His Steadfast Love Endures Forever

Psalm 118:1–4 ESV

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever! Let Israel say, “His steadfast love endures forever.” Let the house of Aaron say, “His steadfast love endures forever.” Let those who fear the Lord say, “His steadfast love endures forever.”

Israel

House of Aaron

All who Fear the Lord

all people

Consider us here today

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 ESV

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Things that make it difficult to give thanks.

Loss and Grief: The death of a loved one or the end of a meaningful relationship can be incredibly difficult to appreciate or be thankful for.

Failure and Setbacks: Experiencing failure or facing setbacks in personal or professional endeavors can be disheartening, making it hard to see the positive aspects.

Health Challenges: Dealing with health issues, whether personal or in the lives of loved ones, can be a difficult journey, making it challenging to find gratitude in the midst of pain.

Financial Struggles: Coping with financial difficulties, such as debt or unemployment, can be a stressful and trying experience, making it tough to feel thankful.

Betrayal and Broken Trust: Being betrayed or experiencing a breach of trust can lead to emotional pain and difficulty in finding gratitude for the situation.

Injustice and Discrimination: Grappling with issues of injustice and discrimination can be infuriating and disheartening, making it challenging to express gratitude in such circumstances.

Mental or Emotional Difficulty: Overcoming or managing mental health issues can be a long and challenging process, and it may be difficult to find gratitude in the midst of the struggle.

Weather: Dealing with the aftermath of natural disasters, such as earthquakes, hurricanes, or wildfires, can be devastating and may make it hard to be thankful for the circumstances.

Conflict and Disagreements: Strained relationships, whether within families or among friends, can create a sense of discord, making it challenging to find gratitude in the midst of conflict.

Loneliness: Feeling isolated and lonely can be emotionally challenging, and it may be difficult to express gratitude when one is longing for connection and companionship.

It is just these circumstances that make it quite difficult to be thankful in all things, to rejoice evermore, or, to give thanks to the Lord.

But notice the direction of the Psalm in front of us.

Give thanks to the LORD

why?

He is good

pleasant and desirable

worthy of respect

merry

His Steadfast Love

mercy

loyal love

unfailing love

covenant faithfulness

Endures Forever

No expiration date

Infinite - can’t be capped, the end can’t be seen or comprehended.

No end.

What is the crux of giving thanks to this Lord of unfailing and unending love? Is it that his love is persistent and therefore we “always have something to be thankful for?”

Is it that his love is radiant and a distraction and therefore we lose sight of the things that make it difficult to give thanks for?

Perhaps some of both, but more, thanking the Lord in all things for his never ending love is a perspective change. It’s not an addendum, or another ingredient that changes the flavor.

Chili, one more ingredient, salt.

Steadfast Love doesn’t change the taste, it changes the tastebuds.

A life of thankfulness is a life lived with an eye to the everlasting steadfast love of the Lord.

Give Thanks for the Lord’s Steadfast Love

1. It Rearranges our Fear and our Faith - vs. 5-13

vs. 5 - out of my distress (things that make it difficult to give thanks)

vs. 6 - I will not fear, what can man do to me? (mere mortals)

Story of Nehemiah, exiles in Babylon. Babylon overcome by the Persian empire. Cyrus had favor on the Jews, allowed returns.

Ezra - rebuilt the Temple

Nehemiah - rebuilt the walls

“cut them off” - the word for circumcision. An outward sign. Now symbolic of an inward change.

The hearts of the nations were changed toward God’s people.

Our hearts must be changed by steadfast love, to rearrange our fear of man into fear of God, and our faith in man to faith in God.

2. It Rewrites our Songs and our Stories - vs. 14-18

vs. 14-15 - the Lord is our song! Glad songs of salvation in the tents of the righteous

our actual songs, what we sing together today. Songs of worship and adoration. Songs of hope and comfort. Songs of faith and unity.

“the song of our heart” - our meditation and perpetual praise.

17-18

recounting the deeds of the Lord - changes the stories we tell.

changes the perspective on certain trials from seasons of mourning only to seasons of learning.

3. It Reimagines our Predictions and Preferences - vs. 19-24

22-23

the stone the builders rejected. For this psalm, the idea of rejection was the captivity, the destruction, the carrying away. The destruction was now rebuilt and the whole thing is seen as marvelous.

Nobody would have predicted that, humanly speaking, but the Lord promised.

Jesus used this saying to speak to his enemies about himself. They were rejecting him, but little did they know he would be the cornerstone of life and faith and hope.

Paul will speak of the church as a building of God (people, not structure) being built on a foundation of God’s messengers, but the cornerstone is Christ Himself.

Steadfast love changes our view of Christ. Do you remember when formerly you had no love for Christ? Maybe a recognition or a little space occupied in your mind, but no real love? Steadfast love changes everything.

vs. 24 - rejoicing comes when we see what God has done, what he can do, what he will do.

Meditate on the Lord’s Steadfast Love

What is steadfast love?

mercy is a common, older translation. Mercy gives the sense that we don’t get the negative that we deserve. A stability on his side with wavering on our side.

loyalty - no turning away, no looking for better options.

Covenant Faithfulness

What is covenant?

Old covenant

A special relationship

A promise of protection and perpetuity with faithfulness.

Not given to others, only those faithful to the Lord

A system of sacrifices to receive forgiveness and cleansing on a term-to-term basis

Communion with the Lord through those systems and the priests.

promises of help and hope, conditionally.

steadfast love was seen often in the Lord’s patience, and his willingness to forgive after great failure.

Mediated by Moses (and then the written law)

the conditional nature of the covenant was seen in the captivities, the destruction of Jerusalem.

New Covenant

Jeremiah was given a prophecy of a time where there would be an inner spiritual reality and change.

There would be a law written on the heart, not just on tablets

There would be eternal forgiveness, not temporary or conditional.

Hebrews 8:6 ESV

But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises.

What are those better promises?

A change of heart (the holy Spirit)

Eternal forgiveness

Luke 22:19–20 ESV

And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

As Jesus inaugurated the New Covenant, then we give thanks for his new covenant faithfulness.

Its important that the Psalm says specifically that it is because of the Lord’s Steadfast Love that we give thanks to him.

That is different than general love. Steadfast love makes the difference. I can love people generally without making a difference in their lives. But the Lord’s steadfast love reaches in. It calls us by name.

The fact that God is “loving” might do us no good in our ability to give thanks. Because then, we simply ask “if God is loving, then why all this trouble?”

But since it is His steadfast love, his covenant love, that reaches down to us and changes us, changes our perspective, we can say - I know there is good in this, because the Lord is Good. I know there is thankworthiness in this, because of the Lord’s steadfast love - it never ceases, never changes, never walks away.

Faithfulness to forgive us eternally

Faithfulness to change our hearts, give us the Holy Spirit

Eternal forgiveness comes with the eternal promise of hope, the fact that Jesus is Lord and all things are under his feet, and what changes our perspective more than being eternally loved by the one who has all authority?

Celebrate the Lord’s Steadfast Love

Eucharist - give thanks

As Jesus gave thanks for the broken bread at the last supper, he already had in mind the meaning of that symbol.

he could give thanks, in advance, for the work to be done through his sacrifice, though the work itself was grim and unbearable, the whole thing was beautiful.

Just as when he broke the bread to feed the 5,000 - he gave thanks for the meal when to all others it was insufficient. Christ is our sufficiency, and our cause for eternal thanksgiving.

He is good - his steadfast love endures.