Something Worth Celebrating

SOMETHING WORTH CELEBRATING

Psalm 118:1-29

S: Palm Sunday

Th: Praise

Pr: GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD!

?: Why?

KW: Explanations

TS: We will find in Psalm 118 three explanations of why we should give thanks to the Lord.

The _____ explanations of why we should give thanks to the Lord is His…

I. PERSEVERANCE (1-4)

II. PRESENCE (5-18)

III. PRESERVATION (19-28)

RMBC 24 March 02 AM

INTRODUCTION:

ILL Thanksgiving (in tomato sauce)

Bob was trying to teach his daughter, Jenny, how to say grace before meals. After a few weeks of coaching, Bob decided Jenny was ready to say grace all by herself. Jenny started out fine, thanking God for her mommy and daddy and brother and sister and for the rolls and the salad, etc. She ended with a big, "Thank you, God, for the spaghetti!" and lifted her head. The tradition in Bob’s house, though, was to end each prayer with "In Jesus’ name, Amen." So Bob prompted Jenny, "In ..." At first, Jenny seemed confused. Then she proudly exclaimed, "In tomato sauce. Amen."

Are you a grateful person?

The simple act of saying grace before a meal is an act of gratefulness.

And God does understand our heart, even if we don’t say “In Jesus’ name” at the end of the prayer.

God looks at our heart.

He knows when our praise and gratefulness come from hearts that love Him.

TRANSITION:

1. Today is Palm Sunday in which we remember the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem.

Palm Sunday begins the most significant week on the Christian calendar—Holy Week.

It is during this week that Jesus…

…will clear out the Temple for a second time

…will wash His disciples feet

…will eat a Passover meal with them and institute what we call Communion

…will be betrayed by Judas, and denied by Peter

…will go to the cross

…and most importantly, raise from the dead.

This will all happen in one week.

It begins with this one particular event that we have sung and read about today.

It was a special day when the people of Jerusalem demonstrated their praise and gratefulness for God’s work in their midst.

2. It was a time of celebration because it was recognized that God was bringing salvation.

They rejoiced in Jesus’ coming.

They saw Him as bringing salvation and most probably understood it as a salvation that involved a freedom from Rome.

During this triumphal entry, the people used one particular word that is equated with this day, “Hosanna.”

It literally means, “Save us.”

But through the years, it was understood as an exclamation of praise that God was continually providing salvation.

I want to return to the context of this word, Hosanna.

It is originally found in Psalm 118 and it is this psalm that we are studying today.

The main point of this text is both at its beginning and its end.

It is simply…

3. GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD!

But why?

Why do we give thanks to the Lord?

Well…

4. We will find in Psalm 118 three explanations of why we should give thanks to the Lord.

OUR STUDY:

I. The first explanation of why we should give thanks to the Lord is His PERSEVERANCE (1-4).

ILL Notebook: Perseverance: (hates to lose his ball)

Robert Maschi’s job as a land surveyor took him to a golf course that was expanding to 18 holes. Using a machete to clear thick brush in an area he was mapping, he came upon a golf club that an irate player must have tossed away. It was in good condition, so he picked it up and continued on. When he broke out of the brush onto a putting green, two golfers stared at him in awe. He had a machete in one hand, a golf club in the other, and behind him was a clear-cut swath over 100 yards long. “There,” said one of the golfers, “is a guy who hates to lose his ball!”

Well, if you think that is perseverance, listen to this…

[1] Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!

[2] Let Israel say, “His steadfast love endures forever.”

[3] Let the house of Aaron say, “His steadfast love endures forever.”

[4] Let those who fear the Lord say, “His steadfast love endures forever.”

Please note this…

God is single-minded about His love for us.

There is an irrepressible endurance to God’s love and mercy.

It is His promise to us.

When the best of the earth fails and passes away, we are to know that we can always count on the love and mercy of the Lord.

It simply does not change.

It endures forever.

Note also that the psalmist says that he cannot sufficiently express all this by Himself.