Living Up Series 6 "Never Forget where you Come from!" (psalms 103.1-18)
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Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and do not forget all his benefits—
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 as long as you live
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
The Lord works vindication
and justice for all who are oppressed.
He made known his ways to Moses,
his acts to the people of Israel.
The Lord is merciful and gracious,
slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
He will not always accuse,
nor will he keep his anger forever.
He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far he removes our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion for his children,
so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him.
For he knows how we were made;
he remembers that we are dust.
As for mortals, their days are like grass;
they flourish like a flower of the field;
for the wind passes over it, and it is gone,
and its place knows it no more.
But the steadfast love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting
on those who fear him,
and his righteousness to children’s children,
to those who keep his covenant
and remember to do his commandments.
Intro:
The Phenomenon in these words of David.....
is behind the thought........
......that we could actually forget the benefits of God!
(pause and expound)
[Transition to text]
David says in verse 1 and 2....
“I promise if don’t nobody else praise you God..........
......with everything that is within me
I am going to praise God!
(pause)
And David is so serious in his statement that he makes a double exhortation to himself......
.....and for the second time David says,
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and do not forget all his benefits—
And on this second time David says......
......there are some Benefits that come from God that I can’t ever forget.
(slight pause)
Benefits - (Hb) “Accomplishments”
David is saying......
God is responsible for all of our success!
He’s making Rivers to flow on barren heights
He’s turned deserts into pools of water
(pause and expound)
Freedom....
What has God ordered to be successful in your hands?
Whatever that is......
...... is called your benefit!
(pause)
Now.....
.......We’re getting ready to go down this list of benefits that David has written out.
(slight pause)
But......
.......It ought not have to take David making a list
.....to remind us that we have some Benefits from God!
(pause and expound)
(Expound this)
And I don’t know who this is for......
.....but don’t you let nobody talk you out of your BENEFITS!
Don’t you STOP PRAISING
Still Holy
Still Merciful
Still Gracious
Still Loving
Still Faithfull
Still Compassionate
Still Marvelous
Still Wonderful
Still Miraculous
Still a Way Maker
Still a Healer
Still a Keeper
(pause)
Watch David’s list.....
who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
The First benefit on David’s list says:
We benefit from a forgiving God
For those of us who have trusted Christ with our lives have experienced this....
(pause and optional expound)
The Second benefit on David’s list says:
We benefit from a God who Heals us.
watch this Freedom......
This word Heal in the (Hb) means “To Rebuild or To Repair”
(pause)
And so......
......we benefit from a “Rebuilding” God who repairs our lives from our sickness.
.......and so the next time you speak the first part of our vision statement here at Freedom
......I want you to think about the ways God is reparing our sicknesses!
(pause)
And........
........you can’t appreciate this process
If you don’t realize that when you lay your head down at midnight.........
.........and wake up at sunrise
.......while you were sleeping, God was repairing!
(pause)
And some of us have forgotten.........
........that it was God that walked into our sick room!!!
(pause and expound)
Let’s keep going through David’s list.....
who redeems your life from the Pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
The Third benefit on David’s list says:
We beneift from a God who is a Redeemer
watch this again Freedom....
Because.....
......this word “Redeemer” in the (Hb) means “To Reclaim”
and so....
....we are benefiting from a God who reaches into traps and pulls us out and says to us,
“Your’e STILL mine!”
(pause)
Freedom.....
.....the next time you read the last part of our vision statement
.....and when folk point their fingers at your life and start listing all of the stuff you’ve struggled with.
I want you to remember........
Even though you fell into the trap.........
“God reached into that dead place and said to you,
You STILL belong to me!”
(pause and expound option)
And according to the text........
The next thing we benefit of........
......is God’s steadfast love and mercy!
David says,
“God Crowns or Encircles me with mercy..........
.....and love”
(pause)
And if anybody knows about a God who will pull you out of a trap.......
......and then surround you with love
David knows!
(pause and expound)
Because David was something else..........
David slept with another man’s wife and then sent him on the front line of a battle to get him killed.....
(pause)
So.......
......don’t you let folk tell you that God is done with you just because you fell into a trap........
......just because you fell into a dead place.
Because......
......if God will reach in and pull a David out!
(pause)
And for those of you who can’t remember your trap...........
........You better take something for your temporary amnesia!
(pause)
Because.......
........it was the hand of God
........that pulled you out the trap!
(pause and expound)
Watch the list family.....
who satisfies you with good as long as you live
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
The next benefit on David’s list says:
We benefit from a God who makes sure we have enough desirable order in our lives.
And what David is helping us to see is that.......
Our satisfaction is given to us by God!
We can’t get to the place called enough without God
And regardless of the entity or the thing........
.......when our lives are satisfied what that says is,
“I have enough”
(pause)
And David is reminding us........
.......that nothing can bring that kind of order to any aspect of our lives but God!
(pause)
That’s why whenever we live moments of our lives without God
.......things are out of order
....and we become UNsatisfied!
(pause)
It’s only.......
..........when we sacrifice by stepping into God’s will for our lives that we begin to expereince that “things are in order!’
(pause)
And watch this Freedom......
.....because David says,
because of this particular benefit of being satisfied that we become “Renewed”
(pause)
Now watch this one closely too Freedom......
because......
......in the (Hb) this word for “Renewed” is actually “Restored”
(pause)
David says.....
When God satisfies us......
Even in old age the believer in Christ is strengthened to....
“SOAR in satisfaction!”
(slight pause)
So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day.
For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure,
(pause and expound)
Freedom.....
.....in verses 6 and 7
David is describing the certainty of Israels blessings from Yawheh.....
David says,
“God has produced deliverance for those that were treated wrong”
(pause)
And Israel has a history that says......
“Not only did God bring us out of Egypt.....
......but everytime we needed justice
......God produced it!”
(pause)
And Freedom all I want you to tell me is.......
Can we find God in our History?
(slight pause)
Can we find God producing Justice?
(pause)
David says....
“We have benefited from these blessings!”
Ipause and expound)
Now here it is.....
Verse 7 says......
Israel knew God’s acts.....
but it says.....
Moses knew God’s ways......
(pause)
And so.....
Israel knew what God was doing.......
But....
Moses knows why God was doing it.......
(pause)
The Providence of God.....
Israel saw God providing the manna......
Israrel saw God as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night
Israel saw God open the Sea for them to cross over onto dry land
but........
Moses knew why God was talking to the ravens......
Moses knew why God was orchestrating science experiments in the sky.....
Moses knew why God was building bridges over water without man created materials.........
(pause)
And in my spiritual imagination I hear David saying.......
One of the keys to never forgetting the benefits is not just realizing what God did........
.......but also understanding why!
(pause)
“What is man that you are mindful of me, O God!”
(pause)
Freedom.....
..........its not the what that gets me
......It’s the WHY that keeps me PRAISING GOD!
(longer pause)
I don’t know about you......
......but for me “the what” is lowercase
....and “the WHY” is capatilized!!
(pause and expound)
David starts summarizing what Moses learned about God up on the mountain of Sinai!
(pause)
Israel rebelled........
God became angry..........
But because of God’s compassion......
......they were forgiven and “Set Free!”
(pause)
Here it is Freedom......
He does not deal with us according to our sins,
nor repay us according to our iniquities.
David says.........
there’s one more thing we need to keep from forgetting
and the way that David does this......
Is by building what I see as a Hermeneutical bridge
.....so that we can realize the benefit of Jesus Christ!
(pause)
David says.......
“The evidence” is all of our iniquities or wrong doing.......
But.....
“The punishment” went to Jesus!
(pause)
And Freedom......
I don’t know about you......
.......but I shall never forget what Jesus has done and is doing for me!
(pause and optional expound)
Look at verse 11 and 12.......
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west,
so far he removes our transgressions from us.
David says......
This aint Pity.....
......this is Grace
He calculates the distance between heaven and earth.
He figures out the coordinates from the eastern to western hemispheres
(slight pause)
And David says......
This aint God having pity on us...........
“This is a Picture of Grace!”
Because this shows us......
.....how far God is willing to go
....to show you God loves you!
(pause)
And in my spiritual imagination I see David saying........
“I have looked at all of the dimensions and distance!”
and.......
The only reason you go this far for a person........
.....is because you love them!
(pause and expound)
And just in case you were wondering Freedom...........
.......just in case you needed to be reminded why God would go this far to love us...
Here it is.........
(pause)
For he knows how we were made;
he remembers that we are dust.
David says....
......God remembers how we were made!
(slight pause)
That’s why God goes this far for you.............and me!
God never forgot where we came from!
(pause)
We might forget where we came from!
.....but God says,
“Don’t worry about me forgetting!”
because......
“I’m TOO FAITHFUL!”
“I’m TOO RIGHTEHOUS”
“I’m TOO JUST and MERCIFUL”
(pause)
And Freedom........
When we can remember that we started as nothing but some loose soil!
......and everything we are now
.....is because of the many benefits of God!
that’s when......
.....we do like David and declare,
“Bless the Lord........
O my soul......
....and all that is within me
Bless His holy name....”
(pause)
Did you see that.........
David says.......
“I was just loose soil....”
(pause)
But God decided to.......
“......take a walk in the dirt”
(pause)
And I went from being “nothing within me”
.....and ended up at
“All that is within me!”
(pause)
“I’ll NEVER forget where I come from!”
God you Repaired me! (Rebuild)
God you Renewed me! (Restore)
God you Reached for me! (Reclaim)
………Conclusion…