Let’s Bless God! Series

Let’s Bless God!

Psalm 103

Third in the series: "Glorify God!"

(My thanks to Wm. Darryl Scott Sr. for some of this material)

Introduction: Some people habitually talk to themselves. Listen as King David did it: “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless his holy name.” Psalm 103 is a pure song of praise. There is not a single petition in it. Instead, its joy progresses to a crescendo with the command that everything with life and breath in it must bless God!

Proposition: To excite and inspire Godliness in the hearts of others, we must first stir it up in ourselves.

1. Praise begins within

David begins his psalm by talking to himself. In examining his own life, he has discovered a need for genuine introspection.

To his dismay, it appears he discovers that the beauty of praise and thanksgiving are missing from the garden of his heart.

So he addresses himself: “Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me bless his holy name” (v1). The soul is our total personality; it is a unique entity that makes us who we are. It is the whole person.

But David doesn’t stop at the soul. He adds, “All that is within me.” He is saying, "Everything inside me that makes up my soul needs to praise the lord!" He lifts up his whole being in gratitude to God.

In verse 2, David reminds himself to “forget not all his benefits.” While he was praising God from the innermost recesses of his being, he was not overlooking the specifics of God’s unmerited grace and mercy. Even though David knew he could not remember all of God’s blessings, he knew he must not forget them. In other words, he was not to take for granted God’s expressions of goodness. Do we?

2. Praise comes from every aspect of our lives

Look at the verse-by-verse progression in Psalm 103!

Praise him because:

A. He is a pardoner,verse 3. He forgives all my iniquities

B. He is a physician, verse 3. He heals all my diseases

C. He is a redeemer, verse 4. He redeems my life from destruction

D. He is a benefactor, verse 5. He satisfies my mouth with good

E. He is a judge, verse 6. He executes righteousness for oppressed

F. He is a chastiser, verse 9. He won’t stay angry forever

G. Praise him for blessing of his height, verse 11. "As high as the heaven is above the earth" speaks of his mercy that cannot be comprehended

H. Praise him for blessing of his breadth, verse 12. "As far as the east is from the west" tells us His forgiveness cannot be rescinded.

I. Praise him for his depth, verse 13. As a father he pities those who fear him. His compassion cannot be estimated.

J. Praise him as creator, verse 14. He knows our frame

K. Praise him because he keeps his covenants and promises, verses 17-18. His mercy is from everlasting to everlasting.

L. Praise him because he is our king, verse 19. His kingdom rules over all

Praise him--all that is within me

Praise him--for all his benefits.

Praise him--for all that I am for God

Praise him--all that I have comes from God

Praise him--because we are his people

Praise him--this is his pasture

Praise him--when we enter into his gates and his courts

Praise him--for his name is above every name

Praise him--for his mercy

Praise him--for his truth to all generations.

Praise him--that he brought us up out of the miry pit

Praise him--because it is by his grace that I am what I am...

Praise him--that he sent his son to die for our sins, and to give us a right to the tree of life.

Praise him--that I got up this morning

Praise him--that he brought me to the house of praise

Praise him--for the gift of his dear son, Jesus Christ, who suffered, bled, died and brought the promise of resurrection into our lives, that we all might have eternal life!

No matter what is going on, praising him opens the door for us to enter into his presence.

3. The qualities of praise

Can you find something to praise God for this day? There are many words of encouragement in the Psalms. This one Old Testament book contains:

150 divisions

2461 verses

43,743 words

2027 verses of history

164 questions are asked and answered

413 commands are given

338 acts of god

124 vows

174 statements of praise

118 complaints, but all of them have remedy

865 facts about who god is

235 statements about god’s word

182 testimonies

97 promises

128 facts about the messiah.

Above all things we need to praise God! We were created to praise him. What should praise mean to a child of God? Praise is: