Remebering God’s Faithfulness
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Sermon Title: Remembering God’s Faithfulness
Scripture: Psalm 103:1-5
Occasion: The Lord’s Day | New Years Eve
Date: December 24, 2023
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Scripture Transitions Sermon Title|Quotes |Emphasis
PRAY
Ephesians 1:2 “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
When you wake up in the morning, do you bless the Lord?
Or is the first thing on your mind and heart, work, social media, worries about the future, regrets of the past, etc.?
Well, the Psalm that we are in today, which I believe is fitting for this New Years eve, shows us that the first move of the heart and mind of God’s people is PRAISE!
Unobstructed, unhurried, unprompted worship of God!
This is the last day of 2023. And as you look back on this year where do you find your heart and mind today?
If not praise of God, then what?
Do you find that the first move of heart is anger at God. Regret? Disappointment?
For some this has been the hardest year of your life, and we mourn with you.
For some this has been the best year of your life and we rejoice with you!
But what God shows us here through the great hymn writer, King David, that despite where you find yourself on this last day of 2023, God has been faithful to you, and remembering that faithfulness with drive you to bless the Lord.
Now the question that arises here is this: Do you see His faithfulness?
If this has been nothing but a burden circumstantially, can you say like the hymn writer Haratio Spafford who wrote “It is well with my soul”,
“My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole
Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, o my soul!”
Or maybe this year you have experienced victories and successes like never before, do you find your soul singing,
“Great things He hath taught me, great things He hath done,
And great my rejoicing through Jesus the Son;
But purer, and higher, and greater will be
My wonder, my transport when Jesus I see.”
Beloved, it is imperative to “Remember God’s Faithfulness.” This of course is the title of my sermon this morning.
If you are going to wake up on January 1st, 2024 blessing God’s Holy name with all is within you, you will need to learn the joyful duty of seeing, savoring, and remembering God’s faithfulness.
So, David, the writer of this Psalm gives us a crash course if you will on how to train yourself to bless the Lord. Yes I said, train!
Context of Psalm 103:
You see, blessing the Lord has become like breathing to David.
Why Do I say that?
There is no mention of any historical circumstances around this psalm.
Many Psalms have headings and context, but this one has nothing. Just “Of David.”
It’s fitting, because God is unraveling here through this Psalm that the praises of God’s people should flow naturally and unprompted.
When you really understand who God is and what He has done for you in Christ, all prompting ceases, and the new song of a believer is thanksgiving and praises to God in any every circumstance.
In this Psalm there is no mention of enemies, or threats.
There are no requests or complaints.
There are no notes of disappointments or lines of sadness- just a pure, unhindered, outburst of praise for God and His work of salvation in His life.
This is an all-in praise as pastor a preacher noted.
It begins with four “alls,” and it ends with four “alls.”
It begins and ends with a very personal call to worship.
The first line, “Bless the Lord, O my soul.”
The last line, “Bless the Lord, O my soul!” And so it begins and ends with a personal call to worship, and in between it traverses the infinite universe to command everyone and everything that exists to praise the Lord, to bless His name, to worship Him.
This psalm is the song of the redeemed.
According to verses 11, 13, and 17, this Psalm is for those who fear the Lord, those who are true worshipers of the Lord; or in Psalm 103:18
to those who keep his covenant and remember to do his commandments.
This is for true worshipers who obey the commandments of God.
This is the new song of the new creature in Christ.
This leads us to our first point this morning, here in verse 1 the Lord calls us, the redeemed, to worship.
Point 1: A Call to Worship
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!
Why does David here call his own soul to worship?
Because he realizes that before God, He is slothful in giving God His rightful praise.
This is a note for all of us.
If the King David needs to stir himself to gratitude, then so do we!
Notice that He says , “Bless the Lord, O MY SOUL”!
This reminds me of 1 Samuel 16:7
1 Samuel 16:7 (ESV)
…For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.”
David is not examining himself before men or comparing himself with other men.
He is examining what no one else but God can see. His SOUL!
And what He notices in his soul, is that it needs to be stirred up to praise God.
This was Jesus’ intention in John 4:23
John 4:23 (ESV)
But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.
God is calling for true worshippers.
A true worshiper examines his soul, and asks the question:
“Am I blessing the Lord with all that is within me?”
True worshippers give thanks to God outwardly and inwardly.
There are many who give God lip service. Who give God money out of their excess. Who serve to be seen by men.
But what David is teaching here is that we must not only worship God outwardly but we must worship him with all that is within us.
Before God are you giving him all of your worship?
You heart?
Your mind?
Your body?
Your affections?
There are no true half-hearted worshippers.
God is calling for christians who are ready to engage in full-time praise and leave behind part-time window gazing.
Here is what I mean by part-time window gazing.
Do you ever walk by the store and see something that captures your attention?
You talk about it, you praise the thing, but what happens next? You don’t love it enough to go in and purchase it. To possess it.
The Lord is calling for those who repent in believe in His Son. Who by faith will follow Him.
Who by faith will make him the greatest possession and purpose one has in life.
He is calling christians to be full-time worship followers and worship leaders.
When you wake up in the morning, you must stir your heart to worship, you must lead yourself in worship.
It’s vital that you do, why? So that you can lead others in worship, such as
Your family.
Your friends.
Your Church.
Your co-workers.
The Lord is calling us to be full-time worship followers and worship-leaders.
David then goes on to instruct us that true worship starts with knowing who God is.
The Lord is calling us to be full-time worship followers and worship-leaders.
Psalm 103:1 (ESV)
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!
Friends, how can you worship a God you don’t know?
We live in a current evangelical culture that tells that we can and must divorce our minds from our hearts and our emotions.
They make worship out to be an experience that is void of truth about who God is.
Sadly, many are worshipping themselves on Sunday morning, and not the Holy one, the great I AM that is here in our text.
A pastor/theologian (John MacArthur) once said this about this text:
That’s where worship starts. And the cry in the soul to the soul is only as loud as one’s knowledge of God. It’s only as compelling as one’s holiness. If you don’t know much about God it’s a very small voice that calls you in your own heart to bless the Lord. Or if your life is cluttered with transgression and sin and iniquity, you’re really going to find it very difficult to call on your soul to worship the Lord. This is from the soul that has a deep knowledge of God and a love for what is holy and pure.
The psalmist here stirs his soul to deeper depths by recalling and praise Yahweh the covenant keeping God.
Yahweh is the only divine name that appears here in this Psalm.
This is God’s covenant name for His people.
This is God’s own name.
This is not a descriptive name, but His name: I AM.
It is the worship of the I AM, the one true and living God, the one who eternally exists, who never had a beginning, who never has an ending.
He is alone is absolute reality; all other reality He created.
He is constant, independent, sovereign.
He is truth; He is love; He is light; He is life; He is beauty; He is perfection; He is holiness; He is joy; He is everything.
So He alone is worthy of worship.
This is Yahweh, and He is also the Lord Jesus Christ.
Do you know this God?
Do you know this Jesus?
Knowing who God is causes us to respond.
That is why we come in on Sunday morning, and we read a call to worship out of His Word.
So that we can fix our eyes on Him.
Once we see him, we respond in what? WORSHIP! WORSHIP!
This is the only proper response isn't it?
Knowing who God is not only causes a response but it demands a response.
Once you get a glimpse of the Holy One.
The one who is absolutely perfect.
Who created you.
Who created all that exists.
Who holds up the universe by the word of His power.
When you truly see God for who He is, then and only then will you truly see yourself for who you really are.
He’s creator. You are His beloved creation. His image bearer.
He’s so big.
You’re so small.
He is perfect.
You fall short of His glory.
And the sheer vastness and holiness of God alone should bring us to your knees in total praise.
Recalling his holiness is more than enough to prompt us to worship him.
But, the sad reality is that many need a song, or a mood, or lights turned down to worship God.
But David says, I don’t need anything but recalling who God is to prompt me to praise and thanksgiving.
So, before God’s holiness you will either praise his name or profane his name.
We see examples in the NT about this.
But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”
Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life,
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
“For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?”
“Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?”
For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
We don’t just see praise in the NT but we also see profanity.
Romans 1:21–22 (ESV)
For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Claiming to be wise, they became fools,
and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.”
Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’?
If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be broken—
do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?
If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me;
but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”
There are two ways we can profane who God is based on these verses:
We can look around at creation and instead of giving God his rightful praise as creator you credit all that you see to creation. You profane God’s name by not giving him his rightful glory.
Is by rejecting the gospel. By rejecting Jesus Christ as the great I AM. As Yahweh. As the only God, sent to save you from your sins.
Jesus is God, the second person of the trinity, who was sent to earth, to be born of a virgin, to uphold God’s perfect law for you and me, and to become our substitute on the cross to take on the payment which is death for transgressing our Holy God and His law.
There is no higher blasphemy or profanity that rejecting Jesus the Son of God.
Rejection of Christ is what condemns men.
Remember the words of John 3:16-18
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name!
David not only gives us a behind the scenes look at his worship of God in verse 1, but in verse 2, He gives us great insight as to HOW we can begin to have a lifestyle of total praise in 2024.
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,
POINT 2: A LIFE FRAUGHT WITH PRAISE REMEMBERS GOD’S GOODNESS AND FAITHFULNESS
A theologian (John Calvin) says about this verse:
Commentary on the Book of Psalms (Psalm 103)
Here [DAVID] instructs us that God is not deficient on his part in furnishing us with abundant matter for praising him. It is our own ingratitude which hinders us from engaging in this exercise. In the first place, he teaches us that the reason why God deals with such liberality towards us is, that we may be led to celebrate his praise; but at the same time he condemns our inconstancy, which hurries us away to any other object rather than to God.
So David is commanding believers here to NOT FORGET!
So it begs the question, at least for me, what happens if we do forget?
Well, we don’t have to wonder, Deut. 8:11-20 tells us,
Deuteronomy 8:11–20 (ESV)
“Take care lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today,
lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them,
and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied,
then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery,
who led you through the great and terrifying wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions and thirsty ground where there was no water, who brought you water out of the flinty rock,
who fed you in the wilderness with manna that your fathers did not know, that he might humble you and test you, to do you good in the end.
Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’
You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.
And if you forget the Lord your God and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I solemnly warn you today that you shall surely perish.
Like the nations that the Lord makes to perish before you, so shall you perish, because you would not obey the voice of the Lord your God.
Friends, remembering is serious business.
There have been many who have perished at the foot of forgetfulness.
Friends, remembering is serious business.
David’s implication here in verse 2 is that we are a forgetful people.
I don’t have to spend much time on that, because most of us know we are forgetful.
Most of us have already forgotten what I have preached thus far, and that is why we spend time placing our sermons online.
But the reality is that, because of our sin nature, because of our decaying bodies, remembering does not came natural to us.
So what does David teach us here in verse 2?
He teaches us that remembering is a spiritual disciples that we must practice and exercise in our christian lives.
This reminds me of my five year old son, Leo, who has taken an interest with Hockey. He eat, sleeps, and breaths hockey. (elaborate shortly)
He practices hockey so much that it has become a lifestyle for him.
So I began to think this week, if we do not practice remembering God’s goodness and faithfulness to us, it will never become a regular rhythm of our lives.
Remembering God and His faithfulness is a spiritual discipline that calls us our slothful and often times praise-less hearts and minds, into the action of All-in Praise and Worship.
Recalling God and His faithfulness is God’s medicine for ingratitude that is too often hidden and exposed in our hearts.
You have an ungrateful heart today, christian? FORGET NOT HIS BENEFITS!
As you look back at 2023, is all that you see failure and disappointment? FORGET NOT HIS BENEFITS!
You may find yourself down cast today, hurting and riddles with pain due to loss or sickness, the Lord lifts up your chin, and says,
“look at me, Remember how I have been good to you. how I have upheld you. How I have walked with you. How I have stregthen you. How I hav shown yo myself in ways other may never see on this side of heaven.”
Recalling God’s benefits doesn't just help us fight ingratitude but it also helps us to press forward in hope.
We had a leadership retreat this year in Georgia with our elders and deacons. It was such a blessing to spend time together, pray together, and enjoy each-others fellowship.
But in this cabin, there was a library of books, that our deacon, Craig Finlay found his way to. He took a book and began to read it on the trip.
And in the book there was a section on celebrating wins. And essentially the book said, if your church or workplace does not celebrate win it will never become the culture of that place.
That really struck me. The Lord used that to convict me to begin to think more intentionally on how e can begin as a Church to not only remember God’s faithfulness and work around us, but to find ways to share it with our Church and others.
Recall God’s faithfulness this year:
13 Baptisms!
122 New Guests!
39 Professions of Faith!
7 New Members!
Freeway (Traie and Savanna/ 125 people/ Got into the jail/prison)
Family Advocacy (wrapped around 1 family)
Biblical Counseling (books, conference, leadership training)
Spanish ministry 2 fellowships
Students bible study, Conference 5 children
Young adults (consistent monthly meeting)
RCS Kids- Double classroom size. Added nursery. First children baptized. God raising up Jess.
Worship - Raising up Chris and Andrew to come along side Ashley.
We preached through 3 1/2 chapters of Romans. Taught through Judges, Malachi.
Discipleship intensive- Finished systematic theology and started spiritual disciplines. Men finished 1 John. Women finished Hosea.
Our Church gave so faithfully this year, helping us to end in a surplus. Best part is that we did a ton of ministry without any debt. Praise God!
First Womens and mens conference with over 120 people in attendance representing 13 local Churches.
Our pastoral Residency we added Zachary Seigman and Traie Odom. Through that residency then men have been able to preach, create content for Sunday school and children's ministry.
AND THERE IS SO MUCH OTHER VITAL PERSONAL MINISTRY THAT IS NOT QUANTIFIABLE THAT NO ONE WILL EVER SEE OR HERE ABOUT THAT MATTERS SO MUCH TO GOD!
(PAUSE)
The goal is not to boast in our Church, the goal is to boast in God (give him glory!), and as it relates to our text, the goal is to encourage our people to remember all that God is done among us.
And our prayer is that as we remember God’s goodness toward us, as we recall his faithfulness in the past, God will use his own goodness and faithfulness to keep us pressing forward in His Work with hope.
I have found that as I forget to recall God’s faithfulness in ministry, my hearts become ungrateful, it becomes unsatisfied, it becomes critical, and it becomes weary.
It’s in those moments, the Psalmist, David, is exhorting us to stir everything to Praise God by way of remembering all that He has done for us!
That faithfulness will bb the fuel to keep us moving forward.
Now, the final point:
David calls his heart worship.
He teach us how to stir our own hearts to worship (remembering God’s faithfulness).
But lastly, David instructs us, when life all around us gives way, when it feels like there is no goodness of God all around us circumstantially, when it seems like there is no reason to praise God; He teaches us the secret to a heart that can praise God in every season:
Here are the 5 Benefits that keep our faith in perpetual praise no matte what may come our way!
who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
The first benefit to remember is seasons of praise droughts is our salvation.
Recall that at one point life we were spiritually dead and heading towards hell, and God saved us, He forgave us, and He gave us a new relationship.
We went from enemies to friends.
We went from orphans to children.
We went from profaners to praisers.
As you look at ahead to 2024, the greatest resolution you can make today is to not forgot who God has done for you in Christ!
Recalling your salvation will help you fight depression and disappointment.
Don’t just remember your salvation, remember that God is healing all your diseases.
Now one might look at this at first and assume that David is talking about physical diseases, but he is actually talking about the spiritual diseases that Jesus heals us of as a result of being new creations in Christ.
In other words, because of our salvation, God causes us to to be born again, we are new creations that are experiencing the work of the Holy Spirit in us, that is killing of the old man, and making us like the God-Man Jesus Christ.
David here is saying, a glorious thing: Jesus is healing us and restoring us from the inside out.
The old man is being fleshed out every day.
The lust, the anger, the impatience, the addiction, day-by-day, is ridding us of our old desires and healing our spiritual diseases. (C.F. Gal. 5:19-26)
And one day, he will..
Redeem our lives from the pit (from the grave)! (v4)
In other words, redemption is connected to resurrection.
Justification is connected to glorification.
As christian writer posts everyday on his twitter:
“We are one day closer to heaven, christians.”
We are one day closer to having our redeemed bodies and live in our restored creation without sin our death!
O, that we would practice recalling our redemption and resurrection that awaits all those who love God.
For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison,
1 Corinthians 2:9 (ESV)
“ no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”—
Only those gloomy days ahead, Remember his benefits, beloved.
The christians must also recall this 4th benefit of God
(v4b) God crowns his beloved with steadfast love and mercy.
David is referring to God’s covenant to his people. His commitment to his people.
In other words, remember on those days that you feel you have failed God, that you have broken His commandments, that you have fallen short of His glory, that you feel that God doesn't love you anymore, that you somehow pushed God away, that He has rejected you s His child, that He has left you;
REMEMBER that His covenant love ad mercy, and faithfulness is not based on your commitment to God but His commitment to you!
if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself.
For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers,
nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the Lord your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”
Once crowned always crowned friends. The reason that this is true is because God is the one who chooses us from the foundation of the world. And once God sets his love on us, nothing can stop him from loving us!
We are children and thus we are crowned heirs.
There is so much here to rejoice about.
And this rejoicing will go on around the thrown for all eternity.
And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever,
the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”
The crowns that Christ has crowned us with will be one day be the fullest expression of our gratitude towards Jesus in heaven!
Now for the final benefit, v5.
who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
I will keep it simple with this final benefit:
Satisfaction in Christ is knowing that whatever we have and wherever we are in life is God’s absolute best for us!
Once we wrap our hearts and minds around this reality, we will inwardly to be strong and resilient in our faith.
Friends, wherever you find yourself today, with whatever you find yourself with today; do you know that it’s God’s gracious and loving providence for you:
Every storm you faced this year and will face next year.
Every victory you are celebrating this year and will celebrate next year.
Everything in your possession today or lack there of.
Where you find yourself in life is not by chance or accident.
For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
God is daily bestowing goodness in our lives with his infinite wisdom
This goodness might not be who you want or deem goodness, but in God’s infinite wisdom this is the very best for you.
God’s gracious providences this year in your life will make you stronger in your faith.
This is the implication of v 5b
Psalm 103:5 (ESV)
who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
God is daily bestowing goodness in our lives with his infinite wisdom.
His good providences in your life is the medicine that makes you an unshakeable and mighty Christian.
You might appear weak to the world.
You might not have what everyone else has.
But inside God is working a hope in you that is unfathomable.
Your weakness is giving way to His strength.
Your lack is giving way to His all-satisfying provision.
As the apostle Paul once wrote in Philippians 4:11-13
Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content.
I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need.
I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
Verse 5 is tellling us that only christians, though we age like everyone else, never lose our strength. We never lose our pprupose.
Though we are getting older.
Though we can’t do what we use to do.
We still press on.
Christians of all people have purpose to the very end of their lives.
Culture does away with the elderly.
Culture does away with those with ailments and disease.
But not Christ.
Christ give us purpose to the very end.
And he provides the strength to continue on with our purpose until our last breath.
The cross reference of course here is Isaiah 40:31
but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.
Conclusion:
So what then is our purpose?
To Bless Him.
To Bless His Name.
To glorify Him.
Or as the Westminister Shorter catechism states:
What is the chief end of man?
Answer: Man’s chief end is to glorify God,(1) and to enjoy him for ever.(2)
How do we do that:
By daily stirring up our own hearts to worship.
Remembering who God is.
Lastly, by remembering His benefits.
That’s what we are going to do today:
Remember Him.
Remember His benefits.
We will do that through intentional prayer and of course at the Lord’s table, which is all about remembrance.
PRAY