Psalm 103

Good Evening, PLease turn with me in your Bibles this evening to . Before we get started I want to speak a saying that you all have heard before whether it is in song or from the word of God you have heard this phrase before.

BLESS THE LORD, OH MY SOUL

AND ALL THAT IS WITHIN ME, BLESS HIS HOLY NAME!

BLESS THE LORD, OH MY SOUL,

AND FORGET NOT ALL HIS BENEFITS

Now let me just say ok right now you’ve given your life to Jesus you want to live for the Son of God and you believe there is great benefit in living for Him, WHAT ARE THOSE BENEFITS.

I mean what difference does it make?

I mean all I do is preach three times a week, I have three small groups going on right now, I counsel several on a weekly basis, I try to keep my finger on the pulse of our church, the best I can but really what are the benefits?

I mean your out giving your life away to JEsus and is He really worth giving your life for. I know you will say well of course but really what are the practical benefits of giving your life away in the service of Jesus?

SOme people will occasionally say you can talk about living for Jesus but the bottom line is I’ve tried that...

GK CHESTERTON said it’s not that the Christian life has been tried and found lacking, its just never really been tried. I mean totally committed and sold out to Him.

So I want you to look in your Bibles and what were gonna do… When the psalmist wrote this psalm its like he just held his hand up and just started here and just walked across and he talks about five major benefits of knowing the Lord.

Its a text that really does magnify the reality of praising God with every fiber of your being. I’ll just be honest I have been in the faith now since 2005 so wouldnt you agree that I’ve had time to get over Jesus if there wasnt nothing to it?

I mean really if this Christianity was just a phase Iw as going through dont you think I would have hit the wall by now?

God got hold of me and never has let me go amen and I pray He never does. I pray that I never get over Jesus. This morning in my quiet time I was meditating on the wonderful work of the Holy Spirit the Parakletos that has come to walk with me and talk with me to guide me to lead me.

Oh and by the way the Holy Spirit is the only One that can make much of Jesus! So its the Holy Spirit within us that really magnifies the Son of God.

So the other day I was sitting in a waiting room and I was reading my Bible. there was a man who walked up and said so uh are you like a teacher of that book?

I said yes sir I teach it some.

He said I would have trouble teaching a book with so many errors in it. So I just thought this is going to be interesting but this is going to be fun, and so I just said well were both sitting here you wanna talk about some of these errors?

He said “Well I cant think of any of em right now”

I said “I’m telling you I’ve never read a book that so radically spoke into my life and had such life in it as the Bible”. I was waiting for his response and he wasnt giving one so I said you know I was reading just the other day and the Bible says that the righteous man walks in His integrity and his children are blessed after him.

He said “SAY THAT AGAIN” it kind of drew him in, I said “The righteous man walks in his integrity and his children are blessed after him.”

He reached in his pocket and pulled something out and said say it slower.... he was writing it down. He said “Who wrote that, I said Solomon”

He said “Whats his last name”

I said “man I dont know”

I really dont understand why people want to be so bored in a relationship with God I love to engage people about Jesus. Its a ball! Let me tell you something if someone knows you’ve been changed by the Son of God They are in hopes that you’ll talk to em!

So we have times where we feel fearful to talk to someone about Jesus the older I get i am becoming the opposite I want to talk to them.

I normally carry something like this around with me it has the plan of salvation and its real easy to follow, and I handed it to him as I was about to leave and the guy sitting next to him said “Have you got another one of those?

So I’m pumped!

I really believe that’s the only reason God has kept me alive! Matter of fact I believe its the only reason I am here, matter of fact I dont believe I was just made BY GOD I believe I was made FOR GOD!

I’m here for Him, It’s what we sing about our great God!

Psalm 103:1–5 HCSB

My soul, praise Yahweh, and all that is within me, praise His holy name. My soul, praise the Lord, and do not forget all His benefits. He forgives all your sin; He heals all your diseases. He redeems your life from the Pit; He crowns you with faithful love and compassion. He satisfies you with goodness; your youth is renewed like the eagle.

(Let’s pray)

The reality of this passage is that the psalmist is in prayer and through the whole chapter of psalm 103 he does not make one single personal request. Now I dont know what your prayer life is like but I wanna ask you a question....

How long are you in the Fathers presence before you begin to ask. I’ll use myself, I love to come into His presence but its not long before I begin to ask Him for things interceding for someone else, to ask for something I need help with.

David started with individual praise, moved to personal praise, and then ended with national praise.

The plamist is reminding us not to forget the blessings after we have recieved and enjoyed them. This has been called Davids hallelujiah chorus. Its called a envelope psalm. Envelope because it begins with bless the Lord and it ends with bless the Lord.

Davids thoughts sore toward Heaven as he thinks about the praise He owes God and the benefits that he recieves from GOd.

It reminds me of the chorus we sang “When I think about the Lord, how he saved me how he raised me how He filled me with the Holy Ghost how He healed me to the uttermost, it makes me wanna shout.

The psalmist is thinking about the goodness of God and it makes Him wanna shout, you see David begins this psalms with praise by reminding himself to bless the Lord and bless His name with his entire being.

This psalms has been referred to as a transcendant prayer, what does that mean? It means the psalmist has risen above his own self, and he is encouraging his own sluggish soul to wroship. He feels like he doesnt have the gratitude and praise that he ought to so he is talking to himself!

I dont know why you would think that is strange I talk to myself, my granny always said that was fine until you start answering yourself. I study God’s word and then when I go exercize I talk to God about what I learned and then I talk to myself about whether I am behaving what I claim to believe.

So the psalmist is rising above himself, I dont know if youve heard of transcendant singing, or transcendant preaching. I’m telling you there are some times when it feels like you are just above yourself looking down and watching God use you.

Every now and then I say things that I’ve never thought about before, sometimes I get so impressed with what God has given myself I stop and amen myself!

So I can have a good time, so I dont need you to help me, if you do help me itll help but if you dont help me I’ll help me!

So he’s in this prayer and he is seeking to arouse himself to the proper worship of God, so he confronts himself with the duty of his own sluggish soul to worship.

Have you ever gone to church when you didnt wanna be at church? But let me ask you this? Have you ever left worship when youve been at worship but you didnt wanna be at worship btu when you left you said I THANK GOD I CAME TO WORSHIP!

In other words you didnt wanna come but after you left you knew God had ministered to you, and he woke your soul up to who he is.

Thats whats happening here.

Foundational

Psalm 103:3 ESV

who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,

He forgives all your iniquity- the word is only used in terms of forgiveness of sinners.

He uses the word iniquity. It’s amazing the psalmist he always uses three words he will talk about his sin against God, His trespass against God and his iniquity against God.

When you talk about sin it really means you’ve missed the mark. The Bibles says ALL HAVE SINNED AND COME SHORT OF THE GLORY OF GOD.

It means we missed the mark, thats why we all need our sins forgiven. When the Bible speaks of transgressions, it speaks of God as a judge and lawgiver. God gave a law and every sinner has broke the law.

Every sinner at some point in their life has overstepped God’s boundary as a result were guilty, there are none who are not guilty we are all guilty.

But then the Bible in this passage uses the word iniquity which pictures sin as something twisted or distorted. It speaks of an engrained perversity. All the wickedness of our being, we were concieved in sin, in the womb.

Now we have done child dedication here at Union Hill, where parents will stand up and say that they committ to raise this child in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. But only a couple of times people have said you know one day I understand that our child will one day grow up and they will be a sinner but your gonna have a hard time convincing me that they are sinners right now.

Somebody says well what do you say.... you dont have to do anything just give em a couple weeks, they’ll come back and they pastor you know what this little boy is a sinner matter of fact do you perform exorcisms I think he has a demon!

I have often wondered why cant a child scream in a normal voice, I mean they scream as loud as they possibly can, because they want some attention. If someone doesnt correct them then one day they will grow up and become your youth pastor and act the same way…

Forgiveness is the foundation of our fellowship, now listen to me carefully In the name of Jesus Christ you cannot be in relationship with God the father unless your sins have been forgiven. So it cals always for the repentance from our sins and the forgiveness that promises God’s cleansing and God’s forgiveness.

When the Bibles uses the word forgiveness that word means taking them away and putting them somewhere else. I had a parent who would not let their child be baptized she called when I was the youth pastor and she said are the youth pastor I said yes mam, she said I got an issue with you.

My daughter came home after going to church one time and told me herr sins are forgiven and thats not how it works how can you tell me after all the bad shes done that her sins have been forgiven?

Well the Bible says repeatedly that when you cry out on the name of Jesus and recieve HIs salvation thats it you are washed in the blood of CHrist.

Then God takes you sins and puts them somewhere else but that begs the question if God takes my sins away where did He put em?

Well

Psalm 103:10 ESV

He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities.

Heres the question If god has not dealt with us according to my sins then who did God deal with. God dealt with JEsus, you see the cross is where Jesus recieved the wrath of God the justful punishment that I deserved for my sins, JESUS RECIEVED IT FOR ME

So its not that I am going to heaven because I am better than somebody else I am going to Heaven because I am forgiven because I acknowledge that God poured what I deserved out on His only Son!

He took it away from me and placed it on JEsus, and he did it for me and everyone who has placed their faith in Jesus Christ. So somebody will say well Im just gone take my chances I’ve lived a pretty good life, I’m telling you, you dont have a chance!

The Bible teaches that you have been forgiven of your sins, but how many times every now and then the enemy will accuse you and make you feel like you have never really been forgiven.

Accuser of the brethren, we know that there was a time when Satan would go into God’s presence and accuse God’s children of wrongdoing.

We certainly see him in the book of job and Satan is there before almighty God and God brings Job up, he says hey your always out there looking for somebody to trip up have you considered my servant Job?

Then it starts there, but I had a thought...

The Bible says in that the devil is a liar and He has been a liar since the beginning. it leads us to believe that if there is a lie that it originates with the devil himself. He is a liar and he is the father of all lies.

But I came up with a thought “If he ever tells the truth, he tells the truth when he accuses us before the father. Why would he lie?

Why would the devil say hey uh god did you see how Kyle Johnson acted today? Let me just go ahead and settle it if he follows me long enough he can find plenty of things that arent perfect.

If he goes before the father and he brings anaccusation what do you think JEsus says?

John Phillips said this He doesnt say a word He just raises His hands....

(explain)

Restoration

Psalm 103:3 ESV

who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,

Now I want to reiterate something the believers body will not be completely healed on this Earth until the resurrection and the second coming of Jesus Christ.

Now does God heal, sometimes He does and sometimes He doesnt, so somebody will say I DONT UNDERSTAND WHY GOD DIDN’T HEAL, listen to me I don’t understand why sometimes He does....

So its a mystery of mystery, let me ask you a question, has anybody in this room EVER BEEN SICK?

did you get better? Thats a benefit

So the phrase speaks of the length between the forgiveness and the healing. So the Healing is part of the blessing in salvation in the sense that Jesus magnifies it in the gospels to explain it.

speaks about how Jesus went through the cities and the sea cost and heres what it says

Luke 6:17–19 ESV

And he came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came out from him and healed them all.

Jesus doesn’t just want to forgive you Jesus wants you free, so the soul has its diseases, some of you still deal with guilt, some of you still have fears, some of you have struggled your whole Christian life with doubts.

Others of you have dealt with depression. Anger

Redemption

WHo REDEEMS YOUR LIFE FROM DESTRUCTION OR THE PIT

Remember that old song, where would I be but for the Lord and you know what you cant answer that!

(The wreck)

GOD AVED MY LIFE FROM DESTRUCTION

LISTEN HE DIDNT JUST REDEEM MY SOUL, HE SAVED ME FROM MYSELF!

(Wedding)

I’ve not just been bought I’ve been brought!

People will ask me from time to time do you believe that God is Soverign in Salvation?

Absolutely I wasn’t looking for God I’d a been dead i would have ignored the gospel but God pursued me, and i dont believe theres a person on this Earth even if God knows already that they will reject Him THERE IS NOT A SOUL ON THIS EARTH THAT GOD DOESNT PURSUE!

God is not just soverign in salvation, but God is Soverign in sanctification. God did not just save me from my sin God has saved me from things that I wouldnt have saved myself from.

Theres times since I have been saved these feet would have lead me somewhere and I didnt end up going there and its not that I didnt wanna go there but GOD STOPPED ME HE ORDERS YOUR STEPS AND HE ORDERS YOUR STOPS.

He brought me out so that He might bring me in.

God saved me from a life of destruction, only God knows where I would be if He had not stepped in and saved me!

BLESS THE LORD OH MY SOUL!

Compasssion

Psalm 103:4 ESV

who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,

Psalm 103:

You are a joint heir with JEsus CHrist. Heres what God is saying, Dale I dont just want you to know what I have done for you here I want you to grasp what I am going to continue to do for you all throughout eternity.

I mean the JEsus life is awesome.

Psalm 8:5 ESV

Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.

God shared his glory with us can you imagine that?

If its His he wants you in on it as well.

Satisfaction

Psalm 103:5 ESV

who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

Who satisfies our mouth with good things, what do you mean satisfies your mouth, thats not there. Nope not in the English but it is in the Hebrew. The word mouth in the Hebrew translates old age or duration of years.

Who satisfies your old age your duration of years, so that no matter how old you become god satisfies the needs of your life and the spiritual desires of your heart.

(Moulting)

He is talking about the m

A Mother Eagle will go and build a nest up on the highest point on a mountain. Because she knows a baby is coming, and she will go and kill and rabbit or squirrel so she can skin them and take the fir so she can use them to make the nest comfrotable for the little eaglets comfortable.

So they like it, and they finally come and they are thinking man what a pad, and she goes out and finds worms crickets and lizards and she comes back and all they gotta do is sit in that plush rabbit fur up on that high peak with fresh air and mamma just comes and drops worms in their mouth.

They got it made

But then there comes the day innate within the Eagle the ability to know when its time for those babies to leave home. The mother goes and she starts tearing the fur out, now the nest is just sticks and them babies are thinking this aint cool

Its really uncomfortable and they want out but when they look down they say I aint going down there. Then she quits feedin them, she flies up one day and tips the nest.

Then all of a sudden (flapping) ahh and they never return to the nest.

Thats the baby but then theres mamma, when mamm was yonger you know what she did? She looked for storms why?

Eagles fly into storm and allow the wind in the storm to take them above the storm… thats good right there.

But its true so the Ealge loves the storm, they have studied these Eagles and you know what they do when they are older?

find a low solitary place normally near a cool spring and they just walk down there and live down there. and as they observed them look what they noticed they call it the moulting process they begin to lose wings and God gives them new wings.

Its like a second wind, wait a minute you know this verse but youve never tied it in with it.

Isaiah 40:31 ESV

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.

So the believer is strengthened by the Lord een in their old age and they are able to soar like the Eagles