estes, NAC, 599.) Will we be able to tell that the sketch is of a sunset? Sure. But a pencil drawing is but a poor glimpse of a true sunset. And when we say “God is great” — it’s like drawing a sketch of a sunset with a pencil — as we wait to see the true sunset of God’s greatness. And — I don’t know about you but — for me — this brings excitement to my soul. That — one day — I will see God’s greatness — not as a pencil sketch — but in full God-glorifying radiant color.
And David reminds us of God’s works and his mighty acts — his awesome and mighty deeds. For David’s audience — this would’ve brought to mind the Exodus story — God rescuing his people out of slavery in Egypt — God parting the Red Sea so they could escape from Pharaoh and his army — him providing bread from Heaven for them to eat. As I thought of God’s works and his mighty acts — in Scripture — I couldn’t help but think of God rescuing Noah and his family from the flood. Or the walls of Jericho falling down. I thought of God — guiding the stone from the sling of our psalm’s author — when he was much younger. Or all that God did in Jonah’s life. I thought of his presence with Daniel in the lion’s den and with Daniel’s friends in the fiery furnace. I thought of all that we find Christ doing — those many mighty works — in the gospels — even telling people that he’s the true Bread of Heaven — but let’s not get ahead of ourselves — we’ll get to Christ — just not quite yet. Remember the wondrous works and mighty acts of your God.
David reminds us that God is abundant in goodness and righteous in all his ways. He’s also gracious and merciful. So — if I may ask — how has God been good to you recently? Where have you been a recipient of his grace — his undeserved favor — in recent weeks? What about his mercy and patience with you? Or his “never ending, never giving up, unstopping, always and forever love” (Jesus Storybook Bible) for you?
Or — as an encouragement — specifically to those pastors who’ve thought about quitting — I love how the Message expresses verse 14. “God gives a hand to those down on their luck, [he] gives a fresh start to those ready to quit.” (Psalm 145:14 MSG)
Look at that — an encouragement to those ready to quit. God is ready to give you a fresh start — right where you are — if you trust him to give you a hand. What undeserved grace for the weary pastor — what undeserved grace for all of us.
RESPOND TO HIM
So how should we respond to God? We’ve reminded ourselves of who he is — so how should we respond? Back to verse 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…[And in verse 10 we read…] 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…[And skipping to verse 21…] 21 My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord, and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.” (Psalm 145:1-7, 10-12, 21 ESV)
How are we to respond? We exalt God and bless his name. Every day — we’re to praise him. And tell each other — including the generations to come — about God and all that he’s done. We sing about his righteousness and we give thanks — in praise — to our God for all that he’s done.
Now — David is king of Israel — but he says that God is the King — is his King — is the King deserving of eternal praise. But king David tells all of us that — beginning with today, and then tomorrow, and then the next day, and so on and so on — we’re to remember who our God is because — in doing so — as his people — we’ll respond in praise to our King of all kings. Because — as it’s been said, “Praise is worship; it’s acknowledging God to be what he truly is: the sovereign, holy, just, righteous, merciful, awesome, and majestic God we discover him to be in Scripture…[Praise is us] acknowledging God to be God. (James Montgomery Boice, Psalms 107–150: An Expositional Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2005), 1250–1251.)
And — we do this as individuals — yes — this psalm starts off with David speaking about himself — but — by the end of the psalm — did you notice that now the worship of God is an “all flesh blessing God’s holy name forever and ever” corporate act? Our praise of God is much bigger than any one of us — but it does include each of us. And — just like the past mighty works of God — that we have recorded in Scripture — just like they’re to be reasons for us to rejoice and be glad in God — God has been faithful to each and every one of us. And we must share our stories of his faithfulness in our lives — we must share the stories of his mercy — and his graciousness and patience — his nearness to us — we must share our stories to encourage one another.
And — specifically — to those of you who are guests from other EPC churches — share your story with your pastor. To a pastor who’s on the verge of quitting — I can only imagine how encouraging your story might be to them. Let your pastor know how God is using their ministry in your life. I’m not asking you to make a story up — but surely God is at work in your life. And since he is — why not encourage one another — especially your pastor — by telling each other what God is doing so that others might join you in praising God for all the great things he has done and is doing?
Did you know that most pastors have a collection — somewhere — usually a folder in a drawer in their desk — where they keep encouraging notes they’ve received from folks in their church? How might you help your pastor to have a full drawer — or two — of reminders of the great things that God has done in and among you as a congregation? What a way to encourage the weary pastor.
And — to my fellow pastors — what have your eyes been focused on lately? It’s been so easy to focus on the criticism and division — maybe easier than ever in our lifetime of ministry — but how might you intentionally look for God’s work in your church? I mean — we pastors have a front row seat to be amazed that God is at work — in and through us — and the people we shepherd. We have a front row seat kind of opportunity to see God at work and to recognize that it’s all undeserved grace! So praise him for his faithfulness in not giving up on you and the congregation you lead. And — before you give up — or quit ministry all together — for the next month — here’s something I’d encourage you to try doing. Try writing one thank you card a day to someone in your congregation for the next month. If you’ve never done this, you have no idea how much of an encouragement it will be to your soul to start your day by writing a thank you card — an opportunity to thank God for the work he’s doing in your life, in your ministry, and in the people you shepherd. Because this will force your eyes to spot God at work in your congregation. Be intentional and watch out for God’s work in your church — it will encourage your soul.
We’ve remembered who our God is and have seen how we’re to respond. And — in our response of praise — we must remember to rejoice in Christ.
We — living on this side of the cross — have the benefit of knowing the name of the King of kings that David’s praising in our psalm. His name is Jesus. Jesus — the one who sought out those who had fallen down in life — whether through their own sinful choices or due to sickness or demonic oppression — in the gospels we find Jesus seeking out the fallen and helping them to stand. And — often in their standing — regardless of what Jesus helped them to step up and out of — often their standing became a following of him. And — for others — their standing became an opportunity to tell others what Jesus had done in their life — sharing the news of a wondrous work of God in their life so that others might believe. I think of the Samaritan woman who Jesus met at the well and asked for water and then offered her himself — the Living Water — that never runs dry in offering refreshment to a thirsty soul.
And we have the privilege of knowing that the Lord who is near — is Jesus. For he promised to never leave us nor forsake us. And his is the name that we — and all who believe — have called upon. And he heard our cry. And he saved us. And — in love — he preserves us. And he opened his hands on the cross — as he was lifted up over all that he had made — so that he might not only give us the desires of our hearts — but be the desire and satisfaction of our hearts.
And the way — to Jesus being the satisfaction of our hearts — is remembering who our God is and responding to him in praise — every single day. And — yes — there will be days when we won’t be able to do this on our own. Thus, we need each other to remind us of who our God is and that the delight of our heart is found in Christ.
Pastors remind your congregation of who their God is and that Christ is the only One who will satisfy the desires of their heart. And — congregations — remind your pastor of how great, and kind, and good, and merciful, and compassionate, and loving and righteous their God is and that Jesus can satisfy the desires of their heart as well. For — we all need reminding — we all need to be encouraged to remember who God is so we praise him and find our satisfaction and joy in him. Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, you are great and majestic. You’ve done wondrous works and awesome deeds. You are abundantly good and righteous and gracious and merciful and powerful and faithful and kind. You are slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. You are King of an everlasting kingdom. You uphold those who are falling and you raise up those who’ve been pushed down. You supply us with everything we need and satisfy the desires of our heart. You are near to us. You hear us. You save us. You preserve us.
Spirit of God, help us to remember. Help our hearts to find their desires satisfied in Christ. Remind us that we are loved. Give strength to our weary souls.
And — Jesus — we praise you. What a mighty and loving and kind Savior we have. What grace you’ve bestowed upon us. What favor and mercy. Strengthen the resolve in your undershepherds — so we remain faithful to you and to your people. In your name we pray. Amen.
May you go remembering who your God is — responding to him in praise — and go with hearts whose desires are satisfied in Christ. Amen.
God loves you. I love you. You are sent.
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