A Blast From The Past Pt 1

PSALM 116: 1-8              “A BLAST FROM THE PAST PT.1”

INTRO:  TALK ABOUT  STOPPING AT BOB’S MARATHON STATION

                (AS I LISTEN TO THE SONGS, I TRY TO REMEMBER WHAT I WAS DOING DURING THAT TIME. (SOMETIMES GOOD, BAD, JOY, PAIN)

Why should I remember : Some folk have a problem remembering the past because of the pain, hurt involved, but we should always remember the past in order to help us in the present. In fact, whenever you feel thankless, that is a perfect time to remember the past..

( It’s alright to remember the past as long as God gets the glory in your reflection. (talk about Paul,  “ Forgetting those things”,  but you see, we should forget the things that we have done, not what God has done for us!  ( ill: GPS system: Global positioning system specializes in taking you where you are in order to get you to where you need to be. Usually, it is not a standard feature. But I want to talk about another GPS system, (God’s positioning system. This system can tell you where you are and tells you where you need to be, but this system also tells you where you been. This feature comes standard with all new believers, (Holy Spirit) you don’t have to pay a dime, because Jesus paid it all.

(ill: I have a dual system in my car CD/cassette deck. I enjoy the clearness/crispness of the CD player, but I prefer the convenience of the cassette player. If I need to hear something again, I can just push rewind! ( you got to remember!

This is what we find in our text today, the psalmist is remembering what God had done for him!

I)                   THE REASONING FOR THANKSGIVING

1)      The psalmist records for us in great detail why we should be thankful to God for what he has done for us. In fact, the psalmist is not ashamed to talk about his past.

2)      There are basically three reasons he gives for thanking God for what he has done for him:

a)      God reached out to him when he was in trouble. (vs. 1) (God heard me and inclined himself to me.) (it is one thing to hear me, but to do something about my situation is another thing. (God bended/stooped down from his place in glory to meet our needs.) ( Can you remember a time when you were in trouble and God reached out for you?

b)      Check out the resume of trouble the psalmist was in. (in one sentence, he describes a lifetime of trouble.

1)      sorrows/pains: meth: it is taken from a term where cruel creditors tie-up their debtors so they cannot get loose or free. Urbanize: it is the feeling one gets when the creditor calls but you do not have the money to pay  (sometimes in life, no matter what we try to do, it seems like we just can’t break free.)

2)      Death surrounded me. (compassed me:  paints of picture of bees swarming) ( everywhere he turned was death, it was not few, but many!)

3)      Pain: in the original meaning, pain meant tying sacks together with debris. In this case, the sacks had stones, my enemies, and hard times tied up together. These attributes aggravated the misery he was in

4)      Hell/Sheol: It is the Old Testament word for hell and the grave. Used here to signify the word craving. (the grave is always craving, but never satisfied.)

5)      Laid hold of me and I found:  It states that the psalmist had found trouble and sorrows. (looking back over my life, I remember looking for trouble) But this phrase in the original language turns this phrase around and says that trouble was looking for and found me. (it paints the picture of an arresting officer with a warrant for you, hunting you down and not stopping until he finds you and arrests you!

6)      Troubles/sorrows: If things were not bad enough, trouble was playing melody, and sorrow was playing harmony on the keyboards of my heart. I was overwhelmed so all I could do was call on the name of the Lord!

c)       God rescued me in spite of myself (vs. 5-6) (in spite of who we are and how we act, and what we do, God won’t change who he is, and what he does. The psalmist is praising and thanking God. He is full of Grace (unmerited favor) Righteous (does everything right) and Merciful (full of mercy)

1)      God simplifies our situations by bringing us low and saving us in the nick of time (low is where God can meet with us and really get our attention! (ill: some drowning victims cannot be saved because they are kicking and fighting, but God has to take the kick/fight out of us so he can perform a rescue mission!

d)      God reached out, rescued me, but now he gives me rest!

Just in the nick of time, he rescues me, but not only does he rescue me, he revives/resesitates me.

1)      Salvation ( revived me from death)

2)      Sadness (tears ) The tears I cry now are not always from sadness, but they are of joy and thanksgiving. One day I won’t have to cry nomore!

3)      Stumbling (falling) ( I may slip, but I do not fall, I’m not perfect, but I am striving, because of what God has done for me!

                                            So ther question of the hour is, What shall I render unto

                                            God for all his benefit towards me!!!