A Thanksgiving Commitment
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Please turn in your Bible to Psalm 111 as we consider A Thanksgiving Commitment.
For those who were not in attendance last week, you might be expecting another message on the Ten Commandments. We do still have two more commandments to study, but we will return to that study in the new year. Most years I try to give at least one Thanksgiving themed sermon during the month of November. The problem, scheduling wise, is that I did not leave room in the schedule for such a sermon when I last mapped out my preaching schedule. And since I have used more Sundays on this series than anticipated, so far, finishing this series would have cut into my current Christmas series. That, and the fact that there are some other things regarding the Ten Commandments which I want to teach, relating to evangelism, caused me to pause this study for now. Next Sunday, Lord willing, we will begin our Christmas series which will be titled The Joy of Christmas. But for this week, I would like us to meditate on one of the many thanksgiving psalms which are found in Scripture.
As stated already, I’ve titled this sermon A Thanksgiving Commitment. One might think of a Thanksgiving commitment as making a commitment to go somewhere for the holiday. We made a commitment this year to invite our friend, Walt, over for dinner, whose wife, Oleta, passed away while we were in Maine. But this is not the type of commitment I am referring to.
The title is taken from the second line of the psalm which simply says “I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart.” That is a commitment to thanksgiving.
Interestingly, one of the reasons for the outpouring of God’s wrath on mankind is that they did not give God thanks. Think about that for a moment. Paul wrote,
For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
Their lack of gratitude is tied to their lack of honor, which leads to futility in their thoughts, and a darkening of their emotions and wills. If mankind had taken a lesson from the writer of Psalm 111 this would never have been said about them. Of course, much of this occured long before the writing of this psalm.
The origin of this psalm is unknown. The previous psalm was written by David, and so many attribute this to him as well. However, most modern scholars believe that this psalm belongs to the period of time after the Babylonian exile. If that be true it may have been written around the time in which Haggai and Zechariah wrote their prophetic books. Regardless of who the human author was, we know that the true author of all of Scripture is the Holy Spirit. He is the One who drove the men of God to write the Bible in its various forms and genres.
But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.
So, even though we do not know when and by whom this was written, we do know that it was the product of the workings of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, it is true, righteous, and profitable.
This psalm has a specific form to it which is not noticeable in most English translations. It is in the form of an alphabetic acrostic. The Legacy Standard Bible, which is a translation put together by the professors at the Masters Seminary, under the direction of John MacArthur, does show the unique acrostic setting of this psalm. There are 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet, and this psalm has one line for each of the 22 letters. Each successive line begins with the corresponding Hebrew letter. This is the same format in which Psalm 119 was written. Except, Psalm 119 has 8 verses given to each of the 22 Hebrew letters — 176 verses in all.
Some argue that the acrostic takes away from the free flow of thought, and that it constrains the writer. I do not agree. As a person who has studied music composition I have had to write in various forms — the sonata allegro form, theme and variations, and rondo are some of the forms in which I have had to write music. And these forms with their limitations are actually freeing in a way. It is like a child playing in a fenced in backyard. He or she has great freedom within the boundaries that are established. And when you add the work of the Holy Spirit to the midst of the boundaries of the biblical writers writing in an acrostic form, I do not agree that there was any undue limitation.
As we explore this psalm we will look at the call to worship, the breadth of worship, the reasons for worship, and the outcome of worship.
Let’s read through this psalm together.
Praise the Lord! I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart, In the company of the upright and in the assembly.
Great are the works of the Lord; They are studied by all who delight in them.
Splendid and majestic is His work, And His righteousness endures forever.
He has made His wonders to be remembered; The Lord is gracious and compassionate.
He has given food to those who fear Him; He will remember His covenant forever.
He has made known to His people the power of His works, In giving them the heritage of the nations.
The works of His hands are truth and justice; All His precepts are sure.
They are upheld forever and ever; They are performed in truth and uprightness.
He has sent redemption to His people; He has ordained His covenant forever; Holy and awesome is His name.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments; His praise endures forever.
Let’s begin by looking at
The Call to Worship
The Call to Worship
The psalmist begins this thanksgiving psalm with a call to worship. Look at the first line of verse 1.
Psalm 111:1 (NASB 95)
Praise the Lord!
Note that,
We Should Worship God and Only God
It should be noted that this line precedes the acrostic, which begins with the next line of the psalm. Some see this present statement as a title for the psalm.
The English word, praise, comes from the Latin pretium, which could mean “price,” or “value,” and may be defined generally as an ascription of value or worth. True praise consists in a sincere acknowledgment of a real conviction of worth.
In Hebrew this sentence contains just one compound word - Hallelujah. Hallelu means praise, and Yah is the shortened version of Yahweh, the name of God.
I don’t know how many classical music lovers we have in this congregation. I do know of a couple. And I am quite certain they are well acquainted with the masterpiece of George Frederick Handel called THE MESSIAH. The highpoint of this long oratorio is The Hallelujah Chorus. It is such an amazing work. Traditionally the audience stands when this work is sung.
By the way, if you do not have any plans for Sunday afternoon, December 3rd, go see the Tecumseh Pops Choir and Orchestra’s Christmas concert at 3 p.m. We always end the Christmas concert by singing the Hallelujah Chorus.
The only entity that can rightly be called God is Yahweh, and we are called to ascribe His value and worth in a sincere acknowledgment of a real conviction of His worth.
Have you come to the place in your life where you have acknowledged that Yahweh is the only true God? If so, ascribe His value and worth!
If you have not yet come to that place, then I pray that you will soon. If you worship any entity other than Yahweh you are breaking the first commandment in the moral law of God. And there will be a day in which You will be held accountable before Yahweh for doing so. The penalty will be eternal separation from God, and eternal existence in the Lake of Fire.
The only way for any person to escape this final outpouring of God’s wrath is to embrace the person and work of Jesus Christ. He is God become man, who fulfilled the law of God in every respect. He became obedient to death on the cross. As He hung on the cross He absorbed God’s wrath for everyone who places their faith in Him. He died, was buried, and rose again on the third day. And now He ever lives to make intercession for His own. All who cling to Him as Lord and Savior will not experience the wrath of God. But those who do not will one day experience the full weight of His wrath towards the sins of mankind.
Let’s move on to consider
The Breadth of Worship
The Breadth of Worship
As we consider the breadth of worship we will look both at our personal worship and our corporate worship. Let’s begin with
Private Worship
Private Worship
Note that,
We Should Worship God with Every Fiber of our Being
Look at verse 1 again.
Psalm 111:1 (NASB 95)
Praise the Lord!
I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart,
Just as we are to love the LORD our God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength, so we are to give thanks with everything that is within us.
Different people express things differently. Some are more reserved in their expressiveness. Others are more demonstrative. My father was one who was very reserved. My mother, on the other hand, was very demonstrative! I would guess that I am somewhere in between. But it seems that the psalmist was definitely on the demonstrative side. And of course, our God deserves a great demonstration of our gratitude for all that He has done for us.
I would dare to say that even those who are more reserved could use to work on being less reserved without being false to who they are. I don’t mean to criticize folks who are reserved. But, as one who shades toward the reserved side of things, I know that when I see a big play as I’m watching a sports game, I can become rather demonstrative. As a matter of fact I might even shout for joy! And if I can do that over something which has little eternal merit, then I should be able to do so with something which is eternal in scope! After all, another psalmist wrote,
Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth.
But let’s not get too carried away and dump a bucket of Gatorade over me when I make a good point, as someone did to this pastor!
Spurgeon wrote, “Jehovah the one and undivided God cannot be acceptably praised with a divided heart, neither should we attempt so to dishonor Him; for our whole heart is little enough for his glory, and there can be no reason why it should not all be lifted up in his praise.” (Spurgeon, Treasury of David, vol. 5, pg. 208)
Let’s look now at
Corporate Worship
Corporate Worship
Note further,
We Should Worship God with Other Godly People
Look one last time at verse 1.
Praise the Lord!
I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart,
In the company of the upright and in the assembly.
While private worship is extremely important, it cannot replace corporate worship. And corporate worship is what the psalmist is clearly referring to in our text.
I remember when I first came to the church and used the term corporate worship the was one person, at least, who was confused by what I meant. Corporate worship is when a body of believers come together for worship, as opposed to our own private worship of God in our daily devotional times.
H. C. Leupold wrote, “The reason the ‘company [or assembly] of the upright and the congregation’ is mentioned is that it is so much more natural and easy to praise the Lord in the company of the like-minded.” (H. C. Leupold, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, MI, 1969, pg. 780)
We should be gather on a regular basis with a group of likeminded people to exuberantly worship our great God. In the early church such worship occured in individual’s homes. The mother of John Mark hosted a gathering of believers in her home in Jerusalem. And there are many other example we could bring forward. During my lifetime there has been a resurgence of churches who meet in homes rather than in a specific building which is designed only for church meetings. But they are a church, none the less.
So far, we’ve looked at the call to worship and the breadth of worship. The bulk of the body of this psalm falls under our next point —
The Reasons for Worship
The Reasons for Worship
Note that,
We Should Give Thanks to God for His Works, Ways, and Word
As we consider the reasons for worship will break things up under these three categories. And we may find ourselves skipping back and forth a bit, as the content of these verses does. Let’s look first at
God’s Works
God’s Works
Look at the first line of verse 2.
Psalm 111:2 (NASB 95)
Great are the works of the Lord;
The psalmist does not here specify which works he is referring to. But he is adamant that they are great. The term used here is different than the term in the following verse. Here it seems to reflect on His work of creation and the things which He has made.
Think of how our God majestically created the entire universe by the word of His mouth.
O Lord, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth, Who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens!
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained;
By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
And by the breath of His mouth all their host.
Look at the first line of verse 3.
Psalm 111:3 (NASB 95)
Splendid and majestic is His work,
Again, the psalmist doesn’t specify which works, but he proclaims that they are splendid and majestic. The term used here seems to refer to God’s providential acts. God's works of providence, are his most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing all his creatures, and all their actions.
Look at the first line of verse 4.
Psalm 111:4 (NASB 95)
He has made His wonders to be remembered;
Derek Kidner wrote, “‘wonders’ refers most often to the great saving acts of God. The first line can be rendered, ‘He has made a memorial of his wonders’, seemingly a reference to the Passover above all.” (Derek Kidner, Psalms 73–150: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 16, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1975), 432.)
Think of God’s great saving act of bringing the nation of Israel out of bondage in Egypt. He brought plagues upon the nation of Egypt, while sparing the children of Israel from the plagues — even though they lived in the land of Egypt. Talk about amazing. Then there is the parting of the Red Sea.
Look at the first line of verse 5.
Psalm 111:5 (NASB 95)
He has given food to those who fear Him;
This most likely refers to the provision of heavenly bread during the Exodus and wilderness wanderings, which they called manna.
Look at verse 6.
Psalm 111:6 (NASB 95)
He has made known to His people the power of His works,
In giving them the heritage of the nations.
It seems like people from all around the globe are upset with God for giving Israel that little tract of land on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea! I greatly fear what will happen to America when those who are now college student begin to run this country! It is a sad time we are living in, indeed!
Look at the first line of verse 7.
Psalm 111:7 (NASB 95)
The works of His hands are truth and justice;
Everything that God does is accomplished with truth and justice. It is impossible for God to be unjust. It is impossible for God to be untruthful. You and I are prone to be both unjust, and untruthful — the later we will look at in January when we return to our study of the Ten Words, and look at the ninth commandment.
Sadly, because many if not most people in this world today do not recognize the true God, they do not accept that He is always truthful — that He is always just. When I read the first chapter of Romans I constantly get the impression in my mind of those who have chosen an unnatural, same-sex lifestyle as flinging their fists in the face of God and saying that He is wrong!
Look at the first and third line of verse 9.
Psalm 111:9 (NASB 95)
He has sent redemption to His people;
Holy and awesome is His name.
While that author most likely had the redemption of Israel from bondage in Israel in mind, if commentators are correct in understanding that this psalm was written after the Babylonian exile, he may have had that in mind as well.
Of course these acts of physical deliverance point to our spiritual deliverance which was accomplished at the cross of Christ. When
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Time is flying by and we have much more ground to cover. Let’s go back through our text and look at
God’s Ways
God’s Ways
We are to be thankful to God because of His great works, but we are also to be thankful because who He is and the way in which He works. The psalmist informs us that because of God’s great works, we should delight in studying them. Look at verse 2 again.
Great are the works of the Lord;
They are studied by all who delight in them.
Until the advent of modern science, in the past many scientists studied science because of their delight in God. Even now, men such as Ken Ham, who is a dynamic Christian, have given of their lives to study science as a way of delighting in God.
We learn more of God’s ways in verse 3.
Splendid and majestic is His work,
And His righteousness endures forever.
God’s way is righteous. Only God is righteous. Only His way is righteous. If a person is not united with Christ in His death and resurrection then they are unrighteous in the sight of God. But for those who are united with Christ, we are righteous in the sight of God — a righteousness that is not of our own, but is by faith in Christ.
The second line of verse 4 tells us more about God’s ways.
He has made His wonders to be remembered;
The Lord is gracious and compassionate.
This refers back to God’s self revelation to Moses. Aren’t you glad that God is gracious and compassionate? Aren’t you glad that He is slow to anger and abounding in mercy? What more reason do we need to give exuberant thanks unto Him?
Look at the last line of verse 5.
Psalm 111:5 (NASB 95)
He will remember His covenant forever.
God has never forgotten His covenants with Israel and their patriarchs. He has never forgotten a single one of His promises. He always remains faithful, even when His people are faithless.
While this covenant certainly refers to the Mosaic covenant which we have been studying, the same is true of the new covenant, which was ratified in the death of Jesus Christ — our true Passover Lamb.
Not only should we be thankful for God’s works and ways, we should also be thankful for
God’s Word
God’s Word
Look at verses 7-8, beginning with the second line of verse 7.
Psalm 111:7–8 (NASB 95)
All His precepts are sure.
They are upheld forever and ever;
They are performed in truth and uprightness.
There is nothing in this world which is more certain than the Word of God. That is because His Word is a reflection of His character. God, who is mysterious, has chosen to reveal Himself to His people in His Word. His Word provides us with everything which we need for life and godliness in Jesus Christ. David wrote,
The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.
The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether.
They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover, by them Your servant is warned; In keeping them there is great reward.
Our prayer should be that of the psalmist who wrote,
Psalm 119:26–27 (NASB 95)
Teach me Your statutes.
Make me understand the way of Your precepts,
So I will meditate on Your wonders.
So far we have looked at the call, breadth, and reasons for worship. Let’s look now at
The Outcome of Worship
The Outcome of Worship
Note that,
Reverent Worship Produces Wisdom and Understanding
Look at verse 10.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments; His praise endures forever.
This sounds a lot like the words of Solomon which appear in various places in the book of Proverbs. It made me wonder if he was the writer of this psalm, but I couldn’t find any commentator who thought so.
Regarding this verse, Leupold wrote, “Those who are firm in their reverence for the Lord and in their keeping of His commandments will have such experiences of the faithfulness of God as will give them ample occasion to utter the praises of the Lord forever.” (Leupold, pg. 783)
Did you notice that there is a connection between obedience and having a good understanding? John the Baptist equated obedience with faith.
He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
Have you obeyed the Son by believing in Him? Do you have a firm reverence for the thrice Holy God? If you do, then you will experience the faithfulness of God, even during the most harsh persecution of man. So, be sure sure to give Him your exuberant thanks!
Let’s pray.
Father, I pray that those here today who are believers in Jesus Christ would be filled with the knowledge of Your will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding. I pray that we would walk in a manner worthy of being called by Your name, that we would please You in all respects by bearing fruit in every good work, by increasing in our knowledge of You, by being strengthen by Your power which will enable us to endure the testings of this life, by joyously giving thanks to You for having qualified us to receive a share of the inheritance of the saints in light. For You have rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us into the kingdom of Christ.
Lord, I pray for any who are not believers, that You would send conviction and enlightenment. I pray that You would call and draw them to Jesus Christ. I pray that You would destroy any mental strongholds, and remove any obstacles which keep them from embracing Jesus Christ as their Savior.
I pray these things in Jesus name, Amen.
Closing Song: #170
Give Thanks
Give thanks with a grateful heart;
Give thanks to the Holy One;
Give thanks because He’s given Jesus Christ, His Son.
Give thanks with a grateful heart;
Give thanks to the Holy One;
Give thanks because He’s given Jesus Christ, His Son.
And now let the weak say, “I am strong;”
Let the poor say “I am rich,”
Because of what the Lord has done for us.
And now let the weak say, “I am strong;”
Let the poor say “I am rich,”
Because of what the Lord has done for us.
Give thanks.