Sermon Tone Analysis
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Many NT references identify thankfulness as a distinctly Christian trait.
(Col 3:15, 17; Eph 5:17-21; Php 4:6-7)
the parallel passage from Ephesians
among Paul’s final instructions in his first letter to the Thessalonian church
when dealing with conflict in the Philippian church,
Of all the people in the world Christians should be the most thankful!
Ps 107 is a call to thankfulness because of God’s mercy and grace to those he has redeemed
giving thanks or offering thanksgiving occurs 6x in this Psalm
written for Israel after being delivered by God out of captivity
Ps 107 contains 4 illustrations of God’s redemption
1st, God’s redemption is for those who are lost
2nd, God’s redemption is for those who are imprisoned and enslaved
3rd, God’s redemption is for those who are sick and on the brink of death
4th, God’s redemption is for those who are in a life threatening storm
each is a picture God’s saving grace
each shows how he rescued his people, and how he continues to rescue repentant sinners
John MacArthur divides each picture into 4 parts: Their Plight, Their Petition, Their Pardon, Their Praise
each provides a picture of the kinds of situations sinners find themselves in
each provides a picture of God’s willingness and power to rescue and deliver
The Lost
This is the sinner wandering with no direction, restless, hungry, thirsty, desperate for safety and security.
looking for satisfaction but never finding it
looking for security and protection, fellowship, safety
Their Plight
a picture of the Israelites wandering for 40 yrs in the wilderness under the judgment of God where a whole generation died
also describes any lost sinner, wandering aimlessly, struggling to find satisfaction, lasting joy and contentment and never finding it
they are wandering the trackless desert of sin, hopelessly pursuing the dead-end promises of the world, their flesh and the devil
They are perishing in that wilderness, looking to satisfy their hunger and thirst.
Their Petition
Ps 107:6a Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
Israel cried out to God over and over again in her trouble and trial and the Lord heard them
they confessed their sin, they admitted their failure and God graciously responded
they are an illustration of sinners who recognize their lostness, their hunger, their thirst and that the world does not have the answers
they see the futility of their lives going from thrill to thrill, from job to job, from relationship to relationship, from marriage to marriage, from thing to thing, from experience to experience
in their futile efforts to find lasting contentment they finally realize they need God!
They come to understand that only God can satisfy their deepest longings.
so they cry out to him in their lostness and hunger and thirst
they turn to God as the king of a glorious city where there is an abundance of food and water and shelter and peace and security and fellowship
how does God respond to their cry?
Their Pardon
Ps 107:6b-7 … and he delivered them from their distress.
7 He led them by a straight way till they reached a city to dwell in.
when the Israelites cried out to God he answered
though their situation seemed hopeless they were redeemed
so too, when the lost sinner cries out to God he answers
this is all about God’s lovingkindness
there is no working to earn God’s favour, no trying to straighten out their life
all they did was cry out to God in their trouble
they are nothing, they bring nothing, they have nothing to offer
all they said was, “I am desperate, please save me!”
God responds with pardon and that is grace.
unmerited, unearned, undeserved kindness
and it says in v.7 that God led them by a straight way
this means that it was a good road, without twist and turns and detours, a road without steep mountain passes or treacherous ravines
reminds us of Jesus’ words in
when the sinner receives such a glorious pardon what is their response?
Their Praise
we were hungry and thirsty in the barren land of sin, we were lost, we didn’t know where to turn, we had no direction, no hope of finding our own way
We cried out to God and he gave us everything we needed!
and what is our response but to give thanks for God’s amazing grace!
what is that place of peace and safety and provision and refuge?
it is heaven and eternal life
We are on the road to heaven with the sure and certain hope of eternal life.
(Rev 21:4)
listen to how it’s described in Rev 21:4
though we haven’t yet reached that place God has given us all the help and the resources we need to ensure that we get there
The Prisoner
Their Plight
a prisoner in a dungeon waiting to be put to death
darkness: there’s no light
shadow of death: they are about to be executed
affliction: they are being tormented
irons: they are chained up
why are they in such a terrible place?
because they rebelled against God they were given into the hands of their enemies and made captives
rebellion against God was a sin that Israel committed against God over and over again
This is also a poignant picture of sinners experiencing the misery of their rebellion against God.
they’ve rebelled, they’ve disobeyed, they’ve disregarded God’s Word and as a result they find themselves enslaved to all kinds of wretched passions and desires
chained to their sins, they cannot see the light of freedom, they are tormented by the consequences of their foolish choices
life is very hard and hopeless (Job 14:1)
All who reject God will find out that this is what a life without him is like either in this life or the next.
no matter how hard he tries to be his own master and the captain of his own ship he will never find the freedom and joy he is desperately seeking
enslaved to lusts and passions they become their chains and their tormentors, always promising and never delivering
all the enslaved sinner has to look forward to is death
in that condition we come to the Petition
Their Petition
this is where every slave of sin must come
Ps 107:13a Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble,
In their hopelessness with only the prospect of death they have nowhere else to turn but to the Lord!
Their Pardon
Ps 107:13b-14 and he delivered them from their distress.
14 He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and burst their bonds apart.
this is pure grace!
this person had nothing left but a wrecked life!
at the command of the Redeemer the prisoner’s chains fell off, they’re brought out of their prison into the light, they’re freed from his torment
God does all this in spite of all that the sinner had done against him
this was the subject of Isaiah’s prophecy about Jesus in Isa 42:6-7
God is ready, willing and able to set any prisoner free who will cry out to him!
(Isa 42:6-7)
he does it for no other reason than that they ask!
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