PSALM 116:1 “IT IS SO EASY TO LOVE THE LORD”
A) There are many ways in which you could classify people!
* One way is by classifying those that are hard to love and those that are easy to love.
* As you know, there are some people that are hard to love.
* You have to make yourself love them.
* Are you thinking of someone right now? * So and so comes to mind, huh?
B) A wife went with her friend to the police station to report that her husband was missing!
* When the policeman asked for a description, she said, “He’s 6 foot 2, has deep blue eyes, dark
wavy hair, athletic build, well-groomed and sharply dressed, weighs 185 pounds .......”
* “He’s soft-spoken, well-mannered and loves the children.” * The friend spoke up and said .......
* “But your husband is fat, 5 foot 3, rude, smokes cigars, bald, has a big mouth, never bathes,
dresses sloppy, his teeth is rotten and he is terribly mean to your children.”
* The wife replied, “Yes, but who wants that one back?”
C) Yes, there are some people that are hard to love!
* On the other hand, there are people that are easy to love.
* Some people you love the moment you meet them ... It is not difficult loving them.
* You do not have to make yourself love them ... You just can’t help but love them!
D) I find the Lord to be one that is easy to love ... In fact, it is hard not to love Him!
* Jesus said in Matthew 22:37, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and .......”
* I have never quite understood why someone, who had been saved, did not love the Lord with all
their heart, soul, and mind, because He is so easy to love!
E) The fact that the Lord loves us is never in question!
* God’s love for us is plainly declared and continually demonstrated.
* God’s love is both personal and eternal ... It is repeatedly proclaimed in the Bible and repeatedly
proven in our blessings!
* We never have to wonder or worry if God loves us!
* The question is whether or not we love the Lord ... He loves us, but do we love Him in return?
F) There are times when I think the Lord must feel like the little four-year-old girl who walked
up to her mom with a doll under each arm!
* She said, “Mama, I love them and love them and love them, but they never love me back.”
* Like the little girl and her dolls, the Lord loves us and loves us and loves us, but sadly, the case is
often that we do not love Him back!
G) In Psalm 116 we find the Psalmist speaking of his love for the Lord!
* As I read of his love for the Lord, I seem to hear him saying, “It is hard not to love the Lord.”
* I want us to look at the Psalmist’s words and put our own love for the Lord to the test!
(1) THE DECLARATION OF HIS LOVE FOR THE LORD!
* At the very beginning of the Psalm, the Psalmist expresses and declares his love for the Lord!
* He begins by saying, “I love the Lord.” * Spurgeon said, “Every believer ought to be able to
declare without the slightest hesitation, ‘I love the Lord.’” * In the Psalmist’s words I see:
A) First: The Expression Of Love The Lord Desires!
* A group of eight-year olds were asked the question: “What does love mean?” * Some of the
answers they got were: Love is that feeling you feel before all the bad stuff gets in the way.
* Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell
each other.
* Love is when you go out and eat and give somebody most of your French Fries without making
them give you any of theirs.
B) Love is when my mama makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to
him, to make sure the taste is OK!
* Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, and then he wears it everyday.
* Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know
each other so well.
* I let my big sister pick on me because my Mom says she only picks on me because she loves me.
So I pick on my baby sister because I love her.
* When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out.
C) Love means many things, but among them is saying, “I love you.”
* I understand that love is more than words, but sometimes what a person needs is for someone just
to say, “I love you.” * Yet, children need to hear parents say, “I love you.”
* Husbands and wives need to hear their spouse say, “I love you.”
* I know that for some of you wives, if your husband just walked up to you and said, “I love you,”
you would probably be like the one wife I read about .......
D) While at work, her husband listened to one of his co-workers talking about how he did
romantic things to tell his wife that he loved her!
* He told of how on one occasion, before he left work, he shaved and freshened up, put on some
nice smelling cologne, and a clean suit.
* Then on the way home, stopped by the florist and bought his wife a dozen roses.
* When he got home, instead of just walking in, he rang the doorbell.
* When his wife opened the door, he held the roses out and said, “Honey, I love you.”
E) This husband thought to himself, “That’s a good idea.”
* So, before he left work, he shaved, put on some nice smelling cologne and put on a clean suit.
* Then on the way home he stopped and bought a dozen roses.
* When he got home he walked up to the door and rang the doorbell.
* His wife opened to the door and he proudly reached out to her the roses and said, “I love you.”
F) His wife just started bawling and then said, “It has been a terrible day.”
* “Joey woke up with a high fever ... The commode stopped up and ran over.”
* “The washing machine broke down ... The dog turned over the neighbor’s trash can and drug
trash all over the yard ... The phone has rung all day along and now you come home drunk.”
* We need to say to each other, “I love you.” * We need to hear someone say to us, “I love you.”
* We want others to tell us that they love us.
G) I believe the Lord desires to hear us say, “I love You.”
* All through the day we ought to be saying, “I love You, Lord.”
* Just as we desire to be told that we are loved, the Lord desires to hear us tell Him that we love
Him too! * He knows whether or not we love Him .......
* But just the same, I believe He longs to hear us say, “I love the Lord.”
* In the Psalmist’s words, I not only think of the expression of love the Lord desires, but also:
H) The Expression Of Love The Lord Deserves!
* The Lord is deserving of our expressions of love! * After all, He loves us and expresses His love
in numerous ways all through the day. * In many cases, people earn our love!
* They are deserving of the love and affection we show to them.
* There is no one any more deserving than the Lord!
I) He has saved us ... He has given us His Word ... He is there at every moment!
* He never fails us or forsakes us ... He meets our every need.
* I think you would agree with me that He is deserving of our love.
* He deserves to be told again and again, and over and over and over, “I love You, Lord.”
* There is the Psalmist’s declaration of his love for the Lord ... Secondly, notice with me:
(2) THE EXPLANATION OF HIS LOVE FOR THE LORD!
* He says in v.1, “I love the Lord because ...”
* Once declaring his love for the Lord, he begins to gives reasons why he loves the Lord!
* Notice three reasons that he gives ....... First, he explains that he loves the Lord because:
A) The Lord Heard Him! * He says in v.1-2 ........
* He states that he will never hesitate to go to God in prayer! * As long as he lives, he will call
upon the Lord! * Why? Because the Lord has heard his prayers!
* He describes how the Lord listened attentively to his prayers!
* The word “heard” speaks of giving someone their undivided attention.
* Have you ever talked with someone and you knew they were not paying attention to what you
were saying?
B) I read how on one occasion, President Roosevelt decided to find out at a White House
reception whether anybody was paying attention to what he was saying!
* As each person came up to him with an extended hand, he flashed that big smile and said, “I
murdered my grandmother this morning.”
* People would automatically respond with comments such as, “How lovely!” or “Just continue
with your great work.”
* The only one who seemed to pay attention to what he said was a foreign diplomat that simply
responded, “I’m sure she had it coming.”
* When the Psalmist called out to the Lord in prayer, the Lord gave him His undivided attention!
* He listened attentively to what he prayed!
C) He also describes how the Lord listened affectionately to his prayers!
* In v.2, he speaks of how the Lord “inclined His ear” unto him when he prayed.
* The word “inclined” means “to bend down.”
* It is almost like the Lord stepped down from heaven and sat down beside him and put His arms
around his shoulders and listened to everything he had to say!
D) One of the reasons it is so easy to love the Lord is because He hears us when we pray!
* All of us can look back to some time in our life when we came to the Lord with the distressing
situations and pressing needs of our life.
* Did he say, “I don’t have time to listen to your problems right now?” * Absolutely not!
* When we called upon Him, we did not get a busy signal or an answering machine.
* He was always available and treated us like we were the only person that mattered to Him!
* Secondly, the Psalmist explained that he loved the Lord because:
E) The Lord Helped Him! * The Psalmist said in v.3-6 .......
* He describes his troubles and trials, his sufferings and sorrows!
* His circumstances brought him low, but, in his time of need, the Lord “helped” him!
* Why did he find it so easy to love the Lord?
* In his dark and difficult hours, the Lord helped him!
* He helps us and that is one of the reasons we find it so easy to love Him!
F) I look at some of you the Lord has helped! * Sister Evelyn Neely! * As the songwriter said:
* Are there crosses too heavy to carry ... And burdens too heavy to bear,
Are there heartaches and tears and anguish ... And no one who seems to care?
Standing somewhere in the shadows you’ll find Jesus,
He’s a Friend who always cares and understands.
Standing somewhere in the shadows you will find Him
And you’ll know Him by the nail prints in His hands.
* Thirdly, the Psalmist explained that he loved the Lord because:
G) The Lord Honored Him! * The Psalmist says in v.7 .......
* The words “dealt bountifully” speak of one being repaid and benefits one has received!
* The Psalmist is speaking of how the Lord had honored him, blessed him and done so much for
him.
H) There is not one of us that cannot say God has not been good to us!
* He has blessed us in so many ways and given us far more than we deserve!
* If I gave each of you a blank sheet of paper and asked you to write down all the things God has
done for you and how He has blessed you .......
* It would not be long before you would asking for another sheet of paper.
* God has been very good to us all.
* When we think of how He has heard us and helped us ... And then add to all that all the blessings
He has brought into our life, I ask you, how can we not love Him? * It is so easy to love Him!
* There is the Psalmist’s declaration and explanation of his love for the Lord ... Thirdly, notice:
(3) THE MANIFESTATION OF HIS LOVE FOR THE LORD!
* The Psalmist not only said he loved the Lord, he also showed that he loved the Lord!
* His love was more than words ... It was manifested and demonstrated. * How? First we see how:
A) He Personally Proved His Love To The Lord! * The Psalmist said in v.12-14 .......
* His love for the Lord is revealed in his paying his vows to the Lord! * Then in v.16 .......
* He speaks of himself as being a servant ... His love is revealed in his service to the Lord!
* His love was more than words ... It was proven in his works!
* It is easy to say we love the Lord, but we verify our words by our actions!
* Our love is proven by our commitment to the Lord ... It is revealed in our service for Him!
* You can’t tell me you love the Lord and will not live for Him or serve Him!
B) Secondly, we see how: He Publicly Proclaimed His Love For The Lord!
* Notice carefully in v.14 that the Psalmist speaks of paying his vows “in the presence of all his
people.” * The love that he has for the Lord is not only personal, but also public!
* How did he proclaim in public his love for the Lord? * He says in v.17-19 .......
* The Psalmist said, “When I go to God’s House I am going to praise His name!”
* When we gather to worship, we should never be ashamed to worship the Lord visibly or vocally! * We should never be ashamed to publicly express our love for the Lord!
CLOSE
A) John Newton, author of the great hymn “Amazing Grace,” was a rough, dirty sailor with a
foul mouth and an appetite for rotten living! * He hated life and life hated him!
* He was captain of a slave ship and slave trader! * Then someone placed in the hands a book
titled “The Imitation of Christ.”
* He also had the gift of a good mother who told him about the Saviour when he was young.
* And then he was saved and he went all over England sharing his faith.
B) As an old man, he had to have an assistant stand in the pulpit with him on Sundays!
* He was nearly blind and spoke in whispers, but nothing could keep him from preaching while he
still had breath.
* One Sunday, while delivering his message he repeated the sentence: “Jesus Christ is precious.”
* His helper whispered to him: “But you’ve already said that twice.”
C) Newton turned to his helper and said loudly, “Yes, I’ve said it twice, and I’m going to say it
again.”
* It is said that the stones in the ancient sanctuary fairly shook as the grand old preacher said again:
“Jesus Christ is precious!”
* Yes! Jesus is precious! * I love Him! * How about you? * It is so easy to love Him!
