Living For God Today

Sermon Text:

Psalms 118: 24

24) This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.

Introduction:

Psalms 118 has no title which tells us who was the writer of this particular Psalmist. The many quotations in the New Testament from Psalms 118 doesn’t give any clues of the writer either. So who wrote it, when was it written, and what was their inspiration, none of this is determined in the history of scripture. There are a few clues which give some idea.

First of all, the Psalms seems to require the existence of a Temple which would rule out the time of the Babylonian exile. Also, the alternation of “I” and “WE” seem to indicate it was written during the time that Kings ruled Israel. The Kings would line out the “I” and the people would respond with “WE”. No King ruled between Zedekiah at the time of exile and a temporary restoration in 160BC according to the Maccabees Bible. The Dead Sea Scrolls shows familiarity to the Psalms which means it was not the latter times as well.

So now we fine that the Psalms probably was written during the time of the Temple of Solomon. Jeremiah and Isaiah alludes to the theme of the Psalms. For since the King was a Godly King, then my conclusion is that it was written by or for the King Hezekiah after the Lord had destroyed the Assyrian army before the gates of Jerusalem.

This was considered a “Thanksgiving Psalms” as well as a Prophetic Psalms.

Thanksgiving from Hezekiah for the deliverance of God after being called a fool for trusting God for Israel’s salvation.

It was consider a Prophetic Psalms due to the alluded in v22-v23 concerning the Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The reason for his determination to rejoice, becomes simple, where the hand of The Lord had brought him from, and where the hand of The Lord was taking him.

I can rejoice over my past, not because it is beautiful but because He had his hands on me.

I can rejoice for my future because of what He has promised me.

Revelation 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.

The writer made a decision in Psalms 118: 24.

James 4:13-14

13 Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:

14 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

Matthew 6:34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

1) Decide This Day To Serve Him

1 Kings 18:21 And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.

How long will you be stuck between the things of the flesh and the thing of the spirit!

We have bowed to this god called flesh long enough.

We have bowed to:

Habits

Emotions

Fears

Pain

Finance’s

Anger

Hurts

Matthew 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

Mammon in the Greek: That which cannot be trusted, personified!

Personified: To attribute human nature or character of human nature

Deuteronomy 11:26-28

26) Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse;

27) A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you this day:

28) And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known.

2) Decide This Day To Walk Spiritually

Galatians 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.

How do I walk in the Spirit?

A) Your Daily Devotion

B) You’re prayer of decisions

C) Reading you’re The Story and following it with the bible.

God’s asking us to choose to day not for a week, not for six month, not for a year but for a day.

When we walk spiritually we will show forth Spiritual Fruits.