Count Your Blessings

Sermon – Count Your Blessings

Ps 103:1 A Psalm of David. “Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. 2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: 3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; 4 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; 5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.”

Psalm 103 is a Psalm of Personal, Passionate, and Perpetual Praise! And what is amazing about this Psalm is that unlike other Psalms of David that we looked at, this Psalm has no requests within it - only rejoicing! There are no complaints, no petitions, no supplications, no expression of disappointment, or sadness or fear, just pure, passionate, personal, perpetual praise arising from the heart of David! The second interesting thing about this Psalm is that we don’t really know at what stage of his life that this Psalm was written. Unlike some of the Psalms that we discussed, it provides no superscription above it to explain the circumstances in which it was written. There is no historical backdrop, no mention of what is going on in David’s life. We are not sure if David wrote this while he was young or old, in peace or being pursued by enemies, we just don’t know, but I believe that the reason that this Psalm is packed with so much praise is because it is packed with gospel truths! In fact, I think that you could safely entitle this Psalm the gospel according to David!

And my proposition to you today is this...A study of Psalm 103 will give us ample ammunition to personally, passionately, and perpetually praise God no matter what we are going through! I am going to give you three reasons why: We Have It So Good; We Enjoy So Much; and We Have Expressed So Little! One songwriters said it this way, “I owe God a Praise! David primes the pump of his own heart as he remembers God great mercies towards him. I am amazed at how much time we spend remembering things God has forgotten, and how much time we spend forgetting things God remembers. David gets caught up in a celebration of God’s goodness. His passion pours from his whole being. Because David had so much, he was extremely grateful to God. You and I, we have it so good, enjoy so much and we should express it more! When we count our blessings we realize we have it so good!

1. We have it so good. “Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. 2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:” Ti 6:17-19 “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; 18 That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; 19 Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.”

Someone said, “Your momma is so poor, she goes to Kentucky Fried Chicken to lick other people fingers.” David had experienced God’s richest blessings. So have we! David went from a shepherd to king, from rags to riches, and that might not be your story. Have you really thought about just how blessed you are? If you woke up this morning with more health than sickness, you are more blessed that the six million people who will not survive the week. If you have never experienced the danger of a Battlefield, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture or the pangs of starvation, you are more blessed that 500 million people in the world. If you can attend a church service without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death, you are more blessed than three billion people in the world. If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of the world. If you have money in the bank, in your wallet and spare change in a dish someplace, you are among the top 10% of the world’s wealthiest people. We should be extremely grateful people, because we have it so good! More than that, we enjoy so much!

2. We Enjoy So Much. 1Ti 6:17 “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;” It might surprise you know that there more positive command in Scripture than negative command. I believe God did so we would never forget the joy and blessings of life He intended for us. Think of all the times He says, “blessed”, “Fear not”, “rejoice”, “joy” and “that it may be well with thee.” God himself has provided all things for us to enjoy. It is alright to enjoy the blessings of God, but remember we are to enjoy God more than His things. We are to focus on the giver more than the gifts. Jas 1:16, 17 “Do not err, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” Then Re 4:11 reminds us, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”