Hosanna to Hallelujah - Part 2
Psalm 116:12-19
Our Reply
The soldier’s first article of faith is summed up nowhere more eloquently than in an 1865 letter from William Tecumseh Sherman to U.S. Grant: "I knew wherever I was that you thought of me, and if I got in a tight place you would come--if alive."
Last week we looked at the word hosanna which means, save. The psalmist described his motive for loving the Lord. He had called to the Lord and he had answered. Not only had he answered but he had delivered him from all of his afflictions. The Lord is eternal and will always come to deliver us.
Today, we look at our response to the Lord’s salvation. What can we do to repay the grace, freedom, and compassion that has been poured out on us? We start our scripture with the same question.
How can I repay the LORD for all his goodness to me? v.12
A farmer went into his banker and announced that he had bad news and good news. "First, the bad news...""Well," said the farmer, "I can’t make my mortgage payments. And that crop loan I’ve taken out for the past 10 years -- I can’t pay that off, either. Not only that, I won’t be able to pay you the couple of hundred thousand I still have outstanding on my tractors and other equipment. So I’m going to have to give up the farm and turn it all over to you for whatever you can salvage out of it. "Silence prevailed for a minute and then the banker said ,"What’s the good news?" "The good news is that I’m going to keep on banking with you," said the farmer.
Like the farmer we come before the Lord with absolutely nothing and He continues to pour out His riches upon us. What can we return to Him? The psalmist lists a number of ways.
I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD. I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people.
Worship is represented both in the temple and at home in this verse. He is our Lord in life. We are to trust him in all things because He is our God. Even in death He will not forsake us. So, because of our Lord we can truly worship Him with the full measure of the "cup of salvation".
Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints. O LORD, truly I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant; you have freed me from my chains.
Service comes next. The psalmist chooses to serve the Lord. We freely serve our Lord because of what He has done for us. We do not become boastful or proud for we know it is not by our great works we are able serve but because of His mercy on us.
He has freed us from chains. Attitudes, actions, and afflictions that once had a hold on us are now broken. We are freed from our chains by the Lord. By His power He renders powerless those things that once held us from Him. Whatever has a hold on you can be broken today.
I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the LORD.
Sacrifice is always a part of worshipping and serving the Lord. If it costs us nothing, it is of no value and can not be a sacrifice. Sacrifice by definition is giving something of ourselves or something we have that is of great value. We have often said in our church, "Our Lord deserves only the very best".
Thanksgiving is the attitude of our giving. Out of the abundance the Lord gives us we return what belonged to Him in the first place. "God loves a cheerful giver." A cheerful giver knows where his wealth comes from and knows there will always be more.
I will "call upon the name of the Lord" means worship and praise. So we are at the beginning again worshipping.
I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people, in the courts of the house of the LORD—in your midst, O Jerusalem.
Obedience is better than sacrifice. Fulfill my vows the psalmist says. I will go forth from worship and praise and I will obey your commands. If we enter into the presence of God and worship Him we will be changed.
Praise the LORD.
The Hebrew word is Hallelujah. The Lord had taken this man from the point of Hosanna to hallelujah. Why, because he knew the Lord would always be there to deliver him.
The steam ship, Central America, on its maiden voyage from New York City to San Francisco harbor, sprang a leak in mid-ocean and began to go down. A distress signal was sent out over the air waves. A rescue vessel rushed to the scene. Upon reaching the scene, the captain of the rescuer vessel sent a message to the Central America asking, “What is your problem, and how can we help?” To which the captain the Central America answered, “We are going down, wait along side until morning.”
The captain of the rescue vessel answered. “Send your passengers now.” Again the rescue vessel requested, “Send your passengers now.” The captain of the Central America, perhaps concerned that his passengers might be injured in the darkness, or concerned about their safety in the transfer between ships answered once again, “wait along side until morning.”
Dawn showed the rescue vessel an empty sea. During the night the Central America had gone down with all of her passengers and all of her crew. They had waited too long. (Knight’s Master Book of New Illustrations).
This morning you have been given an opportunity. And just like Central America, you have been given many opportunities before. Oh my friend, you are not promised another hour, you are not promised another day.
