Blessed

Preliminary:

Invite to Psalm 68:19

Thank Sis. Laird for her song & for testimonies

It’s the New Year - and rather than bore you with a vision casting sermon - I felt compelled to encourage you this morning to look back, remember you blessings, and look forward to this New Year with the assurance that God is still blessing. We are Blessed.

Psalm 68:19 is a good place to do that.

READ: Psalm 68:19

Psalm 68:19 KJV 1900

19 Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loadeth us with benefits, Even the God of our salvation. Selah.

Introduction:

Here we are at the start of a New Year - 2022 is over and 2023 has begun.

We can look on the unknown before us with:

trepidation or anticipation

Optimism or pessimism

Fear or faith

We could take the approach of the football coach I read about recently...

A few years back, Montana State had a bad football season, but the coach faced the new year optimistically: “We’re sure to improve,” he said. “We lost all ten games last season. This year we have only nine games scheduled.”

Anonymous

Whatever the new year brings - we can be sure of one thing - WE HAVE A GOD OF BLESSINGS -

no matter how 2023 plays out I will still be able to end it by saying “ I am blessed!!!”

That’s how I view what the author is saying,

I don’t believe the Psalmist felt as though the blessings of the Lord were just barely enough - no he talked about being daily loaded with benefits.

1. Burdened by Blessings (KJV)

I like what Charles Spurgeon writes on this verse:

"God's benefits are not few nor light, they are loads; neither are they intermittent, but they come "daily; "nor are they confined to one or two favorites, for all Israel can say, he loadeth us with benefits."

The Treasury of David.

‘He brought me to the banqueting house …’—and that is where he always brings us. It is not to some kind of ‘soup kitchen’.

Spiritual Blessing, 98

David Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Robert Chapman a pastor from years ago - called by Charles Spurgeon one of the saintliest men, was met on the street one day by an acquaintance.

The normal greeting took place - “Hello pastor, how are you doing”

Bro. Chapman responded with a smile, “I’m burdened this morning”

The other person looked confused and the silence was kind of awkward.

Finally Chapman said, “I’m talking about Psalm 68:19 “19 Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loadeth us with benefits, Even the God of our salvation. Selah.”

When I think of blessings, I am reminded of an incident I witnessed a few days before Christmas

Panera Bread had a Sip club trial subscription where you can get free drinks every day. My wife and I subscribed and were at the Ridge and Maple location. We were entering the store to get our free iced-coffee’s when I noticed a little bird, probably a sparrow on the ground by the patio tables outside. I was intrigued why it didn’t fly away, when I realized it was because someone had left a rather large piece of bread. More like half a sandwich. The bird stayed close to that bread the entire time we were there.

I also noticed the little bird didn’t move like other birds, it had an injured leg, and hobbled more than hopped.

As I saw this - I couldn’t help but think of the words of Jesus and how much greater value we are than the birds.

While it is easy to focus on our injuries and injustices, if we could only see the loaf of bread sitting next to us - it would change the way we view the world.

Gratitude brings joy, purpose, reasons for living, reasons for persevering while ingratitude fosters feelings of entitlement, victimization, covetousness, unhappiness, reasons for giving up, and quitting.

I want to notice my bread blessings and live with my injuries, or even inconveniences just like that little bird. After all as the songwriter reminds us well, “His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He’s watching me.”

I am blessed.

God’s heart, not mine, is the measure of his giving; not my capacity to receive, but his capacity to give.

God’s Heart The Source Of All Blessing, Volume 45, Sermon #2641 - 2 Samuel 7:21

Charles Spurgeon

Psalm 68:19 KJV 1900

19 Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loadeth us with benefits, Even the God of our salvation. Selah.

My how burdened we are with blessings.

But you know an important part of Bible study is the language study. What was the original intent and meaning of the author? What is the meaning of the word that we translated this?

One way you can do that is by comparing translations. When I did that with this verse I found out that translators don’t agree with how this verse should read. Through the help of others I noticed a pattern and I want to share that pattern with you in a way that I am borrowing from Robert J. Morgan.

The rest of my outline will be the way other translations give us the verse.

We have seen the KJV/ NKJV tells us we are burdened with blessings...

2. Burden Bearer (NIV)

Psalm 68:19 Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens.

we sometimes have burdens heavier than we can bear -

I love Psalm 55:22 “22 Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.”

I remember as a kid in school - my backpack full of heavy books, notebooks, supplies, and gym clothes. I would be pushed down - weighted by the load on my back - bulging and ripping at the seams.

I would get ready to sit down on the bus to go home and I would slip that backpack off my shoulder and let the bus carry it home.

Oh I knew it was there, I might have to change its position is someone wanted to sit next to me or if we hit a big pothole - But the bus was bearing my load

It was far more powerful and stronger than I was. It didn’t even feel the strain of pulling my little backpack compared to the weight of itself

Oh our burdens - our worries, our cares, our grief, our sorrows, our unknowns and whatever fill our spiritual backpack until we think we are going to die under its weight

But can I remind you we have one who is stronger than we are, who is more powerful, who doesn’t even feel the strain of bearing your burden who wants us to just slip it off our shoulder and let him bear it awhile - or forever...

It doesn’t mean that burden is going to magically disappear or evaporate - but the weight of it, the heavy part is being varied by someone else

The songwriter said,

what a friend we have in Jesus all our sins and griefs to Bear what a privilege to carry Everything To God In Prayer

Oh we are burdened with blessings, and we are burdened by other things in life - but we have a burden bearer - one who will carry our load

I want to look at one more....

3. Up Bearer (ESV)

Psalm 68:19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation. Selah

Oh I know our burdens weigh us down and sometimes they get heavy - but sometimes we get tired, we don’t think we can take another step.

As a young christian I thought of the poem Footprints in the Sand as sentimental and frothy

As I’ve gotten older I see the depth and richness of that little truth

The poem tells the story of a man having a dream of him and God walking on the beach. As they walked along scenes from his life flashed in the sky. In these scenes he notices two sets of footprints, his and the Lords.

When the scenes ended he looked back over and noticed some of the hardest, most treacherous spots had only one set of footprints and it bothered him and he asked the Lord about it.

God’s response in the poem is powerful.

"My son, my precious child, I love you and I would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you."

God tells Israel

Ex 19:4 “4 Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself.”

Isa 41:10 “10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: Be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; Yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.”

Isa 46:4 “4 And even to your old age I am he; And even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; Even I will carry, and will deliver you.”

He Bears us Up!!!

The National World War II Museum New Orleans tells a fascinating story about 19 year old Signalman 3rd Class Elgin Staples of Akron, Ohio.

He was serving aboard the USS Astoria in support of the landings on Guadalcanal.

It was late night August 8th, 1942 that Staples and his crew found themselves illuminated by spotlight and under attack by a force of Japanese cruisers. During the attack the Astoria’s number one eight-inch turret was hit and exploded, sweeping Signalman Staples into the air and overboard.

Staples was dazed and wounded in his legs by shrapnel, but was kept afloat by an inflatable rubber life-belt he had put on shortly before the attack.

Around 6 am the next morning Staples along with other survivors were rescued by the destroyer USS Bagley and returned to the Astoria - it was heavily damaged and sank several hours later - putting Staples back into the dangerous waters again. He was still wearing the same life-belt and was kept afloat until he was rescued by the transport USS President Jackson.

Think of that two accidents that put him in the harmful waters - and yet the life-belt kept him afloat.

He was “beared up “ if you will by the belt.

It was while he was on the President Jackson that staples began to look over his life-belt. He noticed to his surprise that it had been manufactured by the Firestone Tire and Rubber company right in his hometown of Akron, Ohio.

There was also a set of numbers stamped on the tag that caught his interest.

Returning home to Akron, Signalman Staples thought to bring along the life-belt that had saved him to show his family.

Here is how he tells it...

After a quietly emotional welcome, I sat with my mother in our kitchen, telling her about my recent ordeal and hearing what had happened at home since I had gone away. My mother informed me that “to do her part,” she had gotten a wartime job at the Firestone plant. Surprised, I jumped up and grabbing my life belt from my duffel bag, put it on the table in front of her.

“Take a look at that, Mom,” I said, “It was made right here in Akron, at your plant.”

She leaned forward and taking the rubber belt in her hands, she read the label. She had just heard the story and knew that in the darkness of that terrible night, it was this one piece of rubber that had saved my life. When she looked up at me, her mouth and her eyes were open wide with surprise. “Son, I’m an inspector at Firestone. This is my inspector number,” she said, her voice hardly above a whisper.

We will find ourselves no doubt in troubled waters in this new year - but remember...its not mama making a flotation device in a hot factory somewhere - but its the everlasting arms of God that are around and underneath and will bear us up

Psalm 68:19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily bears us up; God is our salvation. Selah

Summary:

We have seen that...

1. We are burdened with blessings

2. He bears our burdens

3. He bears us

Application: What to do with this abundance of blessing

Acknowledge them (record, journal, remember them)

Receive them (Accept, unwrap, possess)

Gifts, no matter how pretty and beautiful they are wrapped are meant to be unwrapped . Some of God’s blessings have to be unwrapped and opened.

Share them - pay it forward - bless others

Conclusion:

Today is a great time to remember the famous hymn by Frances Havergal (sung to the tune of “The Church’s One Foundation”).

Another year is dawning, Dear Father, let it be In working or in waiting Another year with Thee. Another year of progress, Another year of praise, Another year of proving Thy presence all the days.

I have been blessed

I am blessed

and I know 2023 will bring many more blessings.

Amen.