I'Ve Got to Pay Him Back

I’ve Got to Pay Him Back

Text: Ps 116:12-14

12 What shall I render to the Lord

for all his benefits to me?

13 I will lift up the cup of salvation

and call on the name of the Lord,

14 I will pay my vows to the Lord

in the presence of all his people. [1]

The writer asks what he could give the Lord in repayment for His goodness[2] , and he has to love the Lord enough if he is asking how he could repay the Lord!

· When you love the Lord, you have a spirit of I can’t help it!

· You can love Him for why you love Him, and I can love Him for the reason I love Him, and it is still enough love to go around!

When you love the Lord, other people may think you are losing your mind!

· When you love the Lord, he will make you love other people who don’t even love you

· Is there anyone this morning who just loves the Lord

The Psalmist says: What shall I render to the Lord

for all His benefits to me? [3]

In verses 1-2 of this Psalm, he says: 116:1 I love the Lord because he has heard

my voice and my pleas for mercy.

2 Because he inclined his ear to me,

therefore, I will call on him as long as I live. [4]

So, he is thanking God for hearing his prayers, anyone thankful for the prayers God has answered?

· Is there anyone here this morning that you know when you didn’t know what to say, and all you could do was lay there or just rock back and forth, that God still heard and answered your prayer?

In vs3-6, he said:

3 The ropes of death were wrapped around me,

and the torments of Sheol overcame me;

I encountered trouble and sorrow.

4 Then I called on the name of the Lord:

“Lord, save me!”

5 The Lord is gracious and righteous.

Our God is compassionate.

6 The Lord guards the inexperienced.

I was helpless, and he saved me. [5]

He is saying that when I should have died, when death was all around me, God spared my life!

· I know some of y’all ain’t never been sick

· Never been to the ER

· Always had good health

· Always felt good; well, this ain’t your session

But some of you know you should have died a long time ago

· Does anyone know that it was God who kept you?

· Tell someone I know I owe God big time!

When he gets down to vs.11, he says: 11 In my alarm, I said,

“Everyone is a liar.” [6]

· He is saying people have hurt me-- I thought I could trust

Just when I thought I could trust them, folks

· I gave them gas money

· Brought them food when they didn’t have any

· I prayed for them

· I went to bat for them

· The same people I invited to dinner, and they sat at my table

o Those same jokers who ate my fried chicken

o Ate my greens

o Ate my beans and cornbread

o They turned on me and talked about me like a dog

· But when they hurt me, the Lord healed me!

· When they dropped me, the Lord picked me up!

· Is there anybody?

Is there anyone who has been hurt by folk you thought loved you, and God made you better instead of being bitter?

· Tell someone, “I Owe God Big Time.”

So, he asked this question: 12 What shall I render to the Lord

for all His benefits to me? [7]

He answers and says: 13 I will lift up the cup of salvation

and call on the name of the Lord,[8]

· It has been suggested that the cup refers to the part of the sacrifice he would give for having been given salvation (deliverance)[9]

· That he will pay his vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all of His people

· I believe that everyone in here and who is listening online owes God!

o You ought to thank Him for His goodness and mercy

o You ought to thank Him that he kept you

o You ought to thank Him that He healed your body

o If you can stand to your feet, you should say, I know I owe God!

o If you have ever been in the hospital and you were put to sleep by someone you did not know and God woke you up, you ought to say, I know I owe God big time!

o If you have ever been through chemotherapy and God shrunk that tumor, you ought to say, I know I owe God big time!

o If you have ever been through a divorce, they took the toaster, you took the blender, you lost weight, they gained weight, but God gave your strength back, your stroll back, and your life back! You ought to say I owe God big time!

o If you ever had your lights turned off, your car repossessed, and someone paid your bill, somehow you got a newer and better car, you ought to say, I owe God big time!

o We all have something to thank God for!

· I believe if I allowed everyone to testify, they could tell us about what the Lord has done!

· I’ve got to pay Him back. He’s been too good to Me!

Here is how to pay God back:

First:

· If you are going to pay God back, you have to accept His plans

Jeremiah 29:11 says, 11 For I know the plans I have for you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. [10]

So, the Psalmist asked a probing question: 12 What shall I render to the Lord

for all His benefits to me? [11]

· This verse allows us to look within our own lives to look at God's benefits.

Then he says: 13 I will lift up the cup of salvation

and call on the name of the Lord, [12]

The question is, “What shall I render unto the Lord? Or how shall I pay God back?

It’s a figure of speech because you cannot pay God back for what is His anyway!

Look at what Ps. 24:1 says: 1 The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof,

the world and those who dwell therein, [13]

So, you can’t pay God back for what is already His, and the only way to pay God back is to lean more on Him!

· Anyone here this morning needs to lean more on God

· You need God in your family

· In your health

· In your finances

· On your job

· Is there anyone who knows you cannot make it without the Lord!

The word cup in the Bible: A vessel for drinking, referred to both literally and figuratively in the Bible. The word “cup” in the Bible frequently refers to the contents of a cup, not just the cup itself

(Matt 26:39). Says: And going a little farther, he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” [14]

It is often used figuratively for something that cannot be refused, especially something unpleasant like God’s judgments, wrath, or afflictions (e.g., Pss 11:6; 75:8; Isa 51:17; Jer 25:15; Ezek 23:31–33; Rev 14:10).

However, it can also be used figuratively in a positive sense (e.g., Pss 16:5; 23:5). Jesus used the word “cup” to refer to His sufferings (Matt 26:39) and the sorrows that those who confessed His name would feel (Matt 20:23).

· When there is no eating or table, it is a metaphor for one’s fate and future

· So, since they are not eating in this text, it’s not a cup per say, but it’s a symbol of fate and future

The Bible has many cups!

· One cup is the cup of salvation

There’s a cup of blessing: Ps. 23 says: 1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

2 He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

3 He restores my soul. [15]

Vs. 5 You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies;

you anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

Sometimes, when you look at your life, you don’t have enough ink or paper; your blessings just overflow!

This is how you know your cup is overflowing:

· When you got food in the freezer, and you forgot you had it

· When you have clothes in the closet, and you know there are too small, but you refuse to get rid of them because you paid too much for them, and you keep saying, I’m going to lose 30 pounds

· Sometimes it just overflows!

This cup is the cup of salvation:

· In this cup, God takes dop heads and makes them deacons

· In this cup, God takes strippers and makes her a praise dancer

· In this cup, God will take a thug and make him a pastor

· In this cup, God redeems humanity and gives us a view of the cross that should make all of us shout!

· In this cup is where He bled, hung, died, rose, lives, reigns rules, and shall return

· In this cup, God makes everything look new 2 Corinthians 5:17: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. [16]

The old folks used to say: I look at my hands, and my hands look new; I look at my feet, and my feet look new!

The good news is: The cup has already been paid for!

· When you sip from this cup, your joy never ends

· When you sip from this cup, you wake up in the morning with your mind stayed on Jesus!

Number 1: If you are going to pay God back, accept His perfect plan!

Second Point: You admonish Him in praise!

· Vs13b: and call on the name of the Lord, [17]

This is a prayer look at vs4: 4 Then I called on the name of the Lord:

“O Lord, I pray, deliver my soul!” [18]

· Shouting and praising God should be intentional, not emotional… Because when you look back over your lives, you should be able to lift your hands and shout unto God!

· Because I can’t hold my peace!

Stay with me; the nature of something lets you know who they are:

· A dog’s nature is to bark; if you got a dog and it doesn’t bark, something is wrong with that dog

· A nature of a cat is to meow. If your cat never meows, something is wrong with that cat

· The nature of a saint should be to shout and give God praise for what He has done, and if they don’t shout, that saint is dead!

· Is there anyone who will give God praise for what He has done

o If you know, He put food on your table!

o If you know who healed, you when you were sick!

o If you know who has been making a way out of no way!

o If you know who has been your friend and sticks closer than any brother, you should lift your hand and praise God!

If you are going to pay Him back, take the cup!

If you are going to pay Him back, give Him praise!

The Third Point Is:

· You have to acknowledge Him in public!

He says in the text Vs14: I will pay my vows to the Lord

in the presence of all his people. [19]

If you do a search of the word vow in the Scripture, you will notice it is a serious thing because if you break a vow, you are worthy of death; a vow was made to God!

If you love God, you will love Him in public!

If you know that you owe God your life, you ought to give Him praise

The Bible says Ps. 34:1: 1 I will bless the Lord at all times;

his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

2 My soul makes its boast in the Lord;

let the humble hear and be glad.

3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me,

and let us exalt his name together! [20]

The Bible says in Ps. 134:2: 2 Lift up your hands to the holy place

and bless the Lord! [21]

· For the Lord is good!

Is there anyone besides me who will lift their hands, open their mouth, and give God praise!

I Have Got to Pay Him Back!

[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ps 116:12–14. [2]Allen P. Ross, “Psalms,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 877. [3] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ps 116:12. [4] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ps 116:1–2. [5] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Ps 116:3–6. [6] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Ps 116:11. [7] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ps 116:12. [8] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ps 116:13. [9]Allen P. Ross, “Psalms,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 877. [10] Christian Standard Bible (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2020), Je 29:11. [11] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ps 116:12. [12] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ps 116:13. [13] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ps 24:1. [14] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Mt 26:39. [15] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ps 23:1–3. [16] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), 2 Co 5:17. [17] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ps 116:13. [18] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ps 116:4. [19] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ps 116:14. [20] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ps 34:1–3. [21] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), Ps 134:2.