TITLE: HOW TO REPAY GOD
SCRIPTURE: PSALMS 116:12-14
As we continue to march through the month of November, our thoughts usually turn to a time of Thanksgiving and the month we celebrate the CHURCH ANNIVERSARY/HOMECOMING. It is a time of reflection on the past and evaluation of the present. We need to stop and think about the many ways that God has blessed us. Now you may not be thinking about that this morning. Many simply fail to think about what God has done.
The very use of the language found in our text “RENDERING TO GOD FOR ALL HIS BENEFITS TO ME” makes me nervous upon proper consideration.
• Rendering or Payback can so easily imply that Grace is like a mortgage
• It’s really generous, but you have to pay it back
Paul said in ACTS 17:25 “GOD IS NOT SERVED BY HUMAN HANDS, AS THOUGH HE NEEDED ANYTHING, SINCE HE HIMSELF GIVES TO ALL MANKIND LIFE AND BREATH AND EVERYTHING.” In other words, you can’t give anything to God or do anything for God that He hasn’t first given to you and done for you.
• PSALM 50:10 “FOR EVERY BEAST OF THE FOREST IS MINE, AND THE CATTLE UPON A THOUSAND HILLS”
• Everything we have, has been given to us by God
• So, what can we Render – What can we give to God?
So, in PSALM 116 what keeps the paying of vows free from the dangers of being treated like a debt payment is that the “Payment” is, in reality, not an ordinary payment, but another act of receiving which magnifies the ongoing Grace of God. It does not magnify our resourcefulness, but God’s.
The first thing we notice or should notice about this particular passage of scripture is that it is a personal statement.
• It doesn’t give direction as what you as a corporate body of believers should do
• It doesn’t make recommendation as to what the church should do
• It’s not even something that is required for salvation
• But it is personal
Because it is personal it calls for self examination. I CORINTHIANS 11:28 says “LET EVERY MAN EXAMINE HIMSELF…” This is a good time in the year as we face the final six weeks of this year to take our eyes off of one another and take a self inventory. The songwriter said it like this – count your many blessings name them one by one, count you many blessings see what the lord has done.
• Deceiving ourselves is easy and comfortable
• We want to believe ourselves better, smarter, and more ethical than we really are
• So careful, Spirit-directed self-examination keeps us honest with ourselves and with God
One difficulty with self-examination is that we do not always know our own hearts. JEREMIAH 17:9 -- “THE HEART IS DECEITFUL ABOVE ALL THINGS, AND DESPERATELY WICKED: WHO CAN KNOW IT?” True self-examination must be done with the Holy Spirit, who searches the deep things of the heart. The CHURCH OF LAODICEA was in sore need of self-examination, but they had a hard time seeing their problem: “YOU SAY, ‘I AM RICH; I HAVE ACQUIRED WEALTH AND DO NOT NEED A THING.’ BUT YOU DO NOT REALIZE THAT YOU ARE WRETCHED, PITIFUL, POOR, BLIND AND NAKED” -- REVELATION 3:17.
• The Psalmist says, “SEARCH ME, O GOD, AND KNOW MY HEART; TRY ME AND KNOW MY ANXIOUS THOUGHTS; AND SEE IF THERE BE ANY HURTFUL WAY IN ME, AND LEAD ME IN THE EVERLASTING WAY” (PSALM 139:23–24)
• The psalmist here admits that he does not even know whether his actions and motives are pure
• So, he invites the Lord, the Righteous Judge, to test him and reveal to him his own sin
Many of us have struggled with self-examination, therefore we also struggle with this question. “WHAT SHALL I RENDER UNTO THE LORD FOR ALL HIS BENEFITS TOWARD ME?” How are we to respond to God for the many blessings He has provided us? We know we could never repay Him for His graciousness in our lives, yet, God’s goodness calls for a response. It is good for us to reflect on how wonderfully blessed we are. The psalmist reminds us that God is the source of blessings. Far too many in our world fail to recognize where our many benefits originate.
• The Lord is the giver of every good gift
• JAMES 1:17 “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”
• The air that we breathe is a gift from God
• He gives us strength and health
• We owe our ability to work or earn a living to Him
• Our family and friends are the results of His goodness
• Above all, we owe our eternal salvation entirely to God
WHAT SHALL I RENDER UNTO THE LORD FOR ALL HIS BENEFITS TOWARD ME?"
• Render = to give in return
• Give back
• Restore
• Reflect
• Echo
• To give in acknowledgement of dependence or obligation
In our text this morning we find the psalmist’s answer to his own question – Thank goodness the writer did not leave it up to us to answer. I wonder how would we respond to this question? “WHAT SHALL I RENDER TO THE LORD FOR ALL HIS BENEFITS?” look at the response with me -- “I WILL LIFT UP THE CUP OF SALVATION AND CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD.” In other words --
• I call on the Lord to fill my cup
• To pay back the Lord means to go on receiving from the Lord so that the Lord’s inexhaustible goodness will be magnified
What is this CUP OF SALVATION? There are many kinds of cups.
• Coffee Cups
• Measuring Cups
• Paper Cups
• Ceramic Cups
• Tea Cups
• Solo Cups
• Plastic Cups
• Disposable Cups
Each society uses its own type or style of cup. Some are delicate -- Some are sturdy. Some are meaningful – conveying a message – others say nothing.
• There is one cup, that upon looking at it, appears very insignificant
• Though we have many different CUPS - TYPES - STYLES
• But when we come to the Lord’s Table, we share a common cup
• Jesus said on that night in which He was betrayed - “THIS IS THE CUP OF THE NEW TESTAMENT…”
• The Cup of Salvation!
Here is a remarkable question and answer. To everyone born into the world, God has given multitudes of benefits. "HE GIVETH TO ALL LIFE, AND BREATH, AND ALL THINGS."
• Some receive more than others
• But all receive many
• So, the question is what we should do for the Lord in return
• The answer is simply to receive His great gift of eternal salvation!
Therefore, when a repentant sinner calls in faith on the wonderful name of our gracious Lord, he drinks of the healing cup of salvation and receives everlasting life.
• Because Jesus drank the bitter cup of God’s righteous judgment on our sins, we can drink deeply of the "living water springing up into everlasting life"
• And we can say with the psalmist: "MY CUP RUNNETH OVER. SURELY GOODNESS AND MERCY SHALL FOLLOW ME ALL THE DAYS OF MY LIFE: AND I WILL DWELL IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD FOR EVER"
There is something else we should notice and that is the selflessness of the author. The writer of this Psalm is not thinking about what he can get.
• He didn’t say how can I get more
• He didn’t say what shall be given unto me
• He didn’t say how can I become prosperous
o Drive a new car
o Live in a big house
o Become popular
o Get promoted or anything like that
• He simply said “WHAT SHALL I RENDER UNTO THE LORD FOR ALL HIS BENEFITS TOWARD ME”
Understand that it takes a special kind of person that is able to say what shall i render instead of what can I get. That is a person that is mature. selflessness is a mark of maturity. If you don’t believe that watch a 6yr old have a toy and a 2yr old cries because they want the toy and the 6yr old gives the toy to the 2yr old you will say Oh that’s a big boy that was such an unselfish thing you did you are such a mature little man. Well the writer of this psalms is mature because he is not asking what he can get from the Lord, but what shall he render.
• J.F. Kennedy said “Ask not what your country can do for you ask what you can do for your country”
• Basically, he was saying the same thing as the writer of this psalms was saying
• The Bible says in ACTS 20:35 “..IT IS MORE BLESSED TO GIVE THAN TO RECEIVE”
• The songwriter said -- “You can’t beat God giving no matter how you try. The more you give the more He gives to you just keep on giving because you know it’s true – you can’t beat God giving no matter how you try”
"WHAT SHALL I RENDER UNTO THE LORD" -- but what to give in return for the gifts bestowed on us is the great question.
• If we had a great financial benefactor whom we wished to honor because of some great thing he had done for us, how would we go about it?
• Our first job would be to find out what would make him happy
• What expression of thanks would best show our feelings of gratitude
• We would first realize that we could never repay him adequately because we are not financially capable of it
• And, if we were, then most likely would not have needed the help in the first place
Yes, the Psalmist asked: “WHAT SHALL I RENDER UNTO THE LORD FOR ALL HIS BENEFITS TOWARD ME”
• The Lord is He that hath created us -- How do you repay that?
• The Lord is the creator of the entire universe -- How do you repay that?
• The Lord has kept us alive through providing for our physical needs -- How do you repay that?
• The Lord sent His only begotten Son into the world to die so that we can live -- How do you repay that?
• The Lord has put up with foolishness from the beginning of the world -- How do you repay that?
• God has been merciful and longsuffering with all of humanity -- How do you repay that?
We don’t need to struggle with a proper response. We all know that the answer to every question above, and many more that could be posed, is that we cannot repay God for His acts toward us. His love - mercy - just judgment – so much more are far beyond our reach. His blessings to us are far more than we could ever number.
We Cannot Number Our Blessings from God. The Psalmist understood that the benefits God gives us are many. In fact, they are far too many to think that we could ever repay God for what he has done and will do. PSALM 40:5 “MANY, O LORD MY GOD, ARE THY WONDERFUL WORKS WHICH THOU HAST DONE, AND THY THOUGHTS WHICH ARE TO USWARD: THEY CANNOT BE RECKONED UP IN ORDER UNTO THEE: IF I WOULD DECLARE AND SPEAK OF THEM, THEY ARE MORE THAN CAN BE NUMBERED”
With an innumerable amount of blessings there often becomes a greater desire to repay God. Paul felt indebted not only to God, but all men - ROMANS 1:14 “I AM DEBTOR BOTH TO THE GREEKS, AND TO THE BARBARIANS BOTH TO THE WISE, AND TO THE UNWISE.”
• It is right to want to repay good with good
• Some think that by obeying God they will, in some way, repay Him for what He has done
• In fact, some even think that they can obey God and earn what He has done
Is our obedience repayment for God’s works toward us? Rather than looking at our obedience to God as repayment for something He has done for us, we should look at obedience as our expression of love to him. Even when we do everything God expects us to do, we’re still not repaying Him for His works toward us.
• Some misapply these truths and try to dismiss the need for obedience
• Yet, we know we cannot be saved if we do not fully obey the Lord’s will
What Shall We Render (or give back) Unto Him?
• We should love Him
• We should love Him because of all His benefits toward us
• We should love Him because He has expressed His great love for us
• ST. JOHN 15:13 -- "GREATER LOVE HATH NO MAN THAN THIS, THAT A MAN LAY DOWN HIS LIFE FOR HIS FRIENDS"
If we truly love the Lord, we will make some sacrifices for Him. It is easy to go to church and so-called worship God for an hour or two a week, but the worship that God says is acceptable today requires nothing less than a total commitment for that is the meaning of the word sacrifice. what can we render unto the Lord? Our sacrifice!
Our worship today – true worship means to put our all on the altar and leave it there. However, in order to do that requires that you become spiritually mature.
• When you become satisfied with coming to church on Sunday morning only
• When you become satisfied with rendering service that moves man and not God
• When you become satisfied with being spiritually entertained and not edified
• When you become satisfied with it doesn’t matter if I get there at 11:00 or 11:45 or if I even show up at all
• When you are satisfied with staying in the same old place day after day, week after week, month after month, and year after year thinking that you are giving God reasonable service
• Then you have not become spiritually mature
• You are not rendering reasonable service
• You have become spiritually dysfunctional
But when you become spiritually mature then you understand that church doesn’t come together for worship parse’, but it comes together for Edification.
--When you become spiritually mature you understand that we don’t come together on Sunday morning to worship but to grow in our Spiritual Maturity as well
--When you become spiritually mature emotional entertainment on Sunday morning is not going to do me any good
--When you become spiritually mature you don’t want a sermon that will cause you to lay out on the floor
--When you become spiritually mature you don’t need a prophet to speak into life because you got the word
--When you become spiritually mature you don’t want another show
--When you become spiritually mature you understand it’s not the amount of your seed, but according to your faith
--When you become spiritually mature you just want to know what shall I render. How can I show the love of Jesus deep down in my heart
--When you become spiritually mature it’s not what can I get from God, but what can I do for God
--WHAT SHALL I RENDER?
--How, then, shall we repay the Lord for all his goodness to us?
--He is so good that he asks no recompense except our love
--That is the only payment he desires
--To confess my personal feelings, when I reflect on all these blessings I am overcome by a kind of dread and numbness at the very possibility of ceasing to love God and of bringing shame upon Christ became of my lack of recollection and my preoccupation with trivialities
--Yes, my brothers and sisters, that is HOW TO REPAY GOD
