I once heard a humorous little story, that is based on the imagery that is captured in Revelation 5:8, that will serve well as an introduction to today’s message…
Revelation 5:8b the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. - NIV
And God said to the elders bring to me the golden bowls filled with the incense of the prayers of my people. In one of the bowls were prayers and praise and thanksgiving, and in the other bowl was prayers of petition and supplication, and the little story ends with this humorous question….which one of the elders do you believe got a hernia?
THE ONE CARRYING THE BOWL OF PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING OR THE ONE CARRYING THE BOWL OF PETITIONS AND SUPPLICATIONS?
You guessed it, the one carrying the bowl of petitions. Why? Because we spend most of our time in prayer asking for things, that are many times related to this lifetime alone, and we spend so very little time in prayer praising and thanking God for what he has already given us which according to Ephesians 1…
Ephesians 1: 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ - NKJV
The theme that has come from this pulpit the last two Lord’s Day’s has been the theme of being joyful, happy, fulfilled in the Lord. Two weeks ago from Psalm 1 I brought to you a message I entitled..
How to live happily ever after – Psalm 1
Last week from Psalm 16 –How you can experience pleasures forevermore
Sometime back I shared a snipet of an article from Desiring God Ministries whose theme is,,,
John Piper — ‘God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him’
One of his associates wrote a piece that is worth reconsidering this morning….
The Most Repeated Command in the Bible -Jon Bloom – Desiring God.org
What do you think is the most repeated command in the Bible? It’s not any of the prohibitions or warnings. It’s not about sex, or money, or power. The most repeated command in the Bible will probably surprise you: Be happy. God tells us more than anything else, in different ways, to “praise the Lord,” “do not be afraid,” “rejoice,” and “give thanks” — all of which are commands, in essence, to be happy.
AND THAT BEING HAPPY, JOYFUL, REJOCING, HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH PERSPECTIVE!
IT HAS TO DO WITH LEGITAMATE REASONS WE GIVE OURSELVES NO MATTER WHAT WE ARE GOING THROUGH!
AND THAT IS WHAT I FIND SO HELPUFL ABOUT THIS PSALM – A PSALM THAT I’VE ENTITLED IN THE FOLLOWING WAY WHICH SERVES AS A GOOD TITLE FOR MY MESSAGE:
Psalm 103 – A Psalm of Personal, Passion, Perpetual Praise!
And what is amazing about this Psalm, what is noteworthy 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 pen of David!
The interesting thing about this Psalm is that we don’t really know at what stage of his life that this Psalm was written.
Like some of the Psalms that we looked at in the past, it provides no superscription above it to explain the circumstances in which is was written. There is no historical backdrop, no mention of what is going on in his 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 this morning from this Psalm is this..
A study of Psalm 103 will give us ample ammunition to personally, passionately, and perpetually praise no matter what we are going through!
And I use the word , “ammunition” because praise is literally a weapon of our warfare!
You’ll recall that in…
2 Chronicles 20:1 After this, the Moabites and Ammonites with some of the Meunites came to wage war against Jehoshaphat. -NIV
Their response?
2 Chronicles 20: 21 After consulting the people, Jehoshaphat appointed men to sing to the Lord and to praise him for the splendor of his holiness as they went out at the head of the army, saying:
“Give thanks to the Lord,
for his love endures forever.”
22 As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated. -NIV
2 Corinthians 11 tells us that spiritual warfare is something that goes on within the battlefield of the mind…it is…
2 Corinthians 11:5b -6a smashing warped philosophies, tearing down barriers erected against the truth of God, fitting every loose thought and emotion and impulse into the structure of life shaped by Christ. – The Message
One emotion that the devil tries to promote is anxiety, worry, dissatisfaction and distress, That is why Peter tell us…
1 Peter 5:7 Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully. -AMPC
1 Peter 5:8b for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour. 9a Withstand him; be firm in faith [against his onset—rooted, established, strong, immovable, and determined], -AMPC
One of the missions Jesus came to accomplish in the lives of men held captive to satan and sin is according to Isaiah’s prophecy was..
Isaiah 61:3b to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, NIV
What makes Christianity beautiful to the world in which we live? What would make our faith attractive to outsiders? When the see, the joy of the Lord, the fruit of the Spirit manifest in our lives…
Isaiah 61:3c the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. NIV
And so we are going to use what biblical hermeneutics calls…
I WILL BE USING THE SIX SERVING MEN OF BIBLICAL INTERPRETATION:
In order to interpret this Psalm correctly…
I keep six honest serving-men
(They taught me all I knew);
Their names are What and Why and When
And How and Where and Who.
We are going to use them to help us discover the means by which we can personally, passionately, perpetually praise no matter what we are going through!
Let’s begin by looking at:
I. The WHAT of this Psalm of Personal, Passionate, and Perpetual Praise?
In other words according to this Psalm…
A) What are we to do?
Psalm 103:1a Bless…
Psalm 103:1a Praise… - NIV
I preferred the word bless, because of it’s connotations – it means:
1. Bless ????????? (ba·ra·?î)
a) To kneel, to adore, to cause one to kneel, praise and salute.
It implies more that a mere half-hearted “Praise the Lord” arising from our lips, doesn’t it? It paints a picture of a total dedication and consecration to praising the Lord does it not?
Ok let’s consider now the…
II. The WHO of this Psalm of Personal, Passionate, and Perpetual Praise?
A) Who are we to praise?
Psalm 103:1b the Lord,
1. Lord – ? (Yah·weh)
a) The existing One'
b) The proper name of the one true God
c) The name of the Supreme God among the Hebrews
B) Why this Name important?
1. God has no shortage of names--He is called by almost 1000 different ones in the Bible.
2. But one of these names stands alone, and that name is Yahweh.
a) Yahweh Is the Self-Existent, Eternal God
i. God has no need of us.
b) Yahweh Is a Relational God
i. Yahweh is only used in the Bible when it is talking about God’s personal relationship with his people
Psalm 104:1 Praise Yahweh my soul! O Yahweh my Elohim, you are very great. -NOGB
ii. Elohim = my Creator
Psalm 104: 5 You set the earth on its foundations so that it can never be shaken. - NOGB
c) Yahweh Is the Unchanging God
Exodus 3:14 God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'" – NIV
R.C. Sproul - “I AM” is in Hebrew Yahweh, otherwise known as the tetragrammaton because of the four consonants (yhwh) that make up the phrase. It is the holiest name for God in the Old Testament, and it is for use by the covenant people. That the Lord has a name at all indicates He is personal and has a real relationship with mankind.
d) Yahweh Keeps His Covenant with Us
i. God’s Names reveal His nature and character. We know Him through His Names.
ii. The two primary names in Hebrew are: (1) ELOHIM (The Powerful Creator), translated GOD and (2) YHWH = JEHOVAH or YAHWEH (Jewish pronounciation), translated LORD. Yhwh is His personal covenant name, that he uses with His friends, those who know him, who are in covenant with Him.
iii. And so David is saying this is who I’m to bless and praise!
iv. God made a covenant with him!
v. David wanted to build a house for God, but God said He would build a house for him!
2 Samuel 7:12 “When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever-NKJV
2 Samuel 7:16 And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.” -NKJV
2 Samuel 7:18 Then King David went in and sat before the Lord; and he said: “Who am I, O Lord God? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far?
2 Samuel 7:20 Now what more can David say to You?
Psalm 103:1a Bless the Lord!!
III. The HOW of this Psalm of Personal, Passionate, and Perpetual Praise?
Psalm 103:1c O my soul,
A) Personally!
1. David is preaching to himself, isn’t he?
B) Perpetually!
1. David did this frequently!
Psalm 42:1 Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.- NIV
John Piper- We must learn to fight despondency, and the downcast spirit. It is fought by preaching truth to ourselves about God and his promised future.
Martyn Lloyd-Jones - Have you realized that most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself instead of talking to yourself?
2. Or listening to others, verses listening to yourself?
Psalm 42:9b Why must I go about mourning,
oppressed by the enemy?”
10 My bones suffer mortal agony
as my foes taunt me,
saying to me all day long,
“Where is your God?”
11 Why, my soul, are you downcast?
Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God,
for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.
C) Perspective:
1. How?
a) With our:
i. Soul - ????????? Nephesh
a. The Hebrew term for "life force."
b. The word soul means “life.”
c. The soul is the essence of our humanity
Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.-KJV
Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.-NKJV
d. The soul, is my self-life!
e. My desires, emotion, passion, intellect and will
i) Mind – intellect or intelligence
ii) Will – volition
iii) Heart -emotions and desires
iv) And so David prays…
Psalm 103:1a Bless the Lord, O my soul,
Psalm 103:1d And all…
Psalm 103:1d and all that is [deepest] within me,- AMPC
b) And all -?????? (w?·?al)
i. Spirit
ii. The spirit is the immaterial, eternal part of humanity that connects with God.
Proverbs 20:27 The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly. -KJV
D) Point?
1. This Psalm admonishes us to praise God with our whole being!
Psalm 103:1f all that is within me,
a) With the whole
b) All the whole
c) Anything
d) Everything
e) Totality
IV. The WHY of this Psalm of Personal, Passionate, and Perpetual Praise?
A) Purpose?
Matthew 22:36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind - NIV
Deuteronomy 6:5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. - NIV
1. I am to love Him with all that is - Within me, ????????? (q?·ra·?ay)
a) My inner parts!
b) My inmost being
V. The HOW of this Psalm of Personal, Passionate, and Perpetual Praise?
A) Problem?
1. How am I ever going to get to that point?
B) Perspective!
2. Pure, passionate, perpetual, personal worship comes as a result of my understanding who God is:
John MacArthur -Worship is our innermost being responding with praise for all that God is, through our attitudes, actions, thoughts and words, based on the truth of God as He has revealed Himself.
3. And also my understanding of who I am in light of Him!
C) Prescription:
Psalm 103:1f bless…
1. Bless ????????? (ba·ra·?î)
a) To kneel, to adore, to cause one to kneel, praise and salute.
Psalm 103:1g His holy name.
C) Personhood
1. Name. ????? (šêm)
a) Reputation, fame, glory
b) Name reflects character!
D) Point?
1. His Name/Character is Holy!
a) Holy = apartness, separateness, sacredness, otherness.
2. THERE IS NO ONE, NO ONE, NO ONE, LIKE HIM!
E) Proof?
1. Consider His Being!
Psalm 104:1a Praise the Lord, my soul. Lord my God, you are very great;
Psalm 104:5 He set the earth on its foundations;
a) This creating God, is also a redeeming God!
Watchman Nee - The desire of God’s heart is expressed in creation. God’s goal, God’s plan, and God’s predetermined will are all made known in His creation. Creation reveals God’s eternal purpose; it shows us what God is truly after.
i. But man sinned!
Watchman Nee- Redemption recovers what God did not obtain through creation. Redemption does not bring anything new to us; it only restores to us what is already ours. God through redemption achieves His purpose in creation. To redeem means to restore and recover.
2. Consider His benefits
Psalm 103:2 Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget none of His benefits;
F) Particulars?
Psalm 103:3a who forgives all your sins -NIV
Psalm 103:3a Who pardons all your iniquities, - ESV
1. Iniquities ?????????? (‘a·wo·nê·?î)
a) Perversity, depravity, iniquity, guilt
G) Picture?
1. Benefit - Justification d??a??s?? (dikaiosin)
a) Acquittal, justifying of a sinner.
b) Justification is a divine act whereby God judicially declares a believing sinner to be righteous and acceptable before Him because Christ has bore the sinner’s sin on the cross and in turn has given the believing sinner His own righteousness (Phil 3:9; Rom. 4:3-8).
c) Forgives - ?f??µ? - aphiemi
i. To send away
ii. To bid going away or depart
iii. To send forth
d) Far?
Psalm 103:12 As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
Albert Barnes-As far as possible; as far as we can imagine.
i. As far as the rising the sun in the east is to the setting of the sun in the west
ii. Infinite distant
iii. Immeasurable distant
Charles Spurgeon –O glorious verse, no word even upon the inspired page can excel it! Sin is removed from us by a miracle of love! What a load to move, and yet is it removed so far that the distance is incalculable. Fly as far as the wing of imagination can bear you, and if you journey through space eastward, you are further from the west at every beat of your wing. If sin be removed so far, then we may be sure that the scent, the trace, the very memory of it must be entirely gone.
1 John 1: 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness
iv. Even the “stink” and “scent” of it is gone!
Micah 7:19b hurls all our iniquities into the depths of the sea. – NIV
Isaiah 44: 22a I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. – NIV
v. But you don’t know what I have done you say?
Isaiah 1: 18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.- KJV
vi. Ever spill grape juice, beet juice on a white shirt?
vii. No such thing as bleach in David’s day!
viii. Yet God’s forgiveness bleaches it out!
Isaiah 43:25a “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.-NIV
ix. God's forgiveness is a complete forgiveness!
ix. God forgives and forgets!
Hebrews 8:12 For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.”
Hebrews 10:17 Then he adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.”
Dr. Jack Graham - Psalm 103:12 is a wonderful promise of God. When we come to Christ, His forgive us and cleanses us from all sin. Yet many Christians are still keeping accounting ledgers of their past sins on themselves. If you have come to Jesus Christ…if you have experienced His salvation…you need to recognize that these books are closed on your account. You need to understand your debts have been paid.
Dr. Jack Graham - Some Christians are always remembering what God has forgotten. And on the other hand, some Christians are always forgetting what God wants us to remember.
Psalm 103: 10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
Charles Spurgeon - We ought to praise the Lord for what he has not done as well as for what he has wrought for us; even the negative side deserves our adoring gratitude. Up to this moment, at our very worst estate, we have never suffered as we deserved to suffer; our daily lot has not been apportioned upon the rule of what we merited, but on the far different measure of undeserved kindness. Shall we not bless the Lord?
H) POSSIBILITES?
Psalm 103: 3b Who heals all your diseases;
1, Promise of divine health? - Heals all your diseases
a) A blank check?
b) All ????? (kal-)
i. All, the whole, each, every, anything, everything
I) Possible?
1. Does that mean that I would never die?
J) Perspective in this very same Psalm?
Psalm 103:14b we are but dust. 15 As for man, his days are like grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourishes. 16 When the wind has passed over it, it is no more, And its place acknowledges it no longer.
Matthew Henry- Man’s life is short, and uncertain!
H. J. Wilmot-Buxton, M.A. -Let us listen to the preaching of the flowers today. What do they say to us? One thing they all say is — "trust God." God takes care of the flowers, and sends them dew, and rain, and sunshine, and fresh air, and they tell us that the same God who cares for them cares also for us. And next, I think, all the flowers say to us, "thank God." See how the daisies in the meadow seem to look up thankfully to God. Some one says that God smiles on the earth, and that the earth smiles back again with its flowers. Next, the flowers say to us, "be contented." They are quite satisfied to grow, and smell sweet, and look pretty, in the place where God puts them... Another thing which all the flowers tell us is this, "remember that you must die.
a) OT perspective:
Isaiah 40:6 A voice says, “Cry out.” And I said, “What shall I cry?” “All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field. 7 The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are grass.
b) NT perspective:
James 1: 13 Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” 14 Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes -NIV
I) Poetry:
1. Psalms is one of the poetic books of the bible
a) English poetry is a word or sound rhyme
b) Hebrew poetry is a thought rhyme
C) To accentuate a point, Hebrew poetry is used one of three methods to accentuate an idea:
i. Repeat a thought using different words or metaphors
ii. Offer a contrasting picture to accentuate a point
iii. Or use a series of statements, and then drew a conclusion at the end of them to make a point
J) Point?
1. David in this Psalm is using disease as a metaphor for sin.
2. Many other OT passages do the same:
Isaiah 1 (NKJV)
4 Alas, sinful nation,
A people laden with iniquity,
A brood of evildoers,
Children who are corrupters!
a) Metaphor for sinfulness, iniquity, evildoing, and corruption?
b) Sickness!
Isaiah 1 (NKJV)
5b The whole head is sick,
And the whole heart faints.
6 From the sole of the foot even to the head,
There is no soundness in it,
But wounds and bruises and putrefying sores;
They have not been closed or bound up,
Or soothed with ointment.
Isaiah 6 (NIV)
9 He said, “Go and tell this people:
“‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding;
be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’
10 Make the heart of this people calloused;
make their ears dull
and close their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts,
and turn and be healed.” -NIV
c) Turn and be forgiven? No the metaphor is healed.
Isaiah 53 (NIV)
5 But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.
d) His stripes healed us of our transgressions and iniquities.
Jeremiah 30 (NIV)
12 “This is what the Lord says:
“‘Your wound is incurable,
your injury beyond healing.
13 There is no one to plead your cause,
no remedy for your sore,
no healing for you.
14 All your allies have forgotten you;
they care nothing for you.
I have struck you as an enemy would
and punished you as would the cruel,
because your guilt is so great
and your sins so many.
e) Their incurable wound and injury is their great guilt and many sins!
3. Under the Old Covenant sickness was the result of disobedience!
Deuteronomy 28:5 However, if you do not obey the Lord your God and do not carefully follow all his commands and decrees I am giving you today, all these curses will come on you and overtake you: -NIV
Deuteronomy 28:21 The Lord will plague you with diseases until he has destroyed you from the land you are entering to possess. 22 The Lord will strike you with wasting disease, with fever and inflammation, with scorching heat and drought, with blight and mildew, which will plague you until you perish. : -NIV
4. The NT points out that there is an obviously correlation between sin and sickness:
Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned -KJV
1 Corinthians 11: 27 So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. 29 For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. 30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. -NIV
James 5: 14 Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; 15 and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. -NIV
Dr. Bob Utley - Healing is not a guarantee of the New Covenant.
Dr. Bob Utley - Physical healing is a poor substitute for spiritual salvation. Miracles are only truly helpful if they bring us to God. All humans live in a fallen world. Bad things happen. God often chooses not to intervene, but this says nothing about His love and concern. Be careful of demanding that God act miraculously for every need in this current evil age. He is sovereign and we do not know the full implications of any given situation.
2. Benefit – Redemption!
Psalm 103:4a Who redeems your life from the pit,
Easton's Bible Dictionary - Redemption
Redemption is the purchase back of something that had been lost, by the payment of a ransom. The Greek word so rendered is apolutrosis , a word occurring nine times in Scripture, and always with the idea of a ransom or price paid.
Easton's Bible Dictionary - Redemption
There are many passages in the New Testament which represent Christ's sufferings under the idea of a ransom or price, and the result thereby secured is a purchase or redemption (Acts 20:28 ; 1 Corinthians 6:19 1 Corinthians 6:20 ; Galatians 3:13 ; Galatians 4:4 Galatians 4:5 ; Ephesians 1:7 ; Colossians 1:14 ; 1 Timothy 2:5 1 Timothy 2:6 ; Titus 2:14 ; Hebrews 9:12 ; 1 Peter 1:18 1 Peter 1:19 ; Revelation 5:9 ). The idea running through all these texts, however various their reference, is that of payment made for our redemption. The debt against us is not viewed as simply cancelled, but is fully paid. Christ's blood or life, which he surrendered for them, is the "ransom" by which the deliverance of his people from the servitude of sin and from its penal consequences is secured. It is the plain doctrine of Scripture that "Christ saves us neither by the mere exercise of power, nor by his doctrine, nor by his example, nor by the moral influence which he exerted, nor by any subjective influence on his people, whether natural or mystical, but as a satisfaction to divine justice, as an expiation for sin, and as a ransom from the curse and authority of the law, thus reconciling us to God by making it consistent with his perfection to exercise mercy toward sinners".
Charles Spurgeon -By purchase and by power the Lord redeems us from the spiritual death into which we had fallen, and from the eternal death which would have been its consequence.
a) He redeems our lives from the -Pit ?????????? (miš·ša·?a?)
i. Destruction, grave, pit (of Hell)
3. Benefit – Glorification!
Psalm 103:4b Who crowns you….
Charles Spurgeon -Our Lord does nothing by halves, he will not stay his hand till he has gone to the uttermost with his people. Cleansing, healing, redemption, are not enough, he must needs make them kings and crown them.!
a) Glorification is the theological term used to describe the final removal of sin from the lives of Christians at the end of time. Dictionaries generally define glorification as a state of high or heightened honor. In biblical studies, however, glorification exists as one of three parts of the process of the Christian life that includes justification (being made right with God), sanctification (the ongoing process of being made holy), and glorification (the final removal of sin). When will this glorification take place? Scripture indicates glorification will take place at the time of the final trumpet. First Corinthians 15:52 teaches this will take place "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed." When this takes place, we will experience perfect joy in God's presence!
i. Isn’t it amazing that those who have surrendered their lives to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior will not only go to heaven, but will be rewarded for things that they’ve done for Christ?
ii. Crowned!
a) The five crowns in the Bible:
i. Crown of Righteousness
2 Timothy 4: 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.
ii. Incorruptible crown
1 Corinthians 9: 25 And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. 26 Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. 27 But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.
iii. Crown of life
James 1:12: Blessed is the man that endures temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
Revelation 2:10: Fear none of those things which thou shall suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.
a. Crown of life is a crown for people who have patiently endured trials, testing and persecution.
iv. Crown of glory
1 Peter 5:2 Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; 3 not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.
v. Crown of Rejoicing
1 Thessalonians 2:19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming?
a. The Crown of Rejoicing, which will be given to those who have led others to Christ
b) Point?
i. I don’t believe these are the crowns are exclusively the ones this Psalm is speaking of:
Psalm 103:4c crowns you with lovingkindness…
ii. Lovingkindess n ??? checed -kheh'·sed
iii. Loving devotion ?????? (?e·se?)
a) Goodness, kindness, faithfulness
3. Benefit - Consummation
a) Covenantal, Marital, Love of God for His People!
i. OT
Isaiah 62:5 As a young man marries a young woman, so will your Builder marry you; as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you. -NIV
ii. NT
Revelation 19:6b “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. 7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.” 8 It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.
2 Corinthians 11:1 Oh, that you would bear with me in a little folly—and indeed you do bear with me. 2 For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ -NKJV
Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.-NIV
Ephesians 5: 31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” 32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church.-NIV
Craig Brain Larson - God makes covenants with people as an expression of his love. Just as a man and woman enter into the marriage covenant as an expression of their loving commitment to one another and their pledge of enduring faithfulness, so God in love pledges himself to us and calls us to pledge ourselves to him. He doesn’t do one-night stands. He doesn’t do no-obligation cohabitation. He doesn’t have partners; he has only covenant partners. It’s his nature. His love is a faithful, committed, loyal, no-messing-around love.
Craig Brain Larson - His love is a promise-making love. He delights to obligate himself to people he loves and come through forever. He promised himself in covenant love to Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Phinehas, Levi, the nation of Israel, and the followers of Jesus Christ. If you have surrendered your life to Jesus Christ, you are in the most wonderful, life-giving covenant imaginable, and if you remain faithful it will be your perfect satisfaction, safety, and security forever.
b) It is a marital love, the kind of love that cannot be broken!!
Hosea 1:1a The word of the Lord that came to Hosea…
Hosea 1:2 When the Lord began to speak through Hosea, the Lord said to him, “Go, marry a promiscuous woman and have children with her, for like an adulterous wife this land is guilty of unfaithfulness to the Lord.”
Hosea 3:1 The LORD said to me, “Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another man and is an adulteress. Love her as the LORD loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.”
Rabbi Sigal Brier -In the midst of the many rules, laws and conditions which define covenantal love in Torah, we find God’s unconditional love. The steadfast divine presence of God in the Torah and the promise of the Promised Land were never conditional.
Rabbi Sigal Brier - Between the lines of all the do’s and don’ts, rewards and punishments and if-then conditions, we find the foundations for the kind of love we all desire — unconditional love, ahavat chesed.
Rabbi Sigal Brier - Ahavah, the Hebrew word for love, is commonly associated with the feeling of love and romantic love. In Torah, ahavah is mostly covenantal love. In Torah, there is no separation between heart and mind, feelings and thinking. Ve’ahavta et hashem “and you shall love the Lord thy God,” is not only a feeling, but also a commitment. Feeling and acting are not separated in Torah. Together they make up covenantal love.
Rabbi Sigal Brier - If you look closely, you will see that all along, and a little hidden in the avalanche of all the do’s and don’ts, there is unconditional love.
Rabbi Sigal Brier - God will deliver on the promise and support the Israelites to arrive at and flourish in the Promised Land. Even though the people have not always been obedient, and some rebel along the way, this promise will not be broken.
iii. Point?
a. GOD DOESN’T LOVE YOU BECAUSE OF WHO YOU ARE, GOD LOVES YOU BECAUSE OF WHO HE IS!!
Rick Warren- The central message of the Bible is this: God doesn’t love you because of who you are or what you’ve done but because of who he is and what he has done. God made you. He loves you. It’s settled! You can’t make God love you more. You can’t make him love you less. He loves you just as much on your bad days as he does on your good days. His love is not performance based.
Rick Warren - The Bible has a word for this. It’s called grace—and it’s absolutely amazing. God looks down and says, “I choose to love you. And you can’t make me stop loving you.” Even when we’re ridiculously bad, God won’t stop loving us.
b) Parental love!
Psalm 103:4b and compassion;
i. Compassion ???????????? (w?·ra·?a·mîm)
a. Mother
i) Racham raw-kham' to fondle; by implication, to love
ii) Racham rakh'-am - by extension, the womb (as cherishing the fetus) bowels, compassion, damsel, tender love,
Isaiah 49:15 “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you!
b. Father
Psalm 103:13 Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him.
ii. If we don’t fear, revere, respect Him, He can and will discipline us for our good!
Hebrews 12:4 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. 5 And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says, “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, 6 because the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”-NIV
iii. Parable of the prodigal son
Luke 15: 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him.
iv. Compassion -sp?a??????µa? Gk -splagchnizomai
a. To be moved as to one's bowels, hence to be moved with compassion, have compassion (for the bowels were thought to be the seat of love and pity)
Psalm 103:14 For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust.
John Wesley- He knows the weakness and mortality of our natures, and the frailty of our condition, so that if he should let loose his hand upon us, we should be irrecoverably destroyed.
William Gumall -God is not like some unskilled empiric, who has but one receipt for all, strong or weak, young or old; but as a wise physician considers his patient, and then writes his bill.
4. Benefit – Satisfaction!
Psalm 103:5a Who satisfies your years
a) Who satisfies you ??????????????? (ham·mas·bi·ya‘)
i. To be satisfied, be sated, be fulfilled, to be sated (with food), to be satisfied with, to have one's fill of (have desire satisfied)
Psalm 103:5b with good things,
a. Good ????????? (ba?·?o·w?)
i. Pleasant, agreeable, pleasant (to the higher nature) excellent (of its kind) rich, valuable in estimation , right (ethical) , bountiful
b. God satisfies the reasonable desires of his servants, giving them "all things richly to enjoy" (1 Timothy 6:17), and "satisfying the desire of every living thing" (Psalm 145:16). So that…
Psalm 103:5c So that your youth is renewed like the eagle.
c. So that your youth is renewed = that it becomes vigorous in strength like an eagle."
S. Conway - How can that be? We must grow old. Every day brings us nearer to old age, and there is no escaping it except by premature departure….Yet the text declares the fact of renewed youth, and this in no mere poetic sense, but literally and truly. It says, "like the eagle," which year by year renews its plumage, and so seems to renew its vigor and activity along with its new garment.
S. Conway -The renewal of this text is not physical. The renewal told of in the text is spiritual. Though the bodily life be sustained and nourished by appropriate food and rest, yet, in spite of this, the physical energies succumb to the decay of nature. The outward man not only does, but must, perish, but spiritual, rejuvenescence is the theme. "They go from strength to strength;" "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength;" "Whoso liveth and believeth on me," said our Lord," shall never die."
S. Conway- ITS SECRET? "He satisfieth thy mouth with good things." Christ is the Bread of their life, and they live by him. His are the "good things" by which they are sustained… They eat the flesh of Christ, and drink his blood; he is their living Bread. They follow his footsteps, they drink into his Spirit; the mind which was in Christ is formed in them, and they grow up into him in all things.
Isaiah 40:31 but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
5. Benefit – Salvation!
Psalm 103:6a The Lord performs righteous deeds
a. Righteousness
Isaiah 64:6 All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.-NIV
Romans 3: 21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.-NIV
1 Corinthians 1:30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”
Psalm 103:6b And judgments for all who are oppressed.
b. Deliverance
Luke 4: 18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
c. Revelation
Psalm 103:7a He made known His ways to Moses,
Charles Spurgeon - "He made known." He did not leave Moses to discover truth for himself, but became his instructor. What should we ever know if he did not make it known? God alone can reveal himself.
i) God has also revealed Himself to the world through the person of Jesus Christ.
John 1:18 No one has ever seen God. But the unique One, who is himself God, is near to the Father’s heart. He has revealed God to us. - NLT
Psalm 103:7b His acts to the sons of Israel.
John Gill - His works, his wonderful works; his plagues on their enemies the Egyptians; his redemption of them out of the house of bondage; his leading them through the Red sea as on dry land; his feeding them with manna in the wilderness, protecting them from their enemies, bringing them into the land of Canaan, and settling them there.
Psalm 103:8 The Lord is compassionate and gracious, Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.
Psalm 103:9 He will not always strive with us, Nor will He keep His anger forever.10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
Sir R. Baker - O my soul, here are four properties spoken of to be in God, and are all so necessary, that we could not miss one of them. If he were not "merciful" we could hope for no pardon; and if he were no more but merciful we could hope for no more but pardon; but when besides his being merciful he is also "gracious," this gives us a further hope.
Sir R. Baker - If he were not "slow to anger" we could expect no patience; but when besides his slowness to anger he is also "full of compassion;" this makes us expect he will be the good Samaritan, and not only bind up our wounds, but take care also for our further curing.
Albert Barnes - All may say this "is" a ground of thanksgiving and praise! It is a matter for which we should render unceasing praise that God has not done to us as our sins deserved. Who of us can fail to stand in awe and to tremble when we think what God "might" have justly done to us; what sufferings he "might" have brought upon us, which would have been no more than we have deserved; what pain of body, what distress of mind, what anguish of bereavement - what sorrow, danger, sickness, losses - we "might" have suffered before the point would be reached at which it could be said that we were suffering more than a holy and just God might properly inflict on us!
e. BLESS THE LORD O MY SOUL - Followers of Jesus Christ are not punished for their sins, God has put them on Jesus Christ!
Q: Why?
Psalm 103:11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him.
Charles Spurgeon - As the lofty heavens canopy the earth, water it with dews and rains, enlighten it with sun, moon, and stars, and look down upon it with unceasing watchfulness, even so the Lord's mercy from above covers all his chosen, enriches them, embraces them, and stands for ever as their dwelling place.
Psalm 103:17a But the lovingkindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him,
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
f. He redeemed you before he created you!
Ephesians 1: 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, - NKJV
Psalm 103:17b And His righteousness to children’s children,
g. The gift of righteousness will be available (even to our children) to all in the gospel age!
Matthew 28: 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Charles Spurgeon - Our believing sons and their seed for ever will find the word of the Lord the same: to them will he display his grace and bless them even as he has blessed us.
Psalm 103:18 To those who keep His covenant And remember His precepts to do them.
Albert Barnes - If they do forget them, they have no right to expect the blessing. Obedience and fidelity are our only reasonable grounds of expectation of the blessing of God.
6. Benefit – Providence!
Psalm 103:19 The Lord has established His throne in the heavens, And His sovereignty rules over all.
a) Divine providence is the governance of God by which He, with wisdom and love, cares for and directs all things in the universe. The doctrine of divine providence asserts that God is in complete control of all things. He is sovereign over the universe as a whole (Psalm 103:19), the physical world (Matthew 5:45), the affairs of nations (Psalm 66:7), human destiny (Galatians 1:15), human successes and failures (Luke 1:52), and the protection of His people (Psalm 4:8). This doctrine stands in direct opposition to the idea that the universe is governed by chance or fate.
7. Benediction – Praise!
a) Now David becomes a choir director!
Psalm 103:20 Bless the Lord, you His angels, Mighty in strength, who perform His word, Obeying the voice of His word!
i. Bless Him you created beings!
Psalm 103:21 Bless the Lord, all you His hosts, You who serve Him, doing His will.
ii. Bless Him sun, moon and stars!
Psalm 148:3 Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars.
Psalm 103:22a Bless the Lord, all you works of His, In all places of His dominion;
b) And let it begin with me!
Psalm 103:22b Bless the Lord, O my soul!
Close
In 1974, and there was a little boy born in England.
This little boy was born into a very dysfunctional family, his father committed suicide when he was seven.
He didn’t even know that his father had taken his own life until he was ten.
His mother remarried to a very abusive step-father, who eventually ended up in prison for abusing the family, including that little boy.
Sometime in his youth he went to a mission meeting in England where he heard the gospel and was converted to Christ.
The boy was talented - He was and is a very good musician.
Wanting to somehow celebrate what Christ had done in his life he started writing songs.
When he came to Psalm 103, he felt inspired to write a song based on Psalm 103.
The name of that boy is Matt Redman
And the name of that song is is “Ten Thousand Reasons.”
Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before, O my soul
I'll worship Your holy name
The sun comes up, it's a new day dawning
It's time to sing Your song again
Whatever may pass and whatever lies before me
Let me be singing when the evening comes
Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before, O my soul
I'll worship Your holy name
You're rich in love and You're slow to anger
Your name is great and Your heart is kind
For all Your goodness, I will keep on singing
Ten thousand reasons for my heart to find
Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before, O my soul
I'll worship Your holy name
And on that day when my strength is failing
The end draws near and my time has come
Still, my soul will sing Your praise unending
Ten thousand years and then forevermore
Forevermore
Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before, O my soul
I'll worship Your holy name
Bless the Lord, O my soul, O my soul
Worship His holy name
Sing like never before, O my soul
I'll worship Your holy name
I'll worship Your holy name
Lord, I'll worship Your holy name
Sing like never before, O my soul
I'll worship Your holy name
Jesus, I will, worship Your holy name
Worship Your holy name
