Sermon – Count Your Blessings
Ps 103:1 A Psalm of David. “Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. 2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: 3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; 4 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; 5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.”
Psalm 103 is a Psalm of Personal, Passionate, and Perpetual Praise! And what is amazing about this Psalm 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 heart of David! The second interesting thing about this Psalm is that we don’t really know at what stage of his life that this Psalm was written. Unlike some of the Psalms that we discussed, it provides no superscription above it to explain the circumstances in which it was written. There is no historical backdrop, no mention of what is going on in David’s 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 today is this...A study of Psalm 103 will give us ample ammunition to personally, passionately, and perpetually praise God no matter what we are going through! I am going to give you three reasons why: We Have It So Good; We Enjoy So Much; and We Have Expressed So Little! One songwriters said it this way, “I owe God a Praise! David primes the pump of his own heart as he remembers God great mercies towards him. I am amazed at how much time we spend remembering things God has forgotten, and how much time we spend forgetting things God remembers. David gets caught up in a celebration of God’s goodness. His passion pours from his whole being. Because David had so much, he was extremely grateful to God. You and I, we have it so good, enjoy so much and we should express it more! When we count our blessings we realize we have it so good!
1. We have it so good. “Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. 2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:” Ti 6:17-19 “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; 18 That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; 19 Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.”
Someone said, “Your momma is so poor, she goes to Kentucky Fried Chicken to lick other people fingers.” David had experienced God’s richest blessings. So have we! David went from a shepherd to king, from rags to riches, and that might not be your story. Have you really thought about just how blessed you are? If you woke up this morning with more health than sickness, you are more blessed that the six million people who will not survive the week. If you have never experienced the danger of a Battlefield, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture or the pangs of starvation, you are more blessed that 500 million people in the world. If you can attend a church service without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death, you are more blessed than three billion people in the world. If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of the world. If you have money in the bank, in your wallet and spare change in a dish someplace, you are among the top 10% of the world’s wealthiest people. We should be extremely grateful people, because we have it so good! More than that, we enjoy so much!
2. We Enjoy So Much. 1Ti 6:17 “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;” It might surprise you know that there more positive command in Scripture than negative command. I believe God did so we would never forget the joy and blessings of life He intended for us. Think of all the times He says, “blessed”, “Fear not”, “rejoice”, “joy” and “that it may be well with thee.” God himself has provided all things for us to enjoy. It is alright to enjoy the blessings of God, but remember we are to enjoy God more than His things. We are to focus on the giver more than the gifts. Jas 1:16, 17 “Do not err, my beloved brethren. 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.” Then Re 4:11 reminds us, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”
If it is good, it comes from God. If it is perfect, suitable, and right, it comes from God. I have heard is said that moderation is the key. I think that it’s true. When it comes to enjoying the pleasures of life, practice moderation, when it comes to enjoy God go overboard! If you think it’s too much, it probably too much. If you think it’s too far out, it probably too far out! Too much of a good thing can destroy a person in other ways. It’s okay to enjoy the blessings of God, but not to the point, that our enjoyment is the main focus of our lives. Our creator God should be the main focus and pleasing him our main thought. There is new truck commercial in which the couple give a special gift to each other to demonstrate their love. But in the end, the woman hugs the puppy, and the man hugs the truck! And they never hug each other. Sometimes that can happen to children of God, when we celebrate everything and everyone except the one who gives the blessing! Remember Re 4:11 reminds us, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” We are created by God for the pleasure of God! When we count our blessings, we should become extremely grateful people, because we have it so good, we enjoy so much and really we have expressed it so little!
3. We Have Expressed it So Little. In the text, God “3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; 4 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; 5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.”
David’s grateful heart is flooded because of his acknowledgement of the many blessings he had received. All of which are priceless! Think about it: Forgiveness, redemption, healing, a crown of favor and complete satisfaction. Some times our weak memory causes us to be ungrateful for our rich blessing.
Some years ago, the Peanut cartoon pictured Charlie Brown bringing out Snoopy’s dinner one Thanksgiving Day. But it was just his usual dog food in his usual bowl. Snoopy took one look at the dog food and said, “It’s not fair. The rest of the world is eating turkey with all the trimmings and all I get is dog food, because I am a dog.” He stood there and stared at the dog food for a moment and said, “I guess it could be worse, I could be a turkey.”
Ps 34:1-3 “I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. 2 My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. 3 O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.”
We express our grateful heart so little. I wonder why? Maybe it is because we think we made it on our own. Maybe because of our greed that can never be satisfied. Maybe we cannot enjoy what we have because of what we want. Maybe we fail to see all the goodness of God sends to us. Sometimes our fast-paced world, with thousands of new advertisements, simply blinds our vision. In Psalms 103 David list God’s catalog of blessings. He begins with the big five: He forgives our sins; He heals us from our diseases; He redeems our life; He crowns us with love and compassion; and he satisfies our desires with good things. David understood He had it so good, enjoyed so much and he needed to express it more! I‘m amazed that he never mentioned the sheep farm, or Goliath, or any other trials of life. He chooses to bless the Lord for who He is, God is Holy, Righteous and Kind. God, who at one time was far off because of our sin and iniquities, removed every barrier and came to us with many gifts. He daily loads us with benefits.
David chooses to count his blessings by remembering all of His benefits. God completely restored him so that nothing is missing and nothing is lacking. Then just think, God crowns Him with love and favor, and satisfies him with good things. David was rejoicing long before Jesus came. We rejoice because in Christ we have so much more. We have everything that David received, along the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. When I think of the goodness of Jesus and all that He has done for us, my soul cries out Hallelujah, I thank God just saving me! You should make a list the things you have, and remember God has given them to you to be enjoyed. Remember, it is not the things you have, but it’s your attitude that causes you to enjoy them. Most unhappy people are the ones who have gotten what they wanted, but founded out it wasn’t as wonderful as they expected. The secret of a happy life is not getting what you want, but it is wanting what you have.
Psalms 103 is a reminder that we should count our blessings, then name them one by one! Listen to the words of our text again, “Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. 2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: 3 Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; 4 Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; 5 Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.”
I am thankful for salvation, healing, redemption, and favor, but so much more! I am thankful for the taxes I pay because it means I’m employed! For clothes that fit a little too snug because it means I have enough to eat! For my shadow in the yard because it means I’m out in the sunshine. For my lawn that needs moving and the yard that needs raking, the windows that need washing and the gutters that need repair because it means I have a home. For the parking spot I find at the far end of the parking lot because it means I’m able to walk. For my heating bill and electricity cost because it means I have heat and light. For all the complaining I hear about our government, because it means we have freedom of speech. For the lady behind me in church who sing off key because it means I can hear. Yes, I thank God family, friends, alarm clocks and so much more. God satisfies my life, and fills my mouth with good things. His presence and blessings makes life worth living. I agree with the psalmist, “so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's.” Instead of complaining, Count your blessings, see what the Lord has done, and is doing!
